can we PLEASE stop talking about Michelle Obama's fashion and get back to the incredible work she does?

Quick, name one designer that Michelle Obama has worn in the past six months. Now tell me the name of her initiative against childhood obesity. 

I don't know about you, but I'm getting a tad tired of seeing full-fledged reports and photo time lines of Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices. She's beautiful, yes. And has killer arms. Like most women with her level of education, she mixes expensive pieces with dresses from Target. Sometimes everyone loves her choice and sometimes people are divided. But here's my question: why is what she wears even an important enough "issue" for people to be "divided" over? Aren't abortion and gun control enough for Americans to have foaming-at-the-mouth arguments about?



The article that set me off today is one from CNN, and the thing that did it was the writer's half-hearted declaration that yes, the actual incredible work she's doing should get more attention, but still, if we don't talk about her fashion, we poor fashion know-nothings will miss out on a chance to "learn" from it:

"As she stands on the brink of another four years as first lady, her leadership and values should get more attention than the ease with which she transitions from slacks and cardigans to cutting-edge designer gowns. But to minimize the influence of her sartorial choices deprives the rest of us of an opportunity to learn from them, fashion consultants say."

And where would be we if we couldn't "learn" from the fashion choices of our first lady? Maybe happily in last year's Target dresses, blissfully unaware that we're supposed to be rushing to whatever designer Mrs. Obama donned at last night's celebration in order to garner respect from others. Or possibly learning from the things she's actually trying to get Americans to do, like garden their own food and end the childhood obesity epidemic. But come on, we all know those things play second fiddle to wearing the right clothes and looking hot.

I followed a link from that article to one that appeared in the New York Times, in their fashion section. OK, it is the fashion section. At least they're not pretending to care about the things she does that actually matter. But then I read this:

"One designer, who doesn’t dress Mrs. Obama, observed, with some accuracy, 'Her clothes are too tight.'”

Seriously? Now there's nothing wrong with reporting other people's bullshit sentiments, but to slide in there "with some accuracy" makes it seem like it's NYT/God's word. The problem with telling a woman that her clothes are too tight, of course, is the idea that you're telling her that her body is not her own, that it belongs to some sort of nebulous other person who gets to decide what's appropriate for her to wear. This is where I really hit my breaking point. To not only obsessively report on Michelle Obama's fashion, but then to criticise her for it being "too tight" smacks of some serious internalized oppression and sense of entitlement. Who are you to decide how tight it "too tight," unnamed fashion designer and NYT fashion writer Cathy Horyn? Can you give a definition of what the right amount of tightness is for the first lady? Why don't you just dress her up yourself like some kind of doll so that no one will ever have a problem, ever? Hey, if you're the authority on tightness, why not just write a standard for women to follow so they can be reminded every single day that their bodies are not their own, to do with and dress how they please, but rather belong to American society, to judge and criticize and obsess over.

(And really, this statement is tame compared to certain right-wing figures, who find ways to make her clothing into bizarre political statements and really make sure people know they think they own her body and should be the ones to make decisions for it).

This is the message sent to women everywhere when the media pays such close critical attention to the fashion of famous women. It also sends the much more obvious message that what you wear is more important than what you do. Well, only if you're a woman. When was the last time you saw reporting on the President's clothes rather than what he was up to?

Admittedly, things have gotten better since Obama's first election, when people really didn't care about Michelle Obama's admirable work. But all these fashion time lines and observations about her second Inagural Ball gown make it feel like nothing's changed. 

Back in 2009, The Economist ran a piece about the issue that ended with "it would be good to hear a bit more about what Mrs Obama thinks and a lot less about what she wears." I think that four years later, they need to reprint it, because America needs a reminder. 

By the way, her initiative against childhood obesity is called Let's Move.