When women are the subject of a headline, it becomes very easy for people to judge them in a way that a man wouldn’t.
Canadian First Lady Margaret Trudeau was married to Pierre Trudeau between 1971 and 1984. The then-couple met in Tahiti in 1967 and got married in 1971 without telling anyone. Pierre was double her age, and she wasn’t interested in politics. Their relationship and marriage were the topics of discussion for most Canadians and the press.
The couple celebrated their sixth year of marriage in 1977 but the First Lady grabbed the press’ attention when she left the party without her husband to see The Rolling Stones at a nightclub. She was later spotted with Mick Jagger, and the media had a lot of presumptions about that night.
Did Margaret Trudeau Have An Affair With Mick Jagger?
They suggested that Margaret had an affair with Jagger, and she might even had an orgy with the band members. People started calling her misogynistic titles like ‘promiscuous,’ and ‘irresponsible wife.’
She talked about that night later on and explained her side of the story. It was true that she went out with the band that night. She bonded with the band over drinking and smoking but, the next day, she left and never saw them again.
Then-president Pierre Trudeau and Margaret got a divorce in 1984. She spoke at a mental health conference in 2008 and still denied the affair. Margaret wasn’t without regrets, though.
Here is what she said at the mental health conference:
“Unfortunately, when I look back on it now, I think I should have slept with every single one of them. I should have had so much fun, but I didn’t.”
After all of the allegations and shaming she got from the public, she proved that a woman cannot be defined by her motherhood or her husband. She later became a professional photographer, writer, actress, and TV host.
She was the president of WaterAid Canada, an organization that helped developing countries receive sustainable water and sanitation. She also became a patron of the Canadian Mental Health Association to raise awareness for mental health.
