The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

How Madeleine Albright became a feminist icon

Her new book is called ‘Fascism: A Warning’

By
April 24, 2018 at 11:16 a.m. EDT

Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera.

Seventeen years after she left public service, Madeleine K. Albright, the nation’s 64th secretary of state, has transcended the role of history-making diplomat to become a full-fledged feminist icon. Never has that been more clear than with the launch of her new book, "Fascism: A Warning.” It’s a 304-page history of authoritarian regimes with a not-so-veiled modern-day relevance.

The 80-year-old first female secretary of state, college professor, best-selling author and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner is now an icon, and it’s evident with the launch of her new book. Her publicity tour will take her to 12 cities in three weeks.

As Stephen Colbert put it on the night she began her book tour on his show: “The kids, they love Madeleine Albright.”

Another famous octogenarian

The “kids” who are young adults now were actually kids when Albright served in the Clinton administration of the late 90s. Theirs is the generation of “The Future Is Female” T-shirts and Ruth Bader Ginsburg tote bags, who grew up being told that women can be anything, and then, just as they were getting their starts in the working world, watched Hillary Clinton’s defeat.

How Albright and Ginsburg, two octogenarians, achieved Beyoncé status — or maybe it’s the other way around — is a case study waiting to happen. If the only qualification was to be the first female in a role, then where, you might ask, are the books about Sandra Day O’Connor’s workout? The Janet Reno tote bags? Who even remembers Frances Perkins, the first woman to hold a cabinet seat?

What makes a person transcend from being a historic figure to being a full-fledged pop culture icon?

“They are a symbol of what we are all striving for now,” said Sarah Mucha, a former student of Albright’s who authored the Teen Vogue story on her new book. “Being able to stand up for what you believe in: That’s the ‘Me Too’ movement. That’s women asking for higher salaries. We see it all as this seismic shift, but it’s been in the works for a long time. Women like Madeleine Albright and Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way when there wasn’t a way, so of course, we look up to them.”

On her book tour, Albright didn’t shy from her icon status. “It took me a long time to get my public voice,” she told Colbert. “Once I found my voice, I’m not going to shut up.”