First lady
First lady or first gentleman is an unofficial title usually used for the spouse, and occasionally used for the offspring or other relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive.[1][2][3] The term is also used to describe a person seen to be at the top of her profession or art.[4]
This article is about the unofficial title for the spouses or partners of elected heads of state. For other uses, see First Lady (disambiguation).Non-political uses[edit]
It has become commonplace in the United States for the title of "first lady" to be bestowed on women, as a term of endearment, who have proven themselves to be of exceptional talent or unique notoriety in non-political areas. The phrase is often, but not always, used when the person in question is either the wife or "female equivalent" of a well-known man (or men) in a similar field. For example, the term has been applied in the entertainment field to denote the "first lady of television" (Lucille Ball), the "first lady of song" (Ella Fitzgerald), the "first lady of country music" (Tammy Wynette, although Loretta Lynn was also known by the title), the "first lady of Star Trek" (actor/producer Majel Barrett), the "first lady of American soul" (Aretha Franklin),[71] the "first lady of the Grand Ole Opry" (Loretta Lynn), "the first lady of American cinema" (Lillian Gish), the "first lady of the American stage" (Helen Hayes),[72] and "the first lady of (American) football" (Norma Hunt).[73]
The term has also been used to refer to wives of college and university presidents in some cases.[74][75][76]
The term "first lady" is also used to denote a woman who occupies the foremost social position within a particular locality, in this sense being particularly popular in Africa, where the pre-eminent female noble in some chieftaincy hierarchies, such as those of the Yoruba people, is often referred to by the title.[77]
In recent years, the term has also been used to refer to the wife of the pastor of a church, especially in predominantly black churches.[78]