Mrs Bush's Remarks After a Tour of the First Ladies Red Dress Collection

The Heart Truth is a campaign meant to raise awareness of the risk of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

in women. The campaign is sponsored in the United States by the

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue t ...

, an organization of the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

; a similar campaign is promoted in Canada by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. It focuses mainly on educating women aged forty to sixty, as that is the time when the risk of heart disease begins to increase.

Campaign history

The campaign began in March 2001 on recommendation from over seventy experts on the health of women. The research stressed the need to communicate to women about the risk of heart disease, and endorsed The Heart Truth as a means of doing so.

Logo and marketing

The

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

of the campaign is a red dress. It came into being as a way to attract attention to The Heart Truth, and eliminate perceptions that heart disease is an issue only for men. The dress reminds women to focus on their "outerselves", as well as their "innerselves", especially heart health. The campaign has also conjured a National Wear Red Day, meant to take place on the first Friday of February annually.

Events

The Heart Truth has joined with the

United States Federal Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fed ...

and fashion industries, in an attempt to appeal to female audiences. Red dresses have been displayed across the country, primarily at New York's Fashion Week. The first Red Dress Collection Fashion Week took place in 2003 when nineteen designers, including Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, and Carmen Marc Valvo contributed dresses that were displayed in the Bryant Park Tents. Many fashion shows have been put on in recent years during the Fashion Week festivities; many famous celebrities have participated in walking the aisle, including Jenna Fischer,

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

, Natalie Morales,

Kelly Ripa Kelly Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Ryan'' in various formats. As an actress, Ripa's best known roles ...

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

, Venus Williams,

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic '' What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

, Rachael Ray, Valerie Bertinelli, Christie Brinkley, Thalía, Vanessa Williams, Raven-Symoné, Allison Janney, Sara Ramirez,

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former World number 1 ranked female tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's double ...

, Katie Couric, Sarah, Duchess of York,

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chri ...

Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19 ...

, Fergie,

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

, Ashanti,

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...

Mary Lynn Rajskub Mary Lynn Rajskub (; born June 22, 1971) is an American actress and comedian who is best known for portraying Chloe O'Brian in the action thriller series ''24 (TV series), 24'', and the character Gail the Snail in ''It's Always Sunny in Philadel ...

, Rose McGowan, and

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

. Laureen Harper, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

, has been a great supporter and has served as guest of honor at the event at

Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Tor ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

for many consecutive years. Hilary Duff (2009)

Laura Bush's involvement

Former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non- monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

has been the ambassador for The Heart Truth since 2003. She has led the federal government in giving women more information relating to heart disease. Bush has coordinated many events relating to The Heart Truth, including a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

ceremony in 2004, the Kennedy Center exhibit, the Reagan Library exhibit, and has participated in all Fashion Week events dating to 2003. A signature component of Mrs. Bush's involvement is her communication with women at hospital events featuring those living with heart disease. She promotes the campaign through various media interviews as well.

First Ladies Red Dress Collection

In May 2005, The Heart Truth constructed a special exhibition at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C., known as the First Ladies Red Dress Collection. The collection featured seven red dresses worn by America's first ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter,

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in Ne ...

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, and

. The exhibit was unveiled by Laura Bush, in the presence of many Congressional spouses and Cabinet secretaries. In February 2007, The Heart Truth moved that exhibit to the

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the larg ...

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...

. There, the exhibit was opened by former First Lady Nancy Reagan along with television personality Larry King and Laura Bush. A conference was held at the library with leaders of the heart disease awareness movement as well as Bush and Reagan.

Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show 2013

In February 2013, The Heart Truth presented a fashion show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Celebrities who walked the runway included Minka Kelly, Soledad O'Brien, Wendy Williams, Brenda Strong, Kris Jenner,

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appe ...

, Toni Braxton, Kelly Osbourne, among others.

Notable participants

Laila Ali in A Pea in the Pod 1.jpg, Laila Ali Camila Alves in KAUFMANFRANCO 2.jpg, Camila Alves Patricia Arquette at Heart Truth 2009.jpg,

Patricia Arquette Patricia Tiffany Arquette (born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987). Her other notable films include '' True Romance'' (1993), '' Ed ...

Natasha Bedingfield in Nicole Miller (2).jpg,

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...

Katrina Bowden in Oscar de la Renta 3.jpg,

Katrina Bowden Katrina Bowden (born September 19, 1988) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Cerie on the NBC sitcom '' 30 Rock'' (2006–2013) and as Flo Fulton on the CBS daytime soap opera '' The Bold and the Beautiful'' (2019–pre ...

Amanda Bynes at Heart Truth 2009.jpg, Amanda Bynes Joan Collins in Stephane Rolland.jpg,

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

Ann Curry in Carmen Marc Valco.jpg, Ann Curry Hilary Duff at Heart Truth 2009.jpg,

Estelle in Zac Posen.jpg, Estelle Eve in David Meister 2.jpg, Eve Jenna Fischer5.jpg, Jenna Fischer Linda Gray in Pamella Roland 2.jpg, Linda Gray Taraji P. Henson in Naeem Khan 1.jpg,

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in '' Baby Boy'' (2001). Sh ...

Julianne Hough in Swarovski 2.jpg, Julianne Hough Allison Janney3.jpg, Allison Janney Kim Kardashian in Marchesa.jpg,

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...

Gayle King at Heart Truth 2011.jpg, Gayle King Regina King at Heart Truth 2010.jpg,

Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, '' Time'' magazine named her o ...

Heidi Klum in John Galliano.jpg,

Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the '' Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secr ...

Susan Lucci at The Heart Truth 2009.jpg, Susan Lucci Maria Menounos Heart Truth 5.jpg, Maria Menounos Archie Panjabi in J. Mendel 1.jpg, Archie Panjabi Audrina Patridge in Badgley Mischka 1.jpg, Audrina Patridge Pauley Perrette in Rebecca Taylor.jpg,

Pauley Perrette Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American retired actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series '' NCIS'' from 2003 to 2018. Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised throughout the so ...

Dania Ramirez (2).jpg, Dania Ramirez Giuliana Rancic at Heart Truth 2011.jpg,

Giuliana Rancic Giuliana Rancic (; ; born August 17, 1974) is an Italian-American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a co-anchor of ''E! News'' and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles. Early life Rancic was born in Naples, Italy and immig ...

Denise Richards Heart Truth 2011.jpg, Denise Richards Robin Roberts at Heart Truth 2010.jpg, Robin Roberts Kimora Lee in Kouture.jpg, Kimora Lee Simmons Suzanne Somers in Ina Soltani (1).jpg, Suzanne Somers Jordin Sparks in Badgley Mischka.jpg,

Alison sweeney red dress.jpg, Alison Sweeney Raven-Symoné in Tadashi Shoji.jpg, Raven-Symoné Dita Von Teese in Zac Posen 3.jpg,

Dita Von Teese Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, and businesswoman. She is credited with re-popularizing burlesque performance, earning the moniker "Que ...

Footnotes

External links

Hearttruth.gov

Indian Heart Association

The Heart Truth (Canada)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heart Truth, The Laura Bush Nancy Reagan Women's health Health campaigns Projects established in 2001 2001 establishments in the United States