Not Your “Trophy” First Lady??
Last month I posted a video about Michelle Obama and we’ve all seen the circulating picture that culminates black love and speaks a thousand words. Michelle Obama is a great woman, a role model, and the most supportive wife I think any minority presidential candidate could have. Barack is the lucky one. So why is it that now, with little left to question Barack about, do people feel compelled to scrutinize Michelle? This morning I was forwarded an NPR article with audio that interviewed a group of black women in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles to see how the notion of a black first lady would play with them. I absolutely could not believe what these women had to say about Michelle, particularly about her looks:
” Acting the same way she acts now, speaking the same way she speaks now, I think it would be easier to take for some people if she perhaps looked a different way.”
“In a society that still values light skin over dark, straight hair over kinky, Michelle Obama, with her deep brown skin and obviously straightened hair, attracts attention and maybe a little apprehension.”
” I definitely think that she would be perceived differently if she were a lighter tone, but I also think that she would be perceived differently if she were smaller, if she were a petite woman.”
I am speechless at this rather racist and derogatory conversation. I guess after hundreds of political speeches we just forget about what the candidates are saying and hone in on their personal attributes. It is so sad that black women actually came out in public and blatantly hated on one of the most accomplished black women in society today, who also happens to be the wife of a presidential nominee.
“For the millionth time in my adult life, I am ashamed of my country…”
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Comment by Brittania on 7 March 2008:
If these black women are saying that they believe Michelle Obama isn’t an ideal first lady then I have to believe that this was just a poor sampling of black women.
But it seems like the interviewees are saying that they believe white people would be more comfortable with her if she “looked different.” I don’t know why but some black people honestly believe that white people treat black people differently based on the lightness or darkness of the skin. I don’t agree with that line of thinking. I personally find her beautiful, radiant, intelligent and the perfect first lady. I think she would easily be the most attractive first lady that I have ever seen.
Comment by Dark-Skinned White Girl on 8 March 2008:
I dunno if Michelle would be the GOAT First Lady; Jackie Kennedy was PRETTY ridiculous in her day. Think about the spin this way: might the comments have been taken out of context? I mean, these women aren’t breaking new ground.
It’s possible that these women might have been asked, albeit with the purpose of generating certain quotes, how they felt Michelle would be perceived otherwise. The notion that she might be more well-received with lighter skin and/or naturally straight hair is not farfetched. ‘Tis still America, last I checked. There’s a chance the ladies were being somewhat cynical about the additional scrutiny placed on black women, and that their quotes were miscontrued when removed from the totality of the conversation.
Hopefully people have been exposed to the various studies showing the differences in perceptions and salaries among lighter-skinned blacks versus their darker counterparts. (man, something about that felt reeeally racist, but I’ma keep on…) These studies do well to educate non-blacks, but I would think most black people here in ‘08 have known that to be the drill for quite some time now.
The only thing I don’t like about the conversation is the denouncing of well-to-do black men and their perceived propensity to gravitate towards “pale trophy” wives. WTF is that all about? Yeah yeah I know what it’s about, but that’s wack. Every brother that marries a non-black woman isn’t automatically a sellout or anything, just like every brother that marries a black woman isn’t automatically down for the cause.
I mean, who’s the sellout… The brother who marries a non-black woman and treats her right or the brother who marries a black woman and beats on her?
(yes, I said Jackie Kennedy)
Comment by Tahani on 8 March 2008:
i love love love the fact that michelle is dark and dope. now her eyebrows are a bit scary, but other than that she’s kinda cute. i think that these quotes may be taken out of context, but they aren’t far fetched. i am treated differently by some because i have “good hair” despite me being darker. this is America and we aren’t that deep!