Pins and Policy

Madeleine K. Albright: the first female Secretary of State, professor of Eastern European studies at Georgetown, United States Ambassador to the U.N., and ... serious fashionista? Most people wouldn’t think so, but apparently the word fits Albright to a tee.

For nearly 200 pages in her new memoir, “Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box”, Albright illuminates for the reader how her pin and brooch collection has affected her foreign policy. Yes, you read that correctly. In the book, Albright writes that her jewelry collection became, “before long, and without intending it ... a part of [her] diplomatic arsenal.” Now, we all know that jewelry makes a statement, but it’s hard to believe that the first thing running through most politicians’ minds before a meeting with Saddam Hussein would be “Which brooch would scare him away first?”

Some students agree that Albright’s enthusiasm for jewelry diminishes her seriousness as a politician. “For her diplomatic skills to be ‘pinned’ on a brooch collection is as ridiculous as George W. Bush’s 8-year presidency,” says Marco Cianflone ’13. Other students think that the book seems like a refreshing break from most stuffy political memoirs. “I, for one, usually buy books written by a dead people, but I actually might read this book,” says Jonathan P. Hawley ’10. “It sounds fun. Any way a politician can make their work more interesting, the better it is.”

Whether this book is a welcome departure from the ordinary political memoir, or a silly attempt to renew Albright’s image in the public eye, it has certainly depicted Albright in a new light. She might not be the average American woman, but, as Caitlin N. Lewis ’13 says, “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and Albright is no different.

Maybe there is some merit to Albright’s belief in the power of jewelry. In her memoir, she recalls that at her meeting with Saddam Hussein and Iraqi officials, she wore a serpent pin with a dagger through it. Zing.