First Lady Jill Biden Is Taking The Shame Away From Divorce

Breaking barriers left and right- that’s our first lady. Dr. Jill Biden is already shaking things up in The White House by continuing her day job after her husband has taken the oath of office. While that’s a monumental feat in and of itself, she’s also breaking the stigma surrounding another very important topic: divorce.

Dr. Biden divorced her first husband, Bill Stevenson, in 1975. They were married for five years and had a turbulent divorce, which included Biden losing a court case against her husband in which she was asking for half her share in a bar owned by her former spouse. She met President Biden a few months before her divorce was finalized, on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Aside from Dr. Biden, only two other first ladies were divorcees. Warren Harding’s wife, Florence King DeWolfe, and Gerald Ford’s wife, Elizabeth Bloomer, were both divorced. What makes Dr. Biden’s divorce so different is that she’s a first lady in the age of social media, where divorce has become a hot topic and where many in the divorce community are working hard to break the stigma surrounding it.

Although nearly half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, there’s still a lot of shame associated with getting a divorce, especially for women. Divorce can affect a woman’s life in all aspects, from their career to their relationships.

In a recent interview with Kelly Clarkson, Dr. Biden addressed her divorce. Since Clarkson is currently going through a divorce from Brandon Blackstock, Dr. Biden offered up some advice to the mom-of-two.

“Things are going to look better tomorrow. And if you can take one day at a time, things will get better,” the first lady encouraged Clarkson. She also went on to say that she doesn’t regret her divorce, because it ultimately led her to the love of her life, President Biden.

“I look back now and I think, you know, if I hadn’t gotten divorced, I never would’ve met Joe. I wouldn’t have the beautiful family I have now. So, really I think things happen for the best,” she continued. She also encouraged Clarkson to give herself time to heal.

Someone as powerful as Dr. Biden taking such a strong stance on the issue of divorce is extremely important for those who are divorced, or those who work in the divorce industry. So much negativity is still associated with divorce, when really we all need to be a little more accepting of the fact that divorce doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing.

The breakup of a marriage is sad. It takes time to heal from it. But ultimately, there are so many valuable life lessons that are learned during a divorce. It really can change your life for the better if you approach it in the right way.

Dr. Biden is living proof of that.

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