In this thread about people’s favorite first lady, Michelle Obama came up a lot.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=828448
I voted for Obama and liked him, but I never liked his wife. So I’m curious what motivates people who did like her and what they saw in her.
I liked her speechabout Trump though, it was one of the best political speeches I’ve seen.
She has authenticity, strength, humor, freakish intelligence, and honest passion for what she believes in (which happens to jibe well with what I believe in, or at least do after I hear her talk about it). There is no sense of political calculation about her. No sense of contrivance.
To me, what’s not to like?
Most First Ladies take on some kind of cause, Michelle took on fitness which is really worthwhile given the state of fitness in the USA and Canada. I’m not sure how successful she was, but she never seemed obnoxious about it. She just tried to promote healthier living. She always seemed classy and intelligent to me. I think most of all, I never really felt any particular reason not to like her and for the most part I prefer to like people if I have no reason to dislike them.
She won me over when, early in the Obama administration, she went out and jumped rope on the White House lawn.
Most first ladies have had a sort of formal, stuffy relationship with the press and public. Not Michelle Obama. There’s nothing stuffy about her.
I’d be more interested in hearing why you don’t like her, to tell the truth. It’s easy to like her, IMO. It seems like you’d have to look pretty hard to find obvious faults but I admit that’s probably my bias talking. Anyway, fill me in.
My default is to like people til they give to good reason to not; however some assholes of the world go as far as to give you nothing but golden reasons. This isn’t a contest you arses.
She didn’t seem to be a mere accessory, to a president. Which I felt with every other FL in living memory. Nor did her ‘causes’ or appearances seem managed or manufactured. Her authenticity and character really came through, in both her actions and her words. She behaved with a dignity that seemed a part of who she really is.
There were some truly horrifically offensive things said about her specifically, lots of it racist. And she never let it phase her, she never reacted in kind. More importantly, she made it look like it was easy to pay no mind to the wretched hate being flung. Depth of character, straight up.
(I don’t think people are ‘motivated’ to admire her. That implies it cannot simply be because of her, but due to some ‘motivation’ or agenda. Bit of a poisoned well, I think!)
I agree with this.
She is the perfect package of intelligence, grace, smarts, accomplishments, compassion, elegance, style, class, savoir faire, and all with the ability to connect with common people. She is the consummate First Lady and the one the others will be measured against, in company with the greats like Dolley Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jacqueline Kennedy. We as a nation were blessed to get 8 years of her in the White House.
She doesn’t gratuitously insult people, tell outrageous lies, act ignorant and proud of it, boast of personal accomplishments that weren’t actually made, attack the news media, exhibit xenophobic fears, perform as a dangerous and bombastic fool…
In short, what’s not to like?
Queen Elizabeth likes her too.
And I’ve yet to see any criticism of Michelle O that wasn’t overtly driven either by racism or political partisanship.
I know, right? I can understand not being a fan (I’m not a fan of the current first lady. But I don’t get how someone can dislike someone who never did anything (as far as I know) offensive or embarrassing.
I like Michelle because she’s relatable. I can easily imagine myself being her friend. I like that she did car karaoke that time, and that she wasn’t too frou-frou to do the Dougie on the White House lawn. I like her facial expressions. I like her sense of style. I like her strong arms and statuesque, not waifish, physique. I like that she is highly educated yet deeply connected to the community she sprang from. I like that she picked childhood nutrition and fitness as her cause rather than a safer topic. I like that she never wasted time talking about her haters. I like her eloquence and confidence. I like that she never gave me any reason not to like her.
Yeah, what don’t you like about her? That’s the real question here.
I think it’s the relatable thing also.
If I was at a past presidents party and the topic of food came up I imagine Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton could tell me where to get the best tomato bisque next time I’m in Martha’s Vineyard (um, never).
Michelle would tell me where to get the best Chicago dog next time I’m in the loop.
Meh. She was the First Lady. Pick some non-controversial cause, dress nicely, pretend to pay attention to your husband when he is delivering the same stump speech for the fortieth time, and be the social hostess at the White House.
She was no Eleanor Roosevelt, but she was no Hillary Clinton either.
Once or twice she said something stupid or tone-deaf, like when she said she was never proud of America until we elected her husband, but any public figure is going to say something stupid sooner or later. She’s smoking hot, which helps, because it is in a non-threatening way.
The First Lady is like the mother of the groom at a wedding. Smile a lot, don’t embarrass anyone, be nice to people you’ve never met and will never see again, and keep your disagreements private.
Regards,
Shodan
All this. And yeah, I know it shouldn’t matter that much, but damn, she’s gorgeous.
She really does seem to have it all in one package. Accomplished career women, great mother, wonderful wife, winning personality, good sense of style, no drama, kind, etc., etc., etc. Intelligence, grace and style. What more could you want in a First Lady?
The only thing I don’t get, and this is surely just personal opinion, is that she is “smoking hot”. She’s definitely better than average looking, but IMHO nowhere near “smoking hot”.
Compared to the average First Lady she’s smokin’ hot.
So, point for Hillary! (I don’t like the “beer test” for Presidential candidates either. I don’t even like beer, much less want to drink one with someone pretending to be countryfied / own to earth.)
“Smokin’ hot” isn’t always just looks.