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“A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” — Yoko Ono
Jul
23
Oooh, Girl Fight!
Filed Under 2008 election, Democrats, beauty myths, objectification, patriarchy, politics, sexism, sexual exploitation and harassment | Posted by Cara |
So here’s something obnoxious to start out your week: The Chicago Sun-Times, amply displaying why they’re still considered that other Chicago newspaper, has an article that begs the question Who’s the real Obama girl?
Michelle Obama is the authentic Obama Girl. And on Friday, this Obama Girl was at home pinch-hitting for her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, as she cut the ribbon for a new volunteer office at 300 W. Adams, posed for fans armed with cell phones, and revved up the crowd with her passionate stump speech.
Wearing a white top with ruffled sleeves, fitted black pants (that affirmed that Michelle still works out despite her grueling campaign schedule) and her trademark pearls, this Obama Girl couldn’t be more unlike model Amber Lee, the woman who’s using the Obama campaign to make a name for herself.
More than 2.5 million people have viewed “I’ve Got A Crush On Obama,” a video featuring the scantily clad rump-shaker on YouTube.
I seriously haven’t got the slightest clue what the purported purpose of this article is. What exactly does Michelle Obama have to do with Amber Lee? I imagine that it’s really just an excuse to write yet another piece about the ubiquitous “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama” video. But the article also gives off this strange sense of trying to defend Michelle Obama’s honor, as if the video has somehow slighted her, and now her own positive qualities need to be reaffirmed. And how exactly do they do that? But complimenting her clothing and putting a flattering photograph of her next to one of her supposed “rival” who is a few decades younger! And calling her a girl! Because, you know, referring to women as though they are fully-grown autonomous adults is just insulting to their beauty!
The video is obviously ridiculous, and I’d say that Michelle is far too intelligent to take it personally, or really give much of a shit at all. If anything, she should be embarrassed for the Obama Girl, not for herself. I think that there’s already plenty of encouragement in our society for women to fight over men without the media trying to invent these types of patriarchally-endorsed squabbles on their own. So yeah, this makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth.
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“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
The Newspaper’s description of Michelle O. completely trivializes her and brings her down to the level of the offensively stupid O-girl video. This is supposed to be legit news journalism?!
Note to self: being valued for anything other than my youth and boobies is an insult to me.
Got it.
Wow. Love the way the article snipes at the video for reducing the campaign to a comparison of t & a, at the same time that it remarks on how Michelle Obama looks in tight trousers.
the whole obama girl things makes me decidedly nauseous, especially after finding out that they whole thing was dreamed up and created by a guy. ick.