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Jill Biden covers Harper’s BAZAAR, talks the importance of women being independent

“I drummed that into [my daughter], Ashley”

Dr. Jill Biden is the latest cover star for Harper’s BAZAAR.

The First Lady was featured on the cover for the June issue of the magazine, which was published online on Tuesday, May 31. In her interview for the publication, the 70-year-old opened up about how she balances her duties as a teacher and the First Lady of the United States. Of course, she also posed for a myriad of photos, wearing an array of chic outfits for the famed magazine.

Biden has been married to President Joe Biden since 1977, when he was just a senator. Before she met him, though, she was married to Bill Stevenson, a fellow student she met at the University of Delaware, from 1970 to 1975, when they got divorced.

In the magazine, Jill revealed that her divorce had taken both an emotional and financial toll on her, though she admits that it led to one of the biggest lessons she’s been able to give her own kids.

I knew I would never, ever put myself in that position again—where I didn’t feel like I had the finances to be on my own, that I had to get the money through a divorce settlement,” she told Harper’s BAZAAR. “I drummed that into [my daughter], Ashley: Be independent, be independent. And my granddaughters—you have to be able to stand on your own two feet.”

Clearly that lesson is something Dr. Biden still keeps inside herself, continuing her own passions even while her husband serves as the 46th President of the United States.

Since meeting Biden during his days as a senator, she’s been known to balance her career and supporting her husband in the political world.

“I am a woman who loves to work,” she explained to the mag. “I understand a woman’s need to have something for herself.”

Jill continued, “Even as a Senate spouse, I was working, going to grad school, doing campaign events, raising kids...The pace is intense but not new. Showing up matters. That’s the feeling I get. You’re exhausted. You just do it.”

You can read First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s full interview on Harper’s BAZAAR.

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