Apparent Perfection: The Image of J ohn F . K ennedy

This article explores the issue of how the potent, alluring image of J ohn K ennedy was constructed. The essay begins with an examination of how, even before reaching the W hite H ouse, K ennedy was able to develop a multi‐faceted image as a man of letters (with the publication of Why E ngland Slept and Profiles in Courage ), military hero (through his service in the Navy during the S econd W orld W ar), precocious politician, erotic symbol and symbol of the family. The importance of image to the outcome of the 1960 presidential campaign, particularly in terms of the television debates with R ichard N ixon, is assessed. K ennedy's presidency is examined for the way it reinforced ideas about him that had come to the fore before he became chief executive: his use of the W hite H ouse to showcase the arts, thereby strengthening his image as a man of letters and cultural refinement; the enhancing of his war‐hero status with the release of the H ollywood film PT ‐109 ; the continued eroticization of his image through his public links with M arilyn M onroe, G race K elly and A nita E kberg; and the prominence of his wife, siblings, children and parents in reinforcing the image of JFK as a symbol of the family. The impact of the assassination is considered for the way it created the C amelot mythology that came to adorn K ennedy's posthumous reputation. How K ennedy's image was sustained from the time of the assassination to recent years – through film, music, architecture and the visual image – will also be examined.