In a piece at the Washington Post, Robin Givhan challenges several widely held beliefs about first lady Michelle Obama that have stood the test of time:
1.Β Michelle Obama is the most fashion-friendly first lady.
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Obama has been a pronounced and polishedΒ advocate for American style, seamlessly moving from custom-made evening gowns to mass-market fare. She has made the fashion industry swoon with her willingness to embrace the work of some of its most eccentric players, such asΒ Thom BrowneΒ , and its lesser-known talents, such as Isabel Toledo and Duro Olowu. OneΒ 2010 studyΒ in the Harvard Business Review estimated she could boost a companyβs stock 16 percent by wearing its clothes.
Yet other first ladies have had more personal relationships with designers β and opened the White House doors to them in a way Obama has not. Jacqueline Kennedy designated Oleg Cassini her official dressmaker, and the style they created inspired generations of women and designers β¦
2.Β She is a food tyrant of Bloombergian intolerance.
Her focus on the nationβs eating habits has led to complaints that she wants to deprive Americans ofΒ dessert. But Obama repeatedly expresses her belief in moderation, talks about her affection for French fries and unapologetically went in for aΒ 1,700-calorie splurgeΒ at Shake Shack in 2011 β¦
3.Β Her legacy will be Letβs Move or Joining Forces.
Fighting childhood obesity and supporting military families have been the first ladyβs most formal and most publicized campaigns. But the guiding principle of her tenure has been a belief in youth mentoring and βpaying it forward.β
4.Β She hates Princeton.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obamaβs senior thesis, βPrinceton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community,β was exhumed from the archives of the university and fueled the perception that she detested it β¦ She hasnβt delivered an address at her alma mater, but she has upheld its informal motto: βPrinceton in the nationβs service and in the service of all nations.β
5.Β She represents an unusual success story.
Her storyβas a successful wife, mother and professional who happens to be blackβis not unique. The Labor Department estimates that by age 46, almost 70 percent of black men and women have, at some point, been married. According to the last census, 45 percent of black children are raised in two-parent households. More than one-third of employed black womenΒ work in professional fields.Β
Read more at the Washington Post.
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