Michelle Obama is everywhere these days! And if you are an admirer like I am, you are loving every minute of it!
The only thing that is really getting to me is all of this hand-wringing about the "momification" of Michelle Obama. I think it is getting out of hand. You can have style and substance. You can be smart and pretty. You don't have to choose.
I was
interviewed today about Michelle Obama by Angela Russell for CBS 3 in Philadelphia. They found me via Michelle Obama Watch and it's founder Gina McCauley because they wanted to interview a "Michelle Obama Watcher"
near the Philly area. I was motivated to contribute to MOW at the
height of all of the stereotypical lies and attacks that were aimed at Michelle
Obama over the summer. I have blogged about it here (see: Why Does the Michelle Obama "Whitey" Tape Match a 2006 Novel?) but MOW is a "repository of all of the criticism, praise and general chicanery thrown at Michelle Obama." The primary concern was (and is) Michelle Obama's depiction in the media and its impact on Black women.
It doesn't occur to some people that we can be multi-faceted and a
Michelle Obama, while exceptional, is not unusual in many ways. We all
know a Michelle Obama - smart, funny, loving, stylish women. She's not
an alien to us.
I love that Michelle Obama went from Chicago's South Side to Princeton, Harvard Law School and one high-powered position after the other. But I also love that Michelle Obama will be selecting the White House china, greeting dignitaries, decorating the White House and lighting the White House Christmas tree. The First Lady is not paid, but she does have a budget to handle her duties along with a full staff that includes a chief of staff, press secretary, director of special projects and
policy, director of scheduling and advance, and social secretary. She also has the freedom to hire more staff as she sees fit. Along with raising her daughters, Michelle Obama will have her hands full! She is a Black woman from a
working class background who went on to excel at top schools and in her
career. However, she is also a descendant of slaves and her very
presence will redefine the role of a First Lady, in part, because slaves built the White
House, the Capitol and other government buildings. I love that she is poised to have such a
great impact on our country. I think that is amazing.
Smart, funny, interesting women are multi-faceted and they always have been. As an astute MOW commenter noted, "We’ve always had to have it all. When were we able to NOT work? You learn a lot after 350 years of “juggling." Black women love eco-friendly decor, cupcakes and clothing swaps, makeup, sewing and none of these things compromise our intelligence. You don't have to turn in your "feminist card." Anyone that tries to grab mine will get the same treatment as anyone who dares to try and take away my "black card." It's not yours to take.
I
believe Michelle Obama will also have a major impact on women who are balancing
work and family - an area that she has mentioned she will be working
on as First Lady along with helping military families. Maybe we can
stop vilifying women who opt to leave their careers and raise their
children or women who opt to maintain their careers and raise children.
One is not better than the other and it's nice to see we have so many
choices today.
Michelle Obama, the next First Lady of The United States of America
Michelle Obama Feels ‘Odd’ As a Fashion Icon [New York magazine] "It’s hard you know?" she said on Good Morning America. "I’m kind of a tomboy jock at heart, but I like to look nice. But it’s odd, you know? I mean this is all interesting."
Obama Gives Ebony The First Post-Election Interview and Photoshoot [The Swamp] That Obama would give his first magazine and photo session to Ebony
seems fitting. The magazine was a pioneer in publishing in much the way
Obama's a trailblazer in politics.
Evolved from Negro Digest, which was founded in 1942 by John
Johnson, Ebony for decades was one of the few periodicals
African-Americans could turn to for images and stories about black
strivers and movers and shakers rarely ever seen in the mainstream
media.
A black person who made it to Ebony's cover had really made it in
the larger sense. Obama is the ultimate African-American striver. YES!
Ironically, Michelle Obama will not be the first new First Lady to give Ebony her first interview. Believe it or not, the first was Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush's former press secretary Anna Perez comments on it at Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog.
Laments that Michelle is Throwing Away Her Achievements [Michelle Obama Watch]
Now during the campaign, I was annoyed with the “Michelle Obama
Needs a Makeover” meme that the New York Times pushed tirelessly. I
didn’t see anything wrong with her that needed to be made over. All of
that “First Mom” business got started to combat the “She’s too STRONG”
meme. I reject them both. I reject the notion that MOMs are somehow
weak and powerless. HA! You haven’t met my Mama.
Second, I reject the notion that accomplished women are inherently
“STRONG” ( good or bad). I know plenty of accomplished, “driven” people
who are miserable and crazy. I think both sides of this Mom vs Career
argumant are equally annoying because they assume that each is mutually
exclusive and one is inferior to the other. It assumes that Michelle’s
brain will suddenly stop functioning and she will place all of her
talents in a box and hide them away for four or eight years.
Having It All?: Black Women and Success by Veronica Chambers - If you are a reporter, feature
writer, blogger or writer of any kind, please pick up this book to
get an idea about how post-Civil Rights era Black women from all walks
of life handle success.
On First Ladies Named Michelle... and Diane [Anovelista.com] Women like Michelle Obama, Michelle Paterson, Michelle Fenty and Diane Patrick remind me of women that I
actually know, as opposed
to women I only read and hear about in the
press. They are living, breathing - yes, I'm going to say it - Claire
Huxtables. Women like my friends, cousins
and colleagues who are Mocha Moms or Jack & Jill members. Or women
like myself who do not belong to any official group or sorority, but
are well-versed in the "Negro Geography"
game just the same. We know the meaning of 'Working While Black' and
why the word
"articulate" can be tricky. We're not perfect and we are well aware of
it. We just want a fair shake just like anyone else.
Michelle Obama on 55 Secret Street
Michelle Obama: Fashion's Next First Lady
Michelle Obama's Election Night Earrings
Michelle Obama Wore Narciso Rodriguez
Michelle Obama in J. Crew on Jay Leno
Michelle Obama: Commander in Sheath
Michelle Obama on the cover of More
Michelle Obama's Black and White Dress from "The View"
Michelle Au Natural Belle