The XX Factor: What women really think.

Daps and Hats on the Steps of the Cap

Greetings, ladies, in the aftermath of the wildest day in Washington since 1968. The press pit of which Eve speaks did carry a whiff of writerly aloofness; but the decidedly unjaded corps of celebrities more than compensated—livening up the already thrilling festivities.

The A-listers behaved themselves when George W. Bush, Cheney and John Boehner were introduced and a gurgle of boos came up from the mall, but Maria Shriver and her guest were first to pick up the rolling chant of “O-Ba-Ma” begun by some proud soul among the two million thronged behind us. 

Call outs: Denzel Washington standing and slow-clapping through the last half of Obama’s speech (no one told him to sit down); Jay-Z and P. Diddy high-fiving one another (three times, with feeling) over the head of a delighted Beyonce Knowles; Oprah furtively snapping pictures of Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel, mugging for the cameras just below the podium. And Chris Tucker jockeying for a family picture with the Rev. Jesse Jackson—and overheard complimenting the Rev. Joseph Lowery on his “mellow yellow” benediction: “I knew he was going to say something fly, I just knew it… He couldn’t contain himself.”

And, lest male fashion be deemed totally out of XX bounds, a note on hatwear (besides Aretha’s): Though John Kennedy’s 1960 inauguration supposedly killed off the man hat, several senators—and former NBA player and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (who attended with DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee) wore traditional fedoras today—a snazzier way, perhaps, to keep heat from escaping than your typical ski cap. And Jay-Z, as Eve notes, was jubilant—having conscripted the luxuriant pelt of some poor animal to keep his own head warm. Spread it!

Inauguration as Office Party

To all you lady reporters who were up front underneath the stage in the press seating (hey hey, Dayo!), did you ever find yourself wishing you had braved the unticketed masses out on the Mall instead?

Joseph Lowery's benediction was still breathtaking and Obama's speech still powerful, but the mood up front was less once-in-a-lifetime historic moment and more, well, office party. On the right side of the Capitol steps, where members of the House of Representatives were seated, a mustached rep in a long camel-hair coat—I think it was Jose Serrano of New York—led others standing on his riser in drunken-sounding chants like "Rahmbo! Rahmbo! Rahmbo!" [referring to badass Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel] and "Hey, Steny [that's Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader], we love ya!"

Meanwhile, on the Senate side of the Capitol steps, practically every failed presidential hopeful—John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Arlen Specter, a regally smiling Chris Dodd—casually meandered as close as possible to the coveted presidential podium, acting out their commander-in-chief fantasies by gripping the white railing tightly and waving at nobody in particular.

There was one thrilling, if short, moment. At one point, maybe half an hour before the inauguration began, people began standing up on their chairs down in the press section. The reporters all turned backward to gaze out at the thronged Mall and started to pull out cameras. I stood up on my seat, too, and felt suddenly moved: Here was the supposedly cynical press corps, turning en masse to face the American people and revere the awesome sight of millions gathered in the chill to see the first black man become president.

Then I realized everybody was taking a photo of Jay-Z.