Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos, born Imelda Trinidad Romualdez on July 2, 1929, rose to global notoriety as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. Married to President Ferdinand Marcos, she quickly became synonymous with extravagant wealth and political power. During her husband’s presidency, Imelda championed a series of grand architectural projects, many of which were funded by public money, leading to the popular term “Imeldific” to describe excessive luxury. While the country faced economic hardship and civil unrest, the Marcoses lived lavishly, with Imelda known for her extravagant shopping trips, state visits, and an infamous collection of more than 1,000 pairs of designer shoes. Her lavish lifestyle earned her the nickname “Marie Antoinette with shoes,” and she became a symbol of government excess and corruption.
After the 1986 People Power Revolution forced the Marcos family into exile, Imelda’s influence diminished but never disappeared. Following Ferdinand Marcos’s death in 1989, she returned to the Philippines and surprisingly re-entered politics, winning election to the House of Representatives four times. Despite facing numerous legal battles, including a 2018 conviction for corruption stemming from her activities decades earlier, she remained a figure of fascination and controversy. She and her husband still hold the Guinness World Record for the Greatest Robbery of a Government. Imelda Marcos’s life continues to evoke debate about power, extravagance, and resilience in the face of scandal.
