Michelle Obama and successful women...

While I was babysitting earlier this week, I decided to take advantage of having satellite TV and watch some CNN. They were covering the new, “softer” image that Michelle Obama has started to portray. Some of the underlying assumptions with her change in image from a strong career woman to a “more relatable” wife and mother are disturbing to me as a woman…

CNN showed snippets of her recent appearance on The View, where the women discussed whether Barack takes out the trash. The CNN panelists agreed that Michelle’s projecting a wifely, maternal image will be more appealing to voters, since it’s not as intimidating. They thought it best that she play down her own views and successes during the campaign.

It’s saddening when someone with degrees from Princeton and Harvard has to play down who she is in order to gain favor with Americans. (Also, straight out of law school, Michelle landed a job as an attorney for a prestigious Chicago firm.) I know both race and gender are intersecting here, but when will we see the day when it’s not intimidating, masculine, or out-of-the-ordinary to be a successful woman? Why are we still falling prey to the false dichotomy that women are either good wives/mothers or successful in their careers?

I mean, there’s nothing wrong with a discussion about taking out the trash, but the fact that analysts and strategists recommend that Michelle downplay her intelligence, her own opinions, and her career is crazy. I believe it sends the wrong message to women. Granted, we did just witness Hillary Clinton make a run for the candidacy, so we’re making progress, right?!

Comments

[art]

Is it possible that women are also intimidated by Michelle Obama's success?

[Natalie]

I think our society in general may have the tendency to balk at such a successful woman--not just men.

Supposedly the most coveted voter demographic in this election will be the white woman, or I've even heard the white "soccer mom," so I'm sure the Obama campaign is "softening" her image so that she can be more appealing to that demographic. That said, as a white woman, I don't think it's possible to group us into one voting bloc...as with most groupings of people, there's a lot of diversity among us!

[Leighton]

I'm not sure success is the only variable, given that the media is simultaneously ignoring Cindy McCain's history of stealing drugs from her own charity. Being successful and white (or maybe successful and Republican) is perfectly fine, apparently.

http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/2008/06/background-on-c.html

[Natalie]

Wow I had never heard that about Cindy McCain! Maybe the media is afraid of over-criticizing a war hero and his wife?

[Leighton]

I don't know what the motivation is, or the motivations are. My guess is that because she admitted it and apologized, they think taste and decorum prohibit them from criticizing her further.

I like Lindsay's take on this, because it's not so much that I care what C. McCain did in the past; but it isn't fair to go spelunking for anything questionable they could possibly smear Michelle Obama with, when Cindy McCain is on the record having admitting to actual crimes that put some of her employees' futures in jeopardy.