By day she was a buttoned-up intern for the Reagan White House. But at night, in D.C.’s wild and gritty punk scene, Darcey Steinke really found herself.
In the spring of 1983, I returned to my dorm room one day to find a note scrawled on the college message board: CALL THE WHITE HOUSE. At first, I thought it was a joke. It was not unusual to get prank messages: MATT DILLON CALLED or PRINCE WOULD DIE 4 U, left by the work-study receptionist who also happened to be my roommate. I ignored it until several days later when I remembered the woman from the Reagan administration who had come to speak at my college the year before about professions for women in politics and her work as the head of the Office of Congressional & Legislative Affairs. After her lecture, I had approached her to ask about a job.
At that time I was a sophomore at Goucher College, outside Baltimore, planning my junior year abroad in Ireland. I was also a Democrat who had voted for Jimmy Carter in the most recent election—the only one in which I’d ever cast a ballot. I knew nothing about the Republican Party and was only mildly interested in Washington. My defining character trait at that point was curiosity. I longed to get a glimpse of a world that extended beyond my suburban Virginia childhood and my closed-off college campus. I had not been fantasizing about cocktail parties at embassies or Sundays at the Smithsonian, but I figured a potential job at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was too good an opportunity to dismiss outright.
This story is from the July 2019 edition of Vogue.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2019 edition of Vogue.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Mother's Story
In a Broadway revival of Amy Herzog's play Mary Jane, Rachel McAdams finds uncommon grace in an account of parental struggle and pain.
Old Souls
A new production of Uncle Vanya brings the eternal wisdom of Anton Chekhov to the stage.
ELIZABETH DEBICKI
The actor who brought Princess Diana to life—and won a passel of awards in the process—is ready to transform anew.
If the Shoe Doesn't Fit
Forever looking for a 42 ina world of 39s.
Stuck on You
Once applied primarily to adolescent totems, stickers for wellness!are growing up.
Partial to It
Gen Zers have deemed side parts hopelessly outdated, but new defenders see the appeal.
With Nail and I
Inspired by recent runways, Lena Dunham tries on inch-long talons and mere tip-skimming lengths, and wonders: What do our nails say about all we’re asked to do?
Not Black and White
At just 27, Anna Park has made a major impression on the art world. Dodie Kazanjian visits her studio.
Prep School
Back in the '90s, Plum Sykes arrived in New York from London and promptly found herself in the thrall of preppy chic. Now, she writes, it's all coming back.
States of WONDER
John Galliano's recent Maison Margiela triumph was an haute couture tour de force. Yet, as Hamish Bowles recalls, it's but the latest in the designer's long history of era-defining shows.