At first glance, I thought this loving embrace was captured on an Ebony Magazine cover.
The moment I took my eyes off of Michelle and Barack and saw the Hogans on the inset photo, I realized I was looking at a celebrity gossip magazine that had just used a photo similar to the one Ebony used just a few months ago.
I read the taglines again. Why Barack Loves Her. Could this be right? It's not negative. It's not salacious. It's not exactly misleading or is it? I think a better title would have been "Of Course Barack Loves Her and So Should You!"
So, what the heck is going on here? On the heels of many articles in the press deriding Mrs. Obama and her alleged "image" problem I was shocked to see such a positive spin for the future First Lady, especially coming from a celebrity gossip magazine.
After all, isn't this the woman that some pundits are trying to portray as a smarty pants corporate rainmaker on the verge of bubbling over with racist rage?
I just remembered something. I wrote awhile back about the lack of coverage Beyonce and Jay-Z's marriage received from celebrity magazines. Aside from People Magazine, the only rag to feature Beyonce as the main cover subject was Us Magazine.
Its editor Janice Min, the only non-White person to helm a major celebrity magazine, has argued in the past against the notion that black faces don't sell and added that the two Janet Jackson covers of Us Weekly were bestsellers. So I'm giving Min a pass for now. Her business may be shifty but at least she's equal opportunity.
Back to Michelle. Part of me hates that it seems her intelligence and acheivement is being downplayed to make her appeal to the masses but at the same time a woman can be a go-getter and a kick ass mom so I'm torn. Also, she shops at Target people. I LIVE at Target. The Obamas...they're just like us!
Today she will appear on The View as a special guest host. I know she'll be just as poised and impressive as ever, even if Elizabeth Hasselbeck starts foaming at the mouth. Hopefully Obama's apperance will go a long way towards allaying the fears of all those odd women out there who are afraid of her.