The Evolution and Revolution of the First Lady

As one of the commenters at the end of this video so eloquently pointed out; “Even if you don’t like Michelle Obama, you kinda do like Michelle Obama.”

In a recent visit to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the FLOTUS unveiled some pretty hot 2013 moves in honor of her Lets Move Campaign, dubbed, “The Evolution of Mom Dancing”.  And while it does look as though Lady O is dropping it low to do The Bump with Sarah Palin, Conservatives needn’t fret; tis only a lovely Jimmy Fallon in (strikingly believable) soccer mom drag.

Regardless however of what your political proclivities are, it appears that time and time again, Mrs. Obama continues to live up to the title of coolest First Lady on the planet. Ever.  I mean really, who among us can imagine Grace Coolidge doing the Charleston or Barbara Bush serving up the Cabbage Patch?

But even as a pop-culture icon, Michelle Obama has found a way to keep her finger on the pulse of popular culture in such a way that 1) her image as a political figure is able to resonate with the masses and most importantly 2) she has been able to call to and keep  attention on her platform in a way that might not have received much traction otherwise if she were not so…well, cool.  Call it what you will, but it’s that “real” and “attainable” air that has so many of us falling a little harder for her every time we see her.

Bang! Bang! -The First Fringe

In a Skype interview for the Rachael Ray Show scheduled to air this Wednesday, Michelle Obama jokingly revealed that her show-stopping fringe banged haircut that was all the rage before, during and after President Obama’s Inauguration for his second term in office, was inspired by a midlife crisis last month at the onset of her 49^th birthday…

…Okay, timeout, FLOTUS is 49?????  Clearly she needs to bottle and sell those Robinson genes ASAP!

Mrs. Obama also went on to say that she settled for the bangs because she wouldn’t be allowed to bungee jump or purchase a sports car (side-eyes my balding neighbor with the convertible who shops at Ed Hardy Online).

But seriously, if this is what I have to look forward to in the way of a midlife crisis, then bring on my 49^th birthday Jesus!

 

Michelle’s Undercover Targe’ Run

Since becoming the First Family, The Obamas have often been criticized as being elitist and out of touch with the current struggle of the average American’s financial struggles while lavishing in their own routine Hawaiian and European junkets on the taxpayer’s dime.  But while I categorically disagree with the Marie Antoinette description of The President and First Lady, I will say that they are a brilliant and intellectual duo who enjoy the niceties of life; a reality that seems difficult to grasp for many with such a high national rate of unemployment and in a painfully stagnant U.S. economy, but theirs is a success that they ought not be ashamed of.

Still, none can accuse the Obamas of flaunting their wealth or relishing in sheer opulence if this picture of the week is any indicator.  Like many of us, Michelle Obama has admitted to appreciating the many aspects of her “normal”.  Whether it’s attending her girls’ sporting events, taking the First Pup Bo for his daily walk or simply getting her shop on at  Targe’, one certainly has to appreciate her desire to embrace the ordinary.

Donning a pair of shades and a Nike ball cap (which she still managed to successfully coordinate with her print blouse), Mrs. Obama tried to be incognito at a local Target Store in Alexandria V.A., a suburb just outside Washington, D.C.  Covertly situated, plain-clothed Secret Service Agents also arrived about a half-hour before The First Lady, who strolled through the main entrance with an assistant. She shopped for little less than an hour and was even seen pushing her own cart. She was apparently “outed” when while ringing up her purchases, a cashier recognized her.

That just goes to show, whether in a ball gown or a ball cap, Lady O is certainly one cool chameleon.

Let’s Move: Lady O at The Open

A wife.  A Mother.  An Attorney. A First Lady.  An Athlete.  Michelle Obama always seems able to do it all, while in the process encouraging others to do the same.

Visiting the U.S. Open yesterday, Mrs. Obama was more than a spectator at the Men’s Quarterfinals match between Andy Murray and John Isner, but she was once again on the campaign trail, crusading for her ever popular Let’s Move! Initiative.

Becoming an active tennis player after completing her law degree at Harvard University, Lady O revealed that she always wanted to attend the U.S. Open, but never found the right opportunity to do so.  Friday afforded her the chance to not only enjoy some great matches, but to engage an audience of young tennis enthusiasts, and encourage them to continue to live active, healthy lifestyles.

Visiting the “SmashZone,” an interactive attraction at the U.S. Open, Obama joined a group of children in the 10 and Under Tennis League from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program to discuss ways to combat childhood obesity, and play various tennis inspired games and activities.  Tennis greats such as Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Serena Williams and James Blake were on hand to join in the festivities.

And although she readily admitted that her tennis skills were questionable (having seen the video, I’d kindly beg to differ…I’ve certainly seen worse) Michelle Obama could be seen working up a sweat after several rounds of table tennis, some doubles action against Serena Williams, Wii Tennis and even trying her hand at Wilson ® Speed Serve, where she clocked a 55 mph serve.

But more than the face time and photo-ops, Mrs. Obama was truly engaging, endearing and engrossed with the 10 and Under group, and their response to her was equally as riveting.

Talk about leading by example.  Brava First Lady, Brava.

Move Your Body…To Combat Childhood Obesity

Gas prices are high, people are defaulting on their home loans, the cost of food is through the roof and the nation is suffering through a belt-tightening recession.  Even our children are feeling the pinch of these difficult economic times. Teachers are being laid off, schools are closing, and those that are fortunate enough to stay open lack essential funding to keep critical music, physical education and academic programs in place.

Enter Beyonce.

No, she did not donate 2/3rds of her wealth to the U.S. Department of Education, but she has utilized her talents to endorse a cause that she seems to be very passionate about. Teaming up with First Lady Michelle Obama in support of her Let’s Move Campaign, Mrs. Carter remade her 2007 hit single, “Get Me Bodied” with an even more energetic, kid-friendly flare.

The self-deprecating humor in her failure to distinguish between left and right, the obligatory flag waving and her batty-riders notwithstanding (hey, I couldn’t wear mine in high school, she shouldn’t be able to wear hers either), I found the “Move Your Body” song and video to be incredibly cute and to have the making of an amazingly vigorous 4 minute workout for kids and adults alike.

Take a peek at Bey and her body-rocking teens (most notably the little fella on the right with the fitted white cap *classic*) to see what I mean!

Michelle, My Bell

I know that she was supposed to be on The Today Show to support the President’s performance and to discuss a bevy of other politicky things yesterday, but after just one look at the FLOTUS’s gams with Matt Lauer, I was no longer interested in the POTUS’s smoking habit, graying scalp or even his approval rating.

With a clever mixture of traditional, bold and Hot Dang!, Michelle Obama rang in the start of New York Fashion week by epitomizing the sort of fashion forwardness that has become her signature since accompanying her hubby to The White House two years ago.  But although Lady O tends to draw the ire of some designer’s with her bold style choices, it’s the fact that she’s done it (again) on a dime this time that has tongues a-wagging now.  Long a fan of the practically priced ensemble, Mrs. Obama customized a simple navy polka-dotted H&M dress (purchase price: $34.95) with the help of a sleeve-affixing seamstress, an orange belt and the bossiest yellow heels I’ve ever seen (LOVED ‘EM) for her Wednesday interview.

Now, while I am sure that her down-market fashion “win” will do little to quell the discontent from many of her critics who believe her flippant attitude and expensive taste more closely mirror Marie Antoinette than an American First Lady, I would offer that  Michelle Obama continues to prove that she can make just about anything look good…and with Boehner and ‘dem promising to throw out the baby with the bath water, perhaps they should consider wrapping her in their current wave of GOP planned billion dollar budget cuts (aimed at programs like school aid, environmental initiatives, family planning service and funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting).

Caption This: Diary of a Mad Black FLOTUS

As a woman who juggles super mom-dom, corporate overachieving and style mavenry on a daily bases, it is no secret that I adore the First Lady of the United States in all of her resplendent fabulousness.  Whether glamming it up at a State Dinner, dressing it down while pushing her Let’s Move Initiative or finding a modern middle ground when performing her public speaking duties, Michelle Obama always appears to maintain an air of refined professionalism with a hint of sophisticated sass, which is incredibly refreshing in this age of P-popping Pop Stars, Hell Raising Real Housewives and Instigating (not necessarily intelligent) Lady Politicos.

But like us all, behind that veneer of attempted perfection, there must surely be times when The First Lady simply refuses to put on airs, and instead opts to wear her emotions directly on her face.  And while I am not sure what the circumstances were, or even when this picture was taken, I image that with all the criticisms, denigration, unfounded attacks and general hate leveled at her and her family since they moved into The White House in the back of her mind, President Sarkozy’s wife  became the unfortunate victim of this uncharacteristic Michelle Mean Mug (although I am sure this same expression involuntarily finds its way to the FLOTUS’ face at the mere mention of Sarah’s or that rebutting Michele’s name).

 

Let Them Eat Cake…er, S’mores

Whether debating the proximity of Russia to the state that she was once the executive of or encouraging the masses “to stand with our North Korean allies,” Sarah Palin can always be depended upon to scavenge furiously throughout her annals of idiocy to produce the sort of head-scratching foolishness that regularly leaves me wondering if she and Todd sit around their fireplace sipping absinth from mason jars while making up the next fantastical Palinism guaranteed to secure her a place in history as one of the most unapologetically misinformed politicians of our time.

It should really come as no surprise then that 1) a cable network would see these idiosyncratic catch phrases as fodder for Reality TV gold, thus providing Mrs. Palin with a medium by which to project her daily wrongness to the multitudes and 2) she would use that conduit to take pot-shots at a woman who’s intellectual competency clearly elicits a severe case of cerebral envy within her.

In a recently aired episode of TLC’s “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” the spokeswoman for frameless eyewear and up-do’s took a dig at the FOTUS and her youth anti-obesity campaign while preparing S’mores:

“[These are] in honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we should not have dessert.”

The fact that Palin had again opened and spewed falsehoods from her orifice before bothering to fact check was shocking to no one (Obama has never said that sugary confections should be forbidden from American tummies, only that as far as she is concerned, dessert is not a right for Sasha and Malia, and that the foods they eat be balanced with fruits and vegetables).  What is surprising however, is that this family values touting, otherwise health conscious mother of five would somehow find fault with an initiative designed at helping this nation’s children to live more healthy and active lifestyles.  Hmm, now who’s being un-American?

In reality, it is obvious that in her quest to be the first woman and most mis-educated President that ever lived, Palin’s election strategy has been to disassociate herself with all things common sense Obama, including a program designed to save the lives of America’s youths from the inside out.  But amidst the snottiness, I imagine that what Mrs. Disagreeable did not count on were the (grudgingly) glowing accolades that GOP heavyweights like former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Governor-slash-likely-2012-GOP-Presidential-contender Haley Barbour bestowed upon Mrs. O and her efforts to transcend party line politricks and implement an agenda that would actually serve the (young) people of this country.

As it stands though, since Mrs. Palin has never really given off the impression of a student of change (or of anything else for that matter), I wonder if it’d be safe for one to assume that her modus operandi for her 2012 presidential run will be to remain hypocritical, delusional and contrary; convinced herself, and convincing all who opt to drink the Tea that adolescent health and physical fitness are simply means for Big Government to further embed itself in the lives of real Americans families?

You betcha!

Are You Ready For Some Football? Flotus Says: Let’s Move!

A woman after my own football-loving heart, Michelle Obama is quite possibly the most awesome First Lady of The United States, bar none!  Mrs. Obama visited Brock Elementary School yesterday in Slidell, Louisiana to continue with her Let’s Move Campaign promotions.   

Later suiting up (in a flag football belt and a tres chic capped-sleeved top) at Woldenberg Park in New Orleans, Lady O along with the likes of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy and New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister engaged in a friendly game of flag football with close to 70 local kids.

Motivating the children to actively participate in combating childhood obesity, Obama took time out from the fun and games to deliver a captivating pep-talk:

 “We’re here because of you.  We want you guys to grow up strong and healthy. Anyone can be smart and funny but if you’re not in good health, we know that you will have a hard way to go.”

Like The NFL’s Play 60 Campaign, Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative has been developed to encourage active and healthy lifestyles and behaviors in children.  The newest phase of the campaign focuses on nutrition.

“The reality is that our schools are on the front lines of our efforts to fight childhood obesity.  The nutrition education they get at schools might be the only guidance they get on making healthy decisions about what they eat.”

In addressing the concerns surrounding a healthier generation of young people, Michelle Obama has embarked on a much needed and wonderfully executed platform…and coinciding this latest outing with the start of Football Season was also a savvy touch.

You can check out our fit FLOTUS getting it done on the gridiron here.