Imelda Marcos

Imelda Romuldez Marcos is the widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. She served as First Lady from 1965 to 1986. Popularly known as Imelda, she owned a collection of more than a thousand pairs of shoes. In the Philippines, she is a fashion and pop culture icon and is known as the Steel Butterfly. Imelda has worked as a kleptocrat, beauty queen, diplomat, entrepreneur, fashion designer, model, politician, singer, and socialite.

Imelda was born in Manila but later moved to Tacloban prior to World War II after the death of her mother during her childhood. She later returned to Manila in 1950 to pursue a career as a singer and as a beauty queen. In 1954, she married Ferdinand Marcos, who became President of the Philippines on November 9, 1965 and later declared martial law on September 21, 1972. As First Lady, Imelda built architecture in and around the metropolis of Manila while spending her time abroad in shopping sprees and state visits.

Source: Wikipedia