When asked about her opinion on foreign policy issues, Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State, often instructs inquirers to “read my pins.”
Former Secretary of State Albright’s legacy in Washington extends beyond her gender and foreign policy expertise and into the elite halls of the fashion world through her immense collection of unique brooches.
In her fourth book, “Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat’s Jewelry Box,” Albright explores the complex world of foreign policy through her use of costume jewelry as a unique and symbolic diplomatic weapon.
Beginning in 1993, shortly after the Gulf War, Secretary of State Albright was instructed by Washington “to say perfectly terrible things about Saddam Hussein all the time.”
In response to the Secretary of State’s biting remarks, a poem appeared in the Baghdad press, comparing her to an “unparalleled serpent.” In response to the comparison, she cheekily wore a serpent brooch whenever dealing with Iraqi officials.
Albright’s use of jewelry in tough political situations did not stop there. The legacy of her unique, ornate pins has “developed a life of its own,” she said.
“[After the serpent pin,] I thought, ‘Well, this is fun,’” Albright said. “So I bought a lot of different kind of costume jewelry to kind of fit whatever we were doing or what mood I was in. On good days, I’d wear flowers and butterflies and balloons, and on bad days, spiders and bees and snakes. I decided my niche, basically, is trying to talk about foreign policy in a way that ordinary normal people can understand, that isn’t in a lot of diplo-speak. In other words, kind of make foreign policy less foreign. I call it a ‘spoonful of sugar.’”
“Read My Pins” contains fascinating stories about foreign policy accompanied by beautiful, glossy photographs of Albright’s pin collection.
One of the book’s most interesting stories describes her reaction to the State Department’s startling discovery that the Russians had bugged one of their conference rooms. In a sassy response, the next time Albright saw the Russian foreign minister, she adorned her lapel with a giant, gaudy bug pin in reference to their tapping of the department.
“He got that right away,” Albright said.
Now out of office, Albright continues to wear pins in order to express her opinions on the current political climate.
Recently, she’s worn “a lot of doves because there is so much need for peace talks in the Middle East,” she said.
The infamous pin collection is currently displayed at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, and Albright has certainly felt its absence.
“People have been giving me what I call pity pins because they know that my pins are gone,” she said. “I realize that it’s going to be some time before I get them back.”
One of such recent gifts is a small frame with a piece of paper that reads, “Lent on display,” symbolizing the collection’s absence from Albright’s jewelry box.
Although not a novel in the traditional sense, “Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat’s Jewelry Box” is an entertaining book, perfect for any coffee table or library collection.
Albright will speak about her book at Book People today at noon.
