Let’s leave Michelle Obama’s ass out of this

by Eva on November 18, 2008 · 8 comments

in Eva, obama

Let’s be for real, she’s the First Lady.   She’s a wife. She’s a mother.  She’s a scholar.  And now we are talking about her ass and her hair?  I quit.

The title says it all: An appreciation of of Michelle Obama’s beauty… and her booty: First Lady got Back. *cues: Baby got back…whomp whomp*

And this is where I quit, because this is stupid.  And what’s worse, a Black woman wrote it.  I won’t chew her out, WAOD already did that.  But of all the things we can write about Michelle, do we really need to talking about her assets?

I get it, she’s a “real” black woman (whatever that means).  She’s not biracial like Barack so she’s more authentic.  Enough.  Her butt does not make her Black. It does not define her ethnicity or identity.

And while racialicious can appreciate the tongue-in-cheekness of it, I simply can’t.

What do you think?

e

About the author

Eva

Eva C. Haldane is the editor of Sassy Women Online and a doctoral candidate at Columbia University. You can find her personal blog at evahaldane.com.


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Shaping Youth » Fem 2.0: Feminine Feminism & The Mother of All Conversations
11.20.08 at 3:05 pm

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Skinny Black Girl 11.19.08 at 9:46 am

Lol. Black folks, I tell ya.

I mean, I understand that we’re all pumped about Barack and Michelle, but come on now. We have to stop defining “blackness” by such ridiculous standards and getting upset when other races perpetuate our own madness.

I agree, she’s the first lady. Show some respect for crying out loud.

2 afrobeauty 11.19.08 at 9:06 pm

When Palin was running for VP, the fact that people talked about where her clothing came from was denounced as sexist. Yet where is the outcry here? How long is it going to take for people, of all races, to accept that a black woman can be equal to a white woman? And can merit the same respect? A white woman’s clothes are off limits, but a black woman’s body is open for perusal, discussion, “tongue in cheek humor” and judgment.

3 Black Woman Relates 11.20.08 at 11:04 am

As a black woman who has heard the comments all her life regarding her lack of a “black woman’s booty” I take offense. Must we always define by the physicalities? I know white girls with bigger butts that mine. Does that make them more black than me. The same as saying someone sounds black. Hmmmm….didn’t know color had a sound or a look. Can someone please explain?

4 chenna 11.20.08 at 1:04 pm

Yeah I was conflicted about this as well. It’s been said privately in so many circles, so I wonder if the issue is that you feel like the thought shouldn’t have been put out there in such a public way. But it is true that Black women have been made to feel so ashamed of their bodies so I kinda get where the writer is coming from. But then it still comes down to objectification. I do think a certain amount of decorum should be observed when it comes to the First Family. The fact that a black woman wrote the piece I think will give the people who really wanted to license to go crazy.

5 Eva 11.20.08 at 3:25 pm

that’s the point. talking about palin’s clothes and hair was sexist but talking about Obama’s butt is… clever? enough *rolls eyes*

My point is that for every other first lady, no one has ever talked about her body in the way they are talking about Michelle’s. It’s not like she’s wearing skin tight outfits, she’s wearing dress. And she’s wearing dresses to “tone down” her image. She just can’t win.

Michelle should be proud of her body, she works hard for it. But she should also be treated with as much respect as we’ve given other mothers, lawyers and first ladies.

6 Lady D 11.20.08 at 9:21 pm

I definitely agree. I haven’t seen this article yet, but I’ve been annoyed by all the attention that has been put on the First Lady’s wardrobe as well. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that her style is being acknowledged, but it seems as if highlighting all these superficial details is diluting the strong woman she is. Why do we hear about what designer she is wearing and not what contributions she’s made to her community and all the hard work she has dedicated her life to? It’s so ridiculous.

7 Barbara 11.24.08 at 2:15 pm

Yeah, the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. I just think that we are an extremely bored society. I am also bothered by the focus on wardobe over her contributions and achievements. I am also bothered by the fact that I have been hearing black women speak of her as being secondary to Barack.

They say things like, “she highlights his accomplishments.” Its all just some pretty interesting rhetoric.

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