What We Missed About Jackie Kennedy—and Why It Matters Now | featuring "Meet Me There Darling" Editor AM

Jacqueline Kennedy is all over our Instagram feeds again, bringing classic fashion inspiration in our age of nostalgia. Still, in many ways, one of America’s most iconic First Ladies remains deeply misunderstood. 

Scroll long enough, and you’ll find her flattened into mood boards with her pillbox hats, oversized sunglasses, and perfectly tailored skirt suits. More often than not, she’s been reduced to her epochal aesthetics alone, alongside her historic husband. But Jackie was never just an image, and rather a strategist, cultural force, and mother who understood that restraint is a strength and her beauty must be stewarded with responsibility. 

Her femininity feels almost foreign against today’s louder, more performative expressions of womanhood. And perhaps that is precisely what makes her magnetic once again.

Mark Shaw Photographic Archive

One editorial outlet consistently exploring this deeper dimension of women like Jackie is Meet Me There Darling, an editorial devoted to the sense of old school life and the everyday elegance that appears to accompany it. In other words, 100% in another world.

MMTD encourages readers to become more inquisitive, digging into the meaning behind the habits, presentation, and decisions of weighty public figures.

The publication’s Editor, known simply as AM, describes the project as an invitation to abandon the ordinary, leave the sheep behind, and live curiously– an ethos she rigorously practices herself. Jackie Kennedy is frequently central to MMTD’s work, not as simply a retro-icon, but as a case study in personal expression used strategically and intelligently within one’s given role.

More than a muse for Meet Me There Darling, Jackie Kennedy was the focus of Editor AM’s independent study during her university years, exploring whether American First Ladies are remembered as “affable” figures or activists, and the lasting blueprints they leave behind.

Before the Kennedys’ ascent to the White House, the role of the President and First Lady was largely dull, administrative, and lackluster. Style, public image, and a little glamour arrived with JFK’s administration, primarily through Jackie. AM notes her “Chanel suits, pillbox hats, white gloves and glamorous evening wear [which] contrasted hugely with the staid and traditional attire and presence of the wives of other political leaders.” 

Yet this shift wasn’t just sartorial, but extended to the President himself. AM also shares how, “[Jackie’s] style, in turn, influenced JFK's, who began dressing more sharply following their marriage. This assisted the pair in offering a gleaming, enthralling picture of the couple and the nation they represented. Until her last years, Mrs. Kennedy always carried this air of 'je ne sais quoi' from her structured winter coats, Cartier Tank or chic knee-high boots. Unforgettable to this day.”

It is apparent from all analyses that Jackie was, at her core, a beautifier. She took the mundane and made it inviting– paired with her wicked wit and love of words, she gave language and gravitas to the office she assumed as the President’s wife. As AM puts it, she was actually her husband’s secret weapon, indeed “the one who emphasised a culture of beauty and history and established the fantasy of Camelot to symbolise a bright new age for America.” 

Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images

But Jackie was not just a nice accessory in the world of politics as other First Ladies had been before her; she was a formidable cultural force and a deeply intentional mother. AM highlights how Jackie deliberately carved out time beyond her public duties to raise her children, shaping not only national culture but her own household.

The Meet Met There Darling Editor shared that her presentation of Jackie as a mother online is often met with criticism, as people can be quick to criticize the idea that the First Lady prioritized her children amidst a life of comfort, resources, and responsibilities. But that critique often misses the truth. “She had assistance, of course, due to her status and the fact she was First Lady during her children's early years,” she explains. “But Mrs Kennedy repeatedly stepped away from the public eye during her husband's presidency to raise her own children”. Jackie famously stated that, "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."

AM noted that in every book she’s read on Jackie, serious biographers confirm her utter devotion to her children and her hands-on approach to parenting both John and Caroline, revealing so much about Jackie's character and preference for true engagement with her children over the public spotlight.

That devotion, AM believes, also dismantles the persistent myth of Jackie as a passive trophy wife. “I believe Jackie proved many times that she was an important force in her own right,” she says, noting that the First Lady of Fashion continued to advise and shape the Kennedy legacy both during JFK’s presidency and after his death.

Advising a sitting president required discernment and diplomacy, which is a balance Jackie mirrored through her approach to dress as both personal expression and strategic social role. Her preference for European designers reflected her time in Paris, her love of French culture, and her intellectual curiosity.

Jackie’s style wasn’t just cosmetic, but as AM explains, “aided foreign relations and her trip with JFK to France during his presidency. The same is seen with Mrs Kennedy's White House restoration, where her love of interiors and beauty allowed for thoughtful refurbishment of the Diplomatic Reception Room, for example…These impressive achievements began, I believe, as simple personal expression and Jacqueline focusing on the areas that she was gifted in, which then comprised her social role and achievements as First Lady, and benefited the United States.”

Another way of putting it, perhaps, is that Jackie was authentically herself and used her skills and talents to further the administration's mission, preserve history, and beautify the world around her.

In this way, Jackie Kennedy’s style was not the point, but the evidence of something deeper. “Jackie's impeccable fashion,” AM says, “Was a reflection on what was inside: true grace, as established, a love of the world around her and what it held, a great care and devotion for her family, and a commitment to her country. She was the ultimate hostess to foreign and domestic leaders and historic restorer of American emblems to the Executive Mansion.” 

While Jackie is primarily known now for her fashion trendsetting, she worked hard to move away from that identity alone during her lifetime. AM goes on to share how Jackie, “helped Ted Kennedy with his campaign and held a school at the White House. Her skill at writing and love for words shone through with her 'Campaign Wife' and addressed policy and women's issues, moving away from the emphasis on her style. Jacqueline put a high emphasis on the interior and character, I believe, which is seen in how she raised her children and the way they lived their lives. Her remarkable legacy, which seems to have been revived throughout social media this past year, especially, I believe, encourages women to put as much thought into their actions and commitments as they do their personal exteriors or clothing.”

As inspirational images of Jackie Kennedy recirculate this year, may we be drawn to more than her lasting influence on style, and learn to admire women like her for their substance of character. Few women today are elevated to celebrity status simply because of their virtues and grace, yet Jackie’s enduring relevance reminds us how deeply these qualities still resonate. 

This is precisely where the work that AM has done with Meet Me There Darling positions itself– not as a nostalgic account, but on the front lines of a cultural revival to redirect attention where it is well deserved. By breaking away from the crowd and examining individuals like Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Caroline Casiraghi, or reflecting on the style notes of JFK or Prince Charles, MMTD seeks to redirect cultural attention toward informed living, intentional choices, and quiet excellence.

This philosophy also extends beyond historical reflection. On Meet Me There Darling, readers will also find glimpses of contemporary life in thoughtfully curated travel, personal style, and collaborations with brands and creators who share the same vision. AM’s interview series, in particular, captures this balance beautifully with features from Pinky the Landy (a creative traveling across Africa in her iconic pink Land Rover) to Cornwall Manor, and the Cotswolds estate known both for its heritage and its appearance in The Holiday. These features nod to modern life while upholding the rugged individuality, discernment, and authenticity that MMTD encourages its audience to pursue.

In this way, AM’s mission mirrors the very lesson Jackie Kennedy embodied. Her legacy was never about being performative or passive, but a disciplined, interior strength that is expressed through beauty, restraint, curiosity, and care for the world around you. Jackie exemplified how this devotion can quietly shape culture, power, and legacy without spectacle or self-promotion. In a modern world addicted to noise and immediacy, Meet Me There Darling rejects nostalgia in favor of something more deliberate. It points us back to femininity as influence, and to a way of life where character—not volume—shapes lasting legacy, just as Jackie showed us.

To read Jackie's featured page in The Swish Magazine's Ultimate Elegance Guide, simply access the free ebook here.