#OTD in 1989, First Lady Barbara Bush decided to pull an #AprilFoolsDay prank on the guests at the annual Gridiron Club Dinner – an event where journalists join the president and first lady and joke about politics. 1/6
The dinner was slated for the first of April, so Mrs. Bush jumped at the chance to surprise the dinner guests. The first lady decided to make a joke using one of her signature features—her hair. 2/6
Barbara Bush’s famous white hair was the subject of fashion articles and interviews throughout the Bush administration, and became part of her image, along with her classic white pearls. 3/6
Image Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
Image Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / NARA
For the Gridiron Dinner, she decided to wear a wig. Mrs. Bush wrote: “I came out of our bedroom that night dressed to the nines for the black-tie dinner and wearing a strawberry-blond wig. So much had been made of my white hair, I thought it was the perfect joke.” 4/6
President Bush was not in on the joke and was “flabbergasted” when he saw the look. “You’re not going to wear that thing, are you?” he asked. She did! President Bush and his wife left the White House for the Capitol Hilton. 5/6
Image: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library / NARA
Image: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library / NARA
Newspapers reported that upon arriving at the dinner, “many guests had to look twice before recognizing her,” though some simply thought that the first lady had dyed her hair. 6/6
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