You Have To See How Much First Lady Portraits Have Changed Over The Years

Melania Trump has had a quiet start to her role as first lady, but yesterday's release of her first White House official portrait may signal a stronger presence in the position. After all, first ladies of the past have leveraged their White House clout to do everything from support military families and help foster healthier lifestyles for children (Michelle Obama) to raising awareness for mental health issues and the arts (Rosalynn Carter). But throughout the years, these women have also had a strong influence on beauty trends. Can we even count the number of women influenced by Jackie Kennedy’s style? Yeah, we’re not gonna try.

But what we can do is take a look back at the first ladies who both set beauty benchmarks and captured quintessential looks from the time. Think of early 20th century portraits as stodgy? In the 1920s, Grace Coolidge appeared to be on board with wearing a bit of makeup — something that was just getting its due after being snubbed as a harlot’s look. Not fully convinced of lip gloss’s big return? Melania just might change your mind. Ahead, see a sampling of how the beauty trends for the official White House portraits have evolved.