Amy Carter White House Years | First Lady Rosalyn Carter and her daughter Amy greet Trick-or-Treaters at the White House, Halloween 1978 | Photo Source: Carter Library
Amy Carter, daughter of Jimmy Carter turns 49-years-old today! Born in 1967, she is one of only four Gen-Xers to live in the White House as a kid. I thought it would be fun to look back on some old pictures of her. I think these beautifully reflect a variety of trends and styles from the mid 1970s.
Straight Outta Jamestown
In particular, Amy wore a lot of girls dresses that were inspired by the colonists and/or pioneers. Dresses in floral, gingham and flocked dotted Swiss were all the rage. Lots of ruffles and appliqued flowers were popular, too, along with aprons and pinafores. After all, this was the Bicentennial Era! Fashion designers wanted every little girl to look like she was straight outta Jamestown.
In another picture, Amy wears a handkerchief shirt. My mother made me a few of these and I loved them so much! My favorite one was red and white gingham with a big appliqued sunflower. I wore it at least three times a week.
Keep scrolling to the bottom to see Amy rollerskating with a friend outside the White House. Again, she’s wearing the popular jogging shorts of the day. Ten bucks says the red outfit was terrycloth. Also, those brown shoe-type skates were very popular.
In the last picture she’s in her bedroom in the White House. A Mickey Mouse phone is in the frame.
The other three Gen-Xers who lived in the White House as kids are Chelsea Clinton, born in 1980 and Barbara Pierce Bush and her twin sister Jenna Hager who were born in 1981. All three, however, have claimed to be Millennials.
Do you remember Amy Carter being a kid in the White House?
Amy Carter moved into the White House when she was nine-years-old and lived there for four years. She received a lot of media attention during those years because she was the first kid to live in the White House after the John and Caroline Kennedy. Today, she is married and has a son.
She is about the same age as I, and what I remember most is my perception at the time that the media was kind of mean to her. Even though I was only a kid, I thought that she was unfairly portrayed by the media. I distinctly remember them thinking she was homely, but I though she was wholesome and kind of cute; but I’ve always been a sucker for redheads with freckles.
I remember the media being unkind to her. I thought she was adorable and very lucky to live in the White House. LOL! Now, you couldn’t pay me to even visit D.C.
Do you know if she has a Twitter/other social media account? Sometimes it is hard people are hard to find when they have somewhat common names, and it would be really cool to follow her/connect with her….
Great idea, Chloe. I need to have a look. I always felt connected to her because we were only three weeks apart in age — both born in 1967! =)