You’ll Never Be CBK, And That’s Okay

Ryan Murphy has done it again. He certainly knows how to get people talking, and his latest Love Story TV series has sent a fresh wave of fascination toward Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. She’s everywhere again. Scroll through any style forum or fashion tag and there she is, reborn in a thousand glossy tribute posts.

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The “CBK Effect”

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was a figure of timeless style. But more than that, she was captivatingly authentic. She carried herself with an ease that seemed to require no effort at all, moving through the world as if she knew exactly who she was. She was memorable. Those who knew her spoke of her with fondness; even industry professionals who never met her had only good things to say.

So, the replication makes sense. It’s practically human instinct. Who wouldn’t want to become the subject of that kind of lasting admiration? Who wouldn’t want to bottle whatever she had and dab a little behind the ears?

However, Bessette-Kennedy’s relationship with public obsession wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. The context of her era matters. She wasn’t a fan of the paparazzi who shadowed her after she married into the Kennedy family. Her friend, Carole Radziwill, once noted that the late Calvin Klein publicist dressed as discreetly as possible, hoping photographers would lose interest if she simply blended in.

Thus, reducing a complex woman to a mood board feels like a disservice. Bessette-Kennedy was a person with her own thoughts and feelings, and a life that extended far beyond her wardrobe. She was intelligent and had a career she built on her own merits. To flatten her into an aesthetic—to focus only on her surface details—is to miss the whole point.

The good news is that letting go of the CBK fantasy opens up something better. By all means, appreciate her. Have your fun and wear the tortoiseshell headband. But pivot in a way that honors her memory far better than casual overconsumption: stay original, stay present, and remain far too busy living your own life to worry about how it looks to anyone watching.

Photos: JOHN AND CAROLYN and CAROLYN BESSETTE-KENNEDY (via Reddit)