First lady’s shorts draw some long, hard looks

[undeterred]

Michelle Obama’s informal look in Arizona has some questioning her choice
TODAYShow.com contributor

First the first lady got America talking about the right to bare arms. Now people are buzzing about whether it’s right for her to bare her legs. During a recent family vacation to the Grand Canyon, Michelle Obama stepped off Air Force One in a pair of “short shorts” that some are calling inappropriate.

The midthigh jeans shorts Obama sported are something most American women would wear without a second thought. But were they a fashion faux pas for a first lady?

Short notice
“I think the question is, what could be more appropriate than shorts for hiking the Grand Canyon with your family in mid-August?” said Mary Tomer, who founded Mrs-O.org, a Web site that monitors Obama’s style, on the TODAY show Wednesday.

Any first lady’s fashion choices are closely watched, but interest in Obama’s style has bordered almost on obsession. When Obama showed her spectacularly toned arms in a sleeveless gown at the Inaugural Ball, it sparked such a media maelstrom, you’d think she’d shown up in the nude.

So why does anyone care what Michelle Obama is wearing — other than that she’s young <45>, beautiful, modern, and head of the hippest first family since the Kennedys?

“I think women have really connected to Michelle Obama, recognizing there are moments when she’s dressed down, moments when she’s dressed up, that she’s playing different roles,” Tomer told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “That speaks to a lot of women.”

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32474207/

Picture of a fabulous looking Michelle Obama at link.

Our media is ridiculous. :banghead:

[ananda]

1. Very kewl indeed!

nt

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Find me a wall so I can bang my head into it. Good grief.

This is supposedly scandalous?

This is so dumb, I really can't think of anything else to say. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

[rocktivity]

22. You're welcome.

:banghead:
rocktivity

[Kerrytravelers]

70. I didn't mean your OP was dumb. I meant the fact that it is even "news-worthy."

I hope you didn't misread me! :hi:

[Drunken Irishman]

3. Oh for Christ sakes...

No one ever cared when Pat Nixon walked the lawns of the White House nude.

[hlthe2b]

8. huh?

[Drunken Irishman]

11. ;)

[phleshdef]

4. Geez. They aren't even that short.

[LiberalFighter]

86. I agree. They are not short short in my view.

[Arkana]

5. The first lady should wear either Mom Jeans or ankle-length skirts!

ANYTHING ELSE IS A SIN AGAINST GAWD!!!!!

*shakes fist, is from 1600*

[Enrique]

6. "fashion editor of the Washington Post"

that's just weird to me.

[Drunken Irishman]

9. She does bring up a good point, though.

[kwassa]

71. This fashion editor won a Pulitzer recently for her writing.

Robin Gihvan won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for criticism, the first time for any fashion writer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Givhan

[hlthe2b]

7. I knew as soon as I saw the photos that there'd be a firestorm

No problem from my vantage point, but as predicted, we have the "that just isn't done" crowd waying in. In honesty, though I argue for her right to wear pretty much whatever she pleases, in her shoes, I'd probably not have worn shorts--maybe capris. Then again, my gams aren't nearly as nice as hers!

[undeterred]

15. She's going hiking in the Grand Canyon and its over 100 degrees.

[hlthe2b]

24. Uh, yes.... And you are pointing this out to me, why?

I'm defending her right to wear whatever she damned well pleases.

[undeterred]

30. Sorry, wrong place.

I was just adding information to my OP, not responding to you.

[hlthe2b]

43. gottcha

;)

[Cha]

29. It's weather appropriate and seasonable ..there's no

reason our First Lady should hide her legs because a bunch of "church ladies" have their Victorian knickers in a twist.

[Fire1]

10. They make it sound like she had on 'HOT PANTS' or

'Daisy Dukes!' GTFO!!!:wtf:

[Drunken Irishman]

12. Do that, Michelle! Wear Daisy Dukes!

[Kerrytravelers]

75. They made it seem that she had on daisy dukes with her red-hot thong sticking out.

And a bikini top. And trollop make-up. And total fuck-me stillettos.

I can not believe the nonsense that is thrown at Michelle. :eyes: She is completely glamorous, both inside and out, at all times in my eyes.

[LibDemAlways]

13. Last time I looked Michelle Obama wasn't a member of the Duggar family.

She's dressing the way 99% of American women dress when on vacation, and looks a hell of a lot better in shorts than most. Whoever is making an issue of this is an idiot who seriously needs to get a life.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

14. OK - tell me if I am completely nuts or if this is just nothing

In that article there are some live links to ads - one is fashion, one is

OMG! Now it's gone - someone else must have thought just what I thought

OK - one of the live ad links was on the word "skin" and opened up to an ad for Dove soap and it said "Dove doesn't leave SCUM (which was underligned!) on your skin." or something like that. I was just incredulous that they had the word "skin" underlined in the Michelle story and that it then opened up and treated you to the word "Scum" underlined.

Did anyone else catch that?

[road2000]

72. Yes, I did. Same reaction. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

77. Thanks. That was beyond incredible. I wonder how long it was like that? nt.

[FLyellowdog]

16. Michelle O rocks!!!!n/t

[Buzz Clik]

17. "I believe in miracles...."

[nc4bo]

18. OMG Michelle Obama dresses just like us!1!!11hugh1!

Dang she'd look good in a burlap sack.

Dang haters.

[havocmom]

19. not only appropriate for the event (visit Grand Canyon) and weather (August in AZ)

but I think it damned wise to offer gently reminders to a very busy husband that he has one knockout beautiful wife ;).

I want the man happy and relaxed occasionally; he will do a better job for the nation if he doesn't get completely bogged down in work. Seems to me the lovely and wise Michelle is doing the nation a great favor by reminding her husband that he has a lovely wife to support him in keeping the balance which makes all life more constructive and worth living.

[Cha]

35. There is definetly

That!

[GoldenOldie]

36. "Short shorts?"

Hey, I'm in my mid 70's and even I know what "short shorts," look like. I also live in Arizona where the majority of women dress appropriatly with the weather. Michele Obama is one georgeous young woman who has her own individual style and seeing that shorts are appropriate dress for an outing at the Grand Canyon and even at a shopping mall in Phoenix, Arizona. "When in Rome...."

[havocmom]

46. I'm so old I remember (and wore) hot pants during the Nixon/Ford years

We had FBI agents on our tiny campus whenever a Chicano spokesman was on the quad or a Black Panther support took the mic. Hell, the agents were making notes and taking names when Dennis Weaver spoke in support of McGovern.

So, I started wearing blue hot pants, white knit top, and red beret when there was to be a leftish speaker on campus. Used to strut my long legged stuff back in forth in front of the FBI task force. Confused the shit outta those guys. They wanted to know what radical group the leggy blond belonged to.

She belonged to a group called Americans.

Walkin in my hot pants... even granny has her hot pants.... O (loved that silly song and would play if for Michelle in a minute)

And, no, she wasn't wearing 'short shorts', not even.

[Epiphany4z]

20. those are short shorts?

jeeze they make it sound like she is wearing hot pants.

[Cha]

21. "Short shorts"?! Ya bunch a church ladies..those

are Bermuda shorts..ya dumbshits.

Up with comfort down with the first part of the last century censoring of our First Lady, Michelle Obama.

[4lbs]

23. I guess the Wash Post "fashion editor" hasn't been to the Southwest portion of the U.S.

Millions of women wear that same type of clothing on the weekend, in the summer.

[Cha]

37. It's the wapo that manufactures and manipulates our news..why

should the "fashion editor" be any different?

[global1]

25. It's About Time That We Have Real People In The White House.....nt

[LisaM]

Those are not short shorts.

I will have to think about the Air Force One remark - I think Jackie went out in shorts (at least on their boat) but I don't recall any pictures of her stepping off a plane or helicopter like that. I'm not sure what I think.

I do like that Michelle Obama is real-sized, and I hope the fashion industry catches up to that.

[handmade34]

26. Anything Michelle Obama wears is fine by me

I am extremely proud to have someone as respectful and intellegent as Michelle Obama as our First Lady

[justiceischeap]

27. I want to know where in the world those are considered "short shorts."

I'm a big fan of having only an inch of skin showing between the bottom of my shorts and my socks but come on, whom ever is complaining must wear ankle length dresses and velcro running shoes (IOW, Mormon, Mennonite or Amish!).

Just as a reference, these are short shorts:

[Cha]

31. Freakin' Lyin' Mediawhores..that's

who.

[undeterred]

38. Too short shorts

[Cass]

28. Oh for pete's sake - the shorts are just fine.

They are very appropriate given the weather and her activities. And she looks great in them, too. I can't believe someone would actually take the time to write an article about this.

[undeterred]

40. Matt Lauer actually did a segment on this.

[Cass]

83. And they wonder why the media gets such a bum rap.

Maybe next week they pick on her choice of shampoo.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[krispos42]

47. Ha!

GrovelBot has great timing as we're discussing "Daisy Dukes"... :rofl:

[cliffordu]

33. I think the more important question would be

"Ain't it GREAT we have a First Lady who can wear WTF she wants to???

[NatBurner]

34. *drools*

[Cha]

41. We got ourselves a fine

First Lady!

[karynnj]

39. This is silly

We saw George Bush in shorts, riding his bike and Bill Clinton in tighter, shorter shorts jogging, we saw Obama at the beach.

In addition, since when is short shorts defined as mid thigh?

[Aristus]

42. Michelle Obama is no longer First Lady.

She is the First Smokin' Hot Lady! :wow:

[SIMPLYB1980]

44. LoL! Prudes!

:rofl: :popcorn:

[damonm]

45. I believe the colloquial term, Captain, is...

DA-YUMN!!!

[krispos42]

48. Women's knees - the foyer to Eternal Damnation.

Be warned, sinners!!!

[windbreeze]

49. Good grief!!!! what idiots...not a damned thing wrong with those shorts..n/t

[liberal N proud]

50. Some people have nothing better do worry about

@%$R@#%$@#$%@#$%@#$!!!!!!

[FrenchieCat]

51. If those were “short shorts”

than I have been wearing hot pants all along and didn't know it, and I'm 50!

[BREMPRO]

52. OMG! It's summer! It's hot! She's hot! What's the problem?

I was imagining hot pants, these are modest shorts for a hot summer day.


The loser McCain supporters in AZ should find something else to do...

[Blasphemer]

53. Oh please... they are not "short shorts" and she's on vacation.... nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

54. Oh for heaven's sakes!

The way they were talking, I thought she must have worn skin tight shorts that showed everything! If it wasn't for my varicose veins, I'd wear shorts like that in public, and I'm 58!

[gmoney]

55. there goes that "some" again...

"...that some are calling inappropriate."

the same some that say Lou Dobbs eats baby koalas for breakfast?

[NYC_SKP]

56. Those aren't short. Those are normal. These are Short:

[LibDemAlways]

68. That guy looks like he's wearing a pair of the shorts the girls at

my daughter's high school wear - with the same amount of butt cheek showing!

[undeterred]

57. First lady’s shorts draw some long, hard looks... from jealous women and horny men

[tilsammans]

58. It was a hundred-plus freakin' degrees,

. . . fer fuck's sake! :crazy:

[kestrel91316]

59. Those shorts are COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE for hiking the fucking Grand Canyon

in fucking AUGUST.

Today apparently wants our First Lady in a burqa and dying of heat stroke. They can bite me.

[ellie]

60. Evidently these

people have never been to Arizona in August. So hot I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

[boppers]

64. Crawling out of your skin doesn't help.

You evaporate faster when skin isn't keeping the water in.

:evilgrin:

[uponit7771]

61. OH GOD!!!

[Teaser]

62. she gonna wear a fucking calf length skirt?

fucktarded.

[AspenRose]

63. Don't hate....appreciate.

Are these the same people who got on Jill Biden's case for wearing a miniskirt and boots?



Hey, if you've got it....as they say....

:woohoo:

[bumblebee1]

65. Those shorts didn't look that short.

should the first lady wear shorts? Why not! She's on vacation in the Grand Canyon!! What else does our moron press think she should wear at the Grand Canyon? A designer suit? Give me a break.

[Blue Diadem]

66. Short shorts? Those are far from short shorts.

There were hotpants and short shorts and Michelle was not wearing either. I remember both and wore both.

Anybody remember the nair commercial from the 80's Who wears short shorts? We wear short shorts... Nair for short shorts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou9AabR6_1w

[BonnieJW]

67. They were NOT short shorts.

They were shorts. She was on vacation. She wears shorts for the same reason she wears sleevless dresses - because she can. She looks great in shorts; why shouldn't she wear them?

[gauguin57]

69. The fashion police need to take a chill pill and work for health-care reform.

good grief. such silliness. FLOTUS can wear a tube top with a skort for all I care. She'd rock the house in a burlap sack.

[GreenPartyVoter]

73. I see nothing wrong with wearing those shorts in the environment and weather where

she was. :shrug:

Some people are just prudes and others have a thing for conventional formality. Those are the only people who would be raising a ruckus over this, and the media is just fanning the flames.

[Mystayya]

74. Anyone who thinks there is anything wrong with her wearing shorts

is out of their minds. There is NOTHING wrong with what she is wearing.

[polmaven]

76. Those are HARDLY "Short shorts"!

What a bunch of morans! What ELSE should she wear to go hiking in the middle of summer?

[HamdenRice]

78. This thread is useless without pichers... lots & lots of pichers! nt

[azmouse]

79. I adore Michelle and anything she wears is fine by me!

We have a beautiful First Lady and fabulous First Family.

[Vektor]

80. The shorts are modest, and she looks fine for hiking in Arizona. How is this even news?

My god, don't these reporters have ACTUAL EVENTS to report on? Why is this even an issue?

[Beacool]

81. Robin Givhan is the person who wrote the Hillary "cleavage" story.

Enough said.............

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/19/AR2007071902668.html

:eyes:

[Jennicut]

89. Hey Bea! Ridiculous indeed.

[Beacool]

95. So, women have body parts.

What a revelation!!

:D

[KingFlorez]

82. What is the problem?

They act like the First Lady can't dress like a regular person. This is so silly.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

84. Ridiculous.

Hell, I wear shorts like that and a T-shirt or tank top for about SIX MONTHS out of the year!!

These idiots don't know about searing, wilting, melting, life-destroying HEAT and HUMIDITY.

:banghead:

[agentS]

85. OK, what has this got to do with something important?

She wore shorts....ok, that's nice...she looks good in shorts...even better...
I still don't see why any human being should care. I think a billion things are more important, like the arctic melting, health care, S=Chip, Argentina, the Family (arguably I think this should be priority #4, but I'm not Rahm), gun control, viruses, internet virus, why my girlfriend likes to wear vampire fangs, etc.

When we fix these problems, then tell me about her wearing shorts.

[undeterred]

87. Because we have idiots like Matt Lauer in the MSM

and plenty of people who pay more attention to style than substance.

Michelle Obama is younger and in better shape than any first lady we've had in quite a while. I think what the press is implying is that the First Lady should be matronly, not youthful and attractive.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

88. WHO did they quote?

The term "short shorts" is in quotes. Who said that??? No attribution.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.....:banghead:

[Thrill]

90. They act like those are booty shorts. Those are conservative shorts

I clicked on this thinking the shorts showed one of her cheeks or something.

[WI_DEM]

91. F**k Them if she has the legs for them (and she does) then go for it.

I just saw the picture--and they find those shorts inappropriate? I've seen real short shorts and those are not short shorts.

[donheld]

92. No other first lady would have worn them

because they didn't have the gams to pull it off. Ok maybe Jackie could have done it.

[mwooldri]

93. Newsflash: Our First Lady is definitely hot!

Today Show is fluff news anyway. Always has been.

[Butch350]

94. Oh pleeeze! Drama king at work.