How Iceland's Former First Lady Eliza Reid Champions Women Voices

Forbes

09-07-2025

Eliza Jean Reid speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative September 2023 Meeting at New ... More York Hilton Midtown on September 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo byfor Clinton Global Initiative)
Gabriele Hartshorne-Mehl contributed to this story.
'Að ganga með bók í maganum,' – 'to walk with a book in your belly' – is a favorite expression among Icelanders. It suggests that everyone carries a story inside them, waiting to be told. Former First Lady and bestselling author Eliza Reid has taken this phrase to heart. For her, storytelling is both personal and political.
Throughout her career, both as a skilled writer and wielder of soft power politics, Reid has adopted this philosophy. Whether addressing international audiences, elevating women's voices, or crafting fictional murder mysteries, she uses narrative not only to express herself but also to normalize ideas which might challenge the status quo.
Originally from Canada, Reid was raised on her parents' hobby farm just outside of Ottawa. However, she is fluent in Icelandic and has immersed herself in the country's culture since moving there with her husband, former President Guðni Jóhannesson, in 2003. The couple met at Oxford when she won a date with him in a raffle. With characteristic wit and candour, Reid admits she contributed to her luck by adding her name to the cup several times: 'It was giving fate a little bit of a push. And who knew the long-term repercussions of that one moment of spontaneity!'
From Ottawa to Iceland's Presidential Residence
The couple lived in England for five years, completing their postgraduate studies – Reid in Modern History, and Jóhannesson in Icelandic political history. In 2003, they moved to Iceland, and Reid began the process of immersing herself into Icelandic culture: mastering the complex language structures, learning the stories of the people, and engaging with and honouring local traditions. These experiences would later form the foundation of her bestselling book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, which explores how Iceland's progress on gender equality is rooted in cultural and historical influences.
Reid's public profile changed dramatically when her husband was elected President of Iceland following a political scandal tied to the Panama Papers in 2016.
The country greatly appreciated Jóhannesson's grasp of the context and his insightful and entertaining commentary. He ended up winning the election on a platform defined by integrity, transparency, and impartiality – a fresh alternative to Iceland's political elite.
The Storytelling Instinct
There is no official role for the spouse of the President in Iceland. However, despite any formal definition, the inherent nature of the position carries some gendered social expectations.
'It is almost an anti-feminist role in a sense, even though we have some men serving as spouses of heads of state,' she says, because it traditionally assumes a passive, supportive figure.
Rather than accept that framework, Reid redefined it. It was an opportunity to use her unique voice, stand up for what she believed in, and 'shift the expectations that first ladies are some sort of well-dressed muse for their husband's genius.'
Early on, Reid learned that the media paid more attention to what she wore than to the attire of her husband. Rather than conforming to the one-dimensional decorative aspects associated with First Ladies, she decided to use her wardrobe as a tool for cultural and political advocacy.
Dressing for Advocacy
She strategically selected outfits that spotlight local designers and support values she believed in, such as sustainability.
'I bought something at the Red Cross charity shop once. I wore it to an Icelandic awards show, and it ended up being on the BBC that the First Lady had worn a $15 used jacket,' says Reid.
She also wore secondhand clothing during her husband's re-election and several other high-profile events to continue to challenge the expectations set for her on what she might wear.
'It's supporting a good cause. So I did that quite often for bigger events,' she recalls.
Reid proudly identifies as a feminist, using her platform to normalize the term in public discourse and deter misconceptions surrounding gender equality.
The Language of Power
'Women tend to be socialized not to take up space,' she says. 'We are taught that we are physically too big for everything, we are too loud, too bossy, too ambitious.'
Women also minimize themselves through language – 'I just wanted to say, I only wanted to contribute this, sorry to interrupt you,' she mimics. These phrases diminish the power of the contributor's initial statement.
As an author, Reid is mindful of the harm these rhetorical and linguistic choices cause, weakening the message's delivery and reflecting deeper conditions around who feels most entitled to speak. She also understands the value and importance of using one's unique voice.
'It is very empowering to point out to people that you don't have to have climbed Everest or founded a company or have been the first to do something to be able to tell your story and to use details from your life to inspire other people,' Reid says.
'We are all role models, we all have an influence, and we all have something important to say,' she continues.
From Nonfiction to Nordic Noir
Reid's writing reflects this ethos. Her latest project, a murder mystery novel titled Death on the Island, blends her love of British-style crime fiction with her deep appreciation for Icelandic culture.
In many ways, the pivot to fiction-writing is another extension of her enduring guiding principle: telling stories which are grounded and expansive, personal and political.
The Importance of Owning Your Voice
Whether through fashion, fiction, or feminist advocacy, Reid remains committed to reshaping narratives — her own and others'. She reminds us that we all carry a story inside us. The only question is whether we choose to tell it.