Anna Eleanor

Did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt's first name was Anna? I didn't. I also didn't know that she grew up a timid, fearful young lady who secretly longed for adventure but kept herself from it (like someone I know). I didn't even really know what she looked like. I had a vague idea, but I guess I had never thought about her much. Well tonight I finished a 700-page book called Eleanor and Franklin, by Joseph Nash. It's her story based on her personal papers and primary accounts from friends and colleagues. I learned a lot about the politics of the time (strikingly similar to the politics of now) and I really enjoyed getting to know Eleanor. But tonight I want to write about two very specific features in the book: her eyes, and her smile. They function as characters in the book, which is why I have been perusing the Internet for any and all pictures of her I can find. The thing about Eleanor Roosevelt: she was not a classic beauty:

Her mouth was described as "unfortunate", her chin was "receding" and her teeth "overly prominent". Her mouth is definitely something she was remembered for, both in terms of physical appearance as we look back on pictures and in terms of her outspokenness for the rights of women, children, workers and minorities (although this came much later in her life). Her eyes, though, were "soft", "serene", and a piercing blue, which we can't tell from the pictures. Countless people in the book were taken in by her eyes.

She married a good-looking, flirtatious, and ambitious man who chose her for her steadfastness and sensibility--and then found more feminine charms elsewhere. In fact, FDR's infidelity (which I also didn't know about) is one of two life-changing "events" that made Eleanor the activist she became. Until then, she lived in the shadow of her own insecurities first, then in that of her mother-in-law. She didn't actually begin to push herself into the adventures she had always shied away from until she was in her mid-thirties, as far as I can tell. (By the way, the other major life-changing event was the polio that confined FDR to a wheelchair, forcing Eleanor to represent him in politics while he was undergoing rehab therapies.) Eleanor knew she wasn't the "belle of the ball", but she lived in a way that made people fall in love with her despite the way her genes fell into place. She lived every day with the desire to be of service to her country and to people who needed her. She was tireless in her efforts to make things better for people who were struggling. It sounds trite--and I really am not doing her accomplishments justice. I don't have 700 pages to write about them all. All I can say is that she was beautiful. And she is exactly the type of woman we need to be reintroduced to today. I want to see an Eleanor Roosevelt Barbie. I want to see a role model that reflects a strong mind, a compassionate heart, and a body that can keep up with the demands of a world in need. What do you think when you see a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt?

I think she redefines beauty. Get to know her for yourself.