01-22-2009
To say that Michelle Obama received glowing media coverage over the past few days would be an extreme understatement. Right now, if you believe some media reports, she’s expected to singlehandedly resurrect slowing retail sales with three clicks of her Jimmy Choo pumps. The day after Michelle and her lovely daughters Malia and Sasha sported J. Crew at the inauguration, the company’s stock price jumped more than ten percent. While I’m hardly one to be giving investment advice, it might not be the worst idea to invest in J. Crew, or Jason Wu, Isabel Toledo, Narcisco Rodriguez, or pretty much any designer the Obama girls even look at these days.
As much as the American public admires Michelle’s sculpted shoulders or Sasha’s irresistible dimples, these fawning reports didn’t just evolve effortlessly.
Remember some of the media coverage last year? The mysterious, never-seen video of her railing against “whitey?" The Princeton thesis from 1985? The “terrorist fist bump?”
Contrast those reports with today’s headlines: “Michelle Obama’s Style: Change You Can Wear”
“The World Finds a Michelle O”
“Michelle Obama is the perfect wife: President Barack’s sexy new first lady”
“Over 40 and fab, Michelle is a role model for women”
And these are just the tip of the iceberg!
The ability of Michelle Obama and her handlers to transform her image from a potential political liability to one of her husband’s greatest assets is nothing short of brilliant. She has successfully shed the public perception of her as an aloof, radical, Ivy league graduate, and morphed into a statuesque beauty queen and style icon.
Political views not withstanding, Michelle Obama has had almost the total opposite experience as Sarah Palin. Despite Palin's attempts and extremely passionate supporters, she hasn’t shed her beauty queen caricature to win over most critics.
Could this be the result of a double standard or liberal media bias? Many would argue as much, but there’s also a key difference between a First Lady and Vice President.
Like it or not, many Americans would rather take fashion cues than policy cues from the nation’s First Lady.
At a time when President Bush’s approval ratings were around forty percent, over eighty percent of the American public adored Laura Bush, with her quiet grace and librarian charms.
It’s possible that if Sarah Palin were married to President Obama, reporters would probably be falling all over themselves to get her workout tips or cookie recipes as well.
Instead, it’s Michelle Obama’s statuesque frame that’s setting the nation’s fashion agenda.
It’s not likely that this honeymoon period will last forever, and it’s probably only a matter of months, or a few unfortunate outfits, before the voices of Michelle Obama’s critics grow increasingly louder.
At the same time, given the state of our nation’s economy, if J. Crew’s stock can jump ten percent in a single day just because Michelle Obama wore a pair of their gloves, the praise over her fashion choices might be great news for the economy.