When the country was first introduced to the First Lady, I think her credentials were touted. I knew she was a lawyer making six figures and I knew she was working in the highest echelons of the University of Chicago Medical Center.
I only really started hearing about her fashion in relationship to the exorbitant style of Mrs. Cindy McCain. When Michelle appeared on The View and was sporting that classy, yet unassuming number from White House/Black Market the country was captivated by her penchant for making "inexpensive wear" (I don't spend $150 on dresses but I can definitely see how that is frugal for a woman in her position) look appropriate and timely. On the other hand, when it comes to style I remember talking about how Cindy's ensemble for the convention was about a third of a million dollars (though she didn't look much more lovely).
I think the media had it set in their minds waaayyyyyyy in advance no matter who the First Lady was going to be, they were going to scrutinize her image. That's what they do. I don't see any inclination that she prompted this. Also, I like to she how she looks because she's gone through a bit of a transformation. Her look now is much more natural and appealing.
Though Michelle is beautiful (her stylish should be getting paid overtime because if you look at pictures back in 2007 and early 2008 she tended to look like a garish drag queen with too heavy of makeup and sever shape to her eyebrows) during the campaign her ensembles from J Crew, H & M, etc were nice, but didn't make her stand out or be the center of attention. I think that's commendable! There was an opportunity she could have capitalized on, but why? She didn't need to
I don't want the media to STOP talking about her style, I just want them to talk more about the other projects she's working on. It's a reoccurring theme, it’s unbalanced (The media could balance the situation a bit more if they didn’t just talk about Womenswear, but the Menswear too). The truth is, if you want to know about her, you can easily find out, it's just not as likely to be right their when you turn on the tube. Get a book. The biography Michelle by Liza Mundy is a good place to start. You have to be actively interested in the first ladies to know about them beyond the media which will undoubtedly present image and eventually if they are or aren’t keeping their promises for the country, in this case working with the military families.
Fashion Fashion Fashion
If you initially thought this was going to be about her "looks", here's my 2 pennies:
Swearing In
She wore a Cuban designer to the inauguration. I assumed she would wear American, but I have no issue with it. It was a memorable color, at first seeming gold, but then hues or yellow and green. The color literally was “brilliant”. The texture looked lush. I loved the neckline accent and the gloves were fabulous.
12 Inaugural Balls
She put the 26 year old Taipei-born New Yorker Jason Wu on the map with her Ball attire. At first glance, she looked stunning. I love texture, but on tv the dress kinda looked like it had a bunch of unwieldy puff balls all around. The light cream/bone color was nice, but I kinda wish it was echoed in the Presidents bow-tie instead of the pearl white he wore. I don't think I've ever seen an off white bow-tie, that could have been a unique plus. She had her hair down for the inauguration, so I would have liked to have seen it in a stately up-do for the ball. (A la Palin... just kidding) Obviously the dress was too long! That is a negative for the designer. Shame on your Wu!! The team had to know their were going to be dancing ALL NIGHT. They could have taken an inch off the bottom. It was totally distracting the way they were both tripping over it and she had to keep getting it out of the way. Total bummer. Now you know I've lived in Hollywood, because I was half expecting her to do a wardrobe change or two. Ha! I mean, she did go to 12 Balls (source: Countdown with Keith Olbermann, I only stayed up to watch 6), though they were late to most of them, she could have slipped in to a snappy red number? No?
turtlesuds' blog; Michelle O Bama's Wardrobe:
http://progressiveu.org/blog/51134-michelle-obamas-wardrobe
Mai:
"When the country was first introduced to the First Lady, I think her credentials were touted. I knew she was a lawyer making six figures and I knew she was working in the highest echelons of the University of Chicago Medical Center."
turtlesuds:
You mean when the country was first introduced to the "first lady" contestants. No one knew much about her, and I am certain the media gave Mrs. McCain and her drug habit a much more complete coverage on purpose. It's saying a lot about America when a presidential campaign is reduced to comparing itself to the Spears family.
The slight mention of Mrs. O'bama's background as a "lawyer" in as inconspicuous a whisper as possible, while boisterously announcing all of the amazing accomplishments of Sarah the Great Palin, almighty Governor of Alaska, seems to me to be very likely a story. I accredit the fact that you were aware of her position at UCMC to the fact that you were looking for information, not because it was flooding headlines.
Mai:
"I only really started hearing about her fashion in relationship to the exorbitant style of Mrs. Cindy McCain. When Michelle appeared on The View and was sporting that classy, yet unassuming number from White House/ Black Market the country was captivated by her penchant for making "inexpensive wear"."
turtlesuds:
Yes, exactly the result intended, and obtained. That means it was a wise move. If I recall, the comparison of the exorbitance vs. conservatism in dress was a debate regarding Sarah and Michelle, and was focused on cost, not aesthetics. I don't remember Cindy in that discussion at all. I do remember one of the doctors I work with bagging on Palin, adding proudly that his wife bought the "Michelle" dress at the Black House/ White Market. I just realized how racially awkward that store's name is, especially in the context of the conversation.
Mai:
"I think the media had it set in their minds waaayyyyyyy in advance no matter who the First Lady was going to be, they were going to scrutinize her image. That's what they do. I don't see any inclination that she prompted this."
Uh, no new observations here. See the article, "Michelle O is no Jackie O."
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/michelleo_is_not_jackieo.php?page=all
according to mai source:
"First Ladies, for better or worse, have always been looked to as national fashion ambassadors, and there’s nothing wrong, really, with noting Michelle’s style choices."
Mai:
"I don't want the media to STOP talking about her style, I just want them to talk more about the other projects she's working on. It’s unbalanced (The media could balance the situation a bit more if they didn’t just talk about women’s fashion, but the men’s too)."
turtlesuds
Um, that was also mentioned in mai source;
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/michelleo_is_not_jackieo.php?page=all
"As with everything else, it’s a matter of proportionality. Just for comparison, how much do we know about Obama’s days as a student at Princeton and Harvard? Or about the work she did as a corporate lawyer at Sidley Austin, the Chicago law firm where she met Barack? Or as an assistant to Mayor Daley? Or as executive director of Public Allies Chicago? Or as a vice president at the University of Chicago Medical Center?"
You apparently only knew about her role as a lawyer and her history with UCMC.
Mai:
"The truth is, if you want to know about her, it's just not as likely to be right their when you turn on the tube. Get a book. The biography Michelle by Liza Mundy is a good place to start."
turtlesuds:
Ok, I found Barack's books far more interesting and relevant than his campaign. The campaign had to subdue the light in him. His books did not. I assume I would be similarly dazzled if I read the story of the woman this man chose to marry and make children with.
Mai:
"Your source said: "The Michelle-as-fashion-plate narrative is one the Obama campaign has been writing on behalf of its candidate’s wife for basically the past year..."
Writing literally? Are Obama staff members writing about her style and publishing it to advance the Obama image? Or am I taking this wrong? If so, that is unnecessary, and I wonder what her take on that would be?"
turtlesuds:
Um, I do not think you understand the depth or complexity of a campaign. At first the goal was to not let her stand out. Keep her quiet. After Palin's crash entrance, and the soon to follow crash of McCain's public image, Michelle became the favorite. Cindy had no sway left. Palin stole her limelight. She was just a drugged up victim, trying to help people.
McCain was hoping to get the black vote by leaking the fact that Cindy adopted some Indian girl who looked black without consulting her husband, letting him find out when he got home from some sort of business travel.
Was it literally written? yes. I saw many articles that painted these pictures. Was it deliberate? not necessarily by Barack and Michelle, but very likely by their campaign managers. Concepts get created and delegated to the press. That is the nature of "news media."
The point is, now Barack is president. Many are choking and trying not to die of panic. Some are bold enough to cry out in anger, only to be trapped by a glimpse of suspicion, and realize they have no voice anymore. They need to drink as much beer as they can, go home and beat their wives and children in order to deal with the isolation their racism is bringing to them.
The job of the media has become to make Barack look as genteel as possible, and to squelch any possible perception of Michelle as "unpredictably outspoken."
I happened to read her thesis on racial tensions on campus. It was circulated to my email by panicking Conservative Christians, labeling her as a racist against whites.
The O' Bama campaign was intelligent, and planned accordingly. Now that the inauguration is over, and Michelle is first lady, there is no question. She is our new icon for women all over the country. She represents the cause of woman far more than Hillary or Sarah combined. She is "Copper Woman."
In order for this to be palatable to the majority White America, she must not resemble a woman of passion. We all know that "African American women tend to be entitled and opinionated, with quick tempers. Oh, Lord, hell hath no furry like a pissed off black woman" Do you feel me?
This concept is only reinforced by your comment, "if you look at pictures back in 2007 and early 2008 she tended to look like a garish drag queen with too heavy of makeup and sever shape to her eyebrows."
We are being asked to accept Mrs. Obama as Mrs. Huxtable. America can't handle no Oprah, Jil Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Queen Latifah or Alicia Keys in the white house. Hell no. We need to hang on to our "Jackie O" pin up. MIchelle is definitely beautiful enough to be a pin--up. I wonder who will get the first Playboy spread, Michelle, or Palin?
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**I like your use of 'mai', it looks good on you!!!!**
Michelle is one first lady we DON'T have to worry about fading into the background. For the moment, I feel satisfied with what I know about her. What have we got to look to her for at this moment? The Ty dolls, some peoples anger that she didn't wear a Black designer on inaug-day, and that she traded up for more expensive jewelry on her last birthday (Micheal Sneed, Sunday Sun-Times -with an article that looked like an ad!- "An Exchange She Can Believe In"). She's getting settled. Nothing significant that she does will go unreported, just under-reported.
Michelle, do you. You don’t have to look like Jilly from Philly or Caryn Johnson, and I think if you looked like Oprah, Barack still would have gotten elected.
I think it’s silly, she isn’t an artist or comedian, you’re (or used to) a lawyer, work with medical professionals, the wife of a politician, and a mother. She’s always dressed like a mature, conservative, professional (she dresses like my mother). She hasn’t changed and I don’t think its anyone’s place to assume she’s stifling herself for us. She probably is stifling her language a bit after she said (even if not in the same context- I’m not trying to interpret) what many Blacks in America feel about pride in America or any other sound bite. Oh it’s new that ‘America isn’t ready for a sistah’? Please… we don’t know what America is ready for. We’ve seen the first cornrows on the first family!! Though I doubt she will be sporting a red, black, and green wristband any time soon, who knows if she’ll wear kente clothe, wear Black designers, or braid her hair. My mother didn’t, maybe Claire Huxtable didn’t, but she can do whatever she wants and I’m not going to see her “Blackness” adversely affected by it. Or her image for that matter, not in mai eyes.
Laura Bush couldn’t have come out looking like Ani DeFranco is that worth noting? They are trying to look uber-American, all the first ladies, and Black America is America. We are multifaceted and multi-layered. It’s ridiculous now-a-days to act like it’s not.
Speaking of the first ladies' image, apparently some historians feel the need to "revise" our first first lady's image. Though not my favorite first family by far... I thought it appropriate to provide the washington post link to "Fresh Look at Martha Washington: Less First Frump, More Foxy Lady".
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR200902...
I enjoyed that article and forwarded it to my vintage apparell connoisseur and shoe historian friend.
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"(The media could balance the situation a bit more if they didn’t just talk about Womenswear, but the Menswear too)"
Is there anything more boring than menswear? Young men without a responsible position occasionally get a bit fashionable, but when was the last time any man in a position of power wore anything but a dark suit?
"Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it."
--Andre Gide
I googled Barack O Bama's wardrobe and got over 1 million results:
http://www.google.com/search?q=barack+o+bama%27s+wardrobe&ie=utf-8&oe=ut...
Everything about Barack is significant, including the label on his underwear. The government keeps very close watch on its executive leader.
Those same people only want us paying attention to Michelle's grace and style. They want her to be unassuming.
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While you are correct that Menswear in politics or "responsibility" as you said, doesn't hold as much attention as just about any Womenswear, it’s not totally boring. Shoes, cut, length, designer, date, fabric, anything to start. The issue isn't boredom, it’s the general consensus that it’s so impractical to concern ourselves with men's fashion because the job they do is so important ('Shame on you. Don't you know there are lives at stake!')… while their female counterparts are not possibly as somber or serious enuff to go unnoticed for something other than their jobs. As frivols as fashion can be, if an iota of time was spent on Menswear as Womenswear it could go a long way to leveling the playing field for women in office or married into it. How? By making it less an issue, and less an incongruency. Media could find something to talk about with menswear in politics (I wonder if the French talk about Nicholas Sarkozy? lol). For instance, I would have liked to see Obama in a bone bowtie and cummerbund on inaug-nite to echo the color of the Jason Wu dress. Frivolous or not, if we can talk about their swagga (no drama Obama, 'he's just too cool for 'em') we can comment on their style or lack thereof. AND it would put a lot of fashionable men to work on discussion panels. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Politico reports that Michelle O has made her first trek outside of the White House and it was straight to the Department of Education! That's right, not to Saks... she's hitting the pavement and working ya'll. They also liken her so far efforts to Hillary and as opposed to Laura... duh... She is also surrounding herself with advising heavyweights which makes it seem like she is serious about seeing effective, efficient improvements. That's mai gurl... here's the link to LEARN MORE....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090203/pl_politico/18329
I don't want the media to STOP talking about her style, I just want them to talk more about the other projects she's working on. It's a reoccurring theme, it’s unbalanced
I agree wouldn't that be refreshing if we had a media that did its job and actually informed us. Instead we mostly get drivel. The stories I hate the most are the ones that go on for months about some pretty blond chick who got murdered. It's a tragedy but the coverage is way out of proportion and displaces stuff that is actually important. How about a story on the political situation in South America or the gas pipeline shutdown in Ukraine or anything that is actually important. The media gives us this worthless stuff because journalists are generally lazy, stupid and ill-informed and because it is cheap to produce vs actually sending out a real journalist to do a real story.
About that 6 figure income. My understanding is that the institution that used to pay Mrs. Obama that money has no intention of filling that job now that she has moved on. Apparently it was not a very important job or they would need somebody to pick up where Michelle left off. It looks a lot like to me like Michelle was being paid all that money not because she was doing something important or useful but because she was Mrs. Obama. I guess that is just part of the Chicago way.
I wish I could get a job like that.
The media gives us this worthless stuff because journalists are generally lazy, stupid and ill-informed and because it is cheap to produce vs actually sending out a real journalist to do a real story.
We both know there are good journalist out there, but a lot of the media are just pretty fact (i use "fact" loosely) givers. Part of the problem is also that the general public is lazy and we are more prone to escapism than heart wrenching news. (we are even desensitized to news of children being murdered by their parents or blonde chicks that get murdered) I believe that the public would rather hear about vapid news than Hugo Chavez, Benacourt, or this pipeline... not to mention, Americans aren't known for being cultured- if its not in our neck of the woods, whats it matter? why should WE care? While i dont want to let the journalist off the hook, in part, its the public's fault too. they are feeding us what we respond to and gets their ratings up.
It looks a lot like to me like Michelle was being paid all that money not because she was doing something important or useful but because she was Mrs. Obama.
Wow, I got to do some research on her job. If what you say is true, that makes me think a little less of her (that's bogus isnt it?). because like you, i guess i would want a job like that too, but to get boo coo goobs of money, for a job that doesn't require a replacement...
but then again, maybe her job was not as expendable as we think, maybe I should be filled, but its just getting lost by the wayside... who knows
I guess that is just part of the Chicago way. I wish I could get a job like that.
CHI-CA-GO!!! The Chi is my second home, I cant profess to know the inter-workings of the city politics (there's a general fear of the Daleys as a mob family) but with all this Blogoavich stuff going on, I think the city is getting a bad rap. Its an amazing city, with amazing people, culture and food. :) dont think ill of the city, and visit if you get the chance!
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH 365
"BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY"-MAI H
I agree that the audience is a big part of the problem. I suppose the news shows know what their audience wants. With all the channels on the air it would be nice if there was a news channel for people that actually had a brain.
Chicago is a fun city with quite a lot to offer. I would say the same about the State of California. But I hold the people of both places in considerable contempt for allowing themselves to be so badly governed. Democracy gives them the power to change that situation and they fail to sieze it.
I suppose that there is a high degree of correlation between people who enjoy vapid news shows and people who tolerate corrupt and/or incompetent government.
With all the channels on the air it would be nice if there was a news channel for people that actually had a brain.
haha, i feel your pain. i stand by cnn (90% of the time i watch it) and msnbc (75% of the time i watch it) I think they general have good reporting that I see corroborated by the print news I read (digital print and hardcopy) that's another thing, i think tv media is lacking because many (esp those "that actully [have] a brain") get much of they news from the internet and other sources.
But I hold the people of both places in considerable contempt for allowing themselves to be so badly governed. Democracy gives them the power to change that situation and they fail to sieze it.
I've lived in Cali too. :) I dont fully agree with that. I dont believe that the people have that much control over politics. People are used as pawns in the political arena. I think the perception of our sway is much greater than the actual influence. And many intelligent people dont vote for a host of reasons. Though I am a huge supporter of public displays of speech, I think they do more to change how actual people live their lives than which politicians get elected.
H
White House Poetry Jam
http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=spoken%20word%20white%20house&ty...
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7577034
To all the haters, that want to suggest that M. Obama is focused on predominating a non-"ethnic" version of an African American woman in the White House, I present this footage. Her ensemble (you can see décolletage up), her earrings, and self are beautifully adorned in a funky, hip, and distinctively cultural and 'ethnic' way. BOOYAH!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/mai
Peace & Blessings
the fascination with her clothes around the inauguration has worn off. At that time she was still much of a mystery to most of the nation. I was just disgusted that the fascination was about her clothes, and not her. At this point, the new first family has settled in quite nicely, and I don't think there are as many would-be haters as I suspected, which is a good thing. I don't think that Ms. Obama was ever "white-washed," but I am pretty sure that the campaign wanted her to be, and pressured her to be. They aren't campaigning anymore, so its a moot issue now.
I think its awesome that there was a Poetry Jam in the White House! I also heard that the first couple like to host cocktail parties every Thursday evening. I like the fact that they can enjoy themselves while on the job.
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