News Flash: First Lady a Fashionista

There’s no doubt that Michelle Obama is a pretty smart woman. However, did you know she’s a smart dresser, too?

Of course you did. The media has turned her into a fashionista.

Nearly every article you read that mentions Michelle Obama includes some sort of description about her clothing.

In the article "Michelle Obama and the twists of first-ladyhood, by Meghan Dauwm of newsday.com, one of the first things mentioned is Michella Obama’s "lava lamp" dress on election night and the "unfarmer-like outfit" she wore to plant a garden at the White House. First things first, I wasn’t aware Michelle Obama had to wear bib overalls to plant a garden, and second, I think her status as the wife to the president and what causes, believes, and ideals she stands for is a little more important than where she shops.

The LA Times blog has an article specifically on Michelle Obama’s fashion savvy skills that makes her out to be not only a fashionista, but an edgy one as well. The entry is really about the outfit — it obviously doesn’t matter if it was Michelle Obama who wore it or Kate Hudson.

Other articles continue the fashion trend. There’s "…Michelle Obama Will Be the Next Jackie O" ("If anyone can predict whether Michelle Obama has the fashion chops to be the next Jackie I…"), "All Fashion Eyes at G20 on Michelle Obama" ("Fashionistas and photographers are following two first laides…").

One article emphasized her role as a mother and mentioned her Ivy League education, which almost brought me to tears of relief after all the fashion articles. The Calgary Herald actually said she has a "professional identity independent of her husband’s." The article continues to quote others on whether or not anyone is concerned over Michelle Obama’s choice to become a stay-at-home mom and how she’s coping with the lost of her successful, high-profile, independent identify, and whether or not the first-lady giving up her identity to be an extension of her husband as a good symbol for American women to have.

One article mentions her intelligence level. A handful of articles mention her fashion intelligence level. What does this say about America? Oh, and I forgot the other article that only mentioned her because she made it trendy to plant a garden. Part of me thought that the obsession with what Michelle Obama was wearing would cool down as the months passed since election. Obviously I was a little too optimistic.