The First Lady’s First Portrait

She is BEAUTIFUL. Awesome First-Lady

Thanks American for voting for Barack Obama.
Cindy McCain the “snake lady” would not have been a pretty sight.

The fact is, she really looks marvelous in any sleeveless dress, even if it is made from a sack!

Man Oh Man….
Michelle Looks …Great !!
We need a 1st Lady who keeps Herself in Great Shape !!
Obama Keeps himself in Great Shape and its Obvious, his Wife Follows that Same… Lifestyle

Hmmmmm! Laura Bush look better than Mrs. Obama.

How outrageous, you can see her arms. And they are more buff than anybody else’s in Washington except the President. Go figure.
While we’re talking about failures to excercise by everyone else, let’s remind you at the same time about that other party, the one that wants the government to fail.
That’s right, the party that wants failure, as stated through public ranting and raving, is the Republican Party. Do not forget this in two years when we have the opportunity to toss the rest of the bums on the street.

The picture looks just like she is – angry and “I will show you regardless”, well she will not show some of us. She needs to dress and look like a First Lady, but is she? It is hard to say when she says “she is not proud to be an American”, leaves some of us cold.

Reply to Jane…
Your 1st Lady is an African American Lady…
Live with it.
I Appreciate her and the Various styles worn by our 1st Lady.
——————
Its a Large Step Up, from Laura & Barbara Bush…
Nancy Reagan, was Nancy Good Looking…Noooo
————-
Was Pat Nixon…even Average in the Looks Department ?
Was Betty Ford…Beautiful…Hell No !!
Hillary was Attractive…Not Beautiful
—————-
The Only Beautiful 1st Lady, was Jackie Kennedy.
———-
I would put Michelle in the Middle, between Jackie Kennedy & Hillary Clinton..
Compared with those ..
[[Republican Hens]]

Reply to RST…
The Woman is Inside the Comfortably Warm Confines of the White House….
She can Dress the way she wants to.

Jan, point of information, since you asked. Throughout history, it has indeed been the norm for women to have their arms covered by clothing. You find it in ancient world– China, India, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia, while sleeveless garments were common, women veiled themselves when they went out in public, covering heads and arms. (This was the norm LONG before the development of Islam, btw) In places like Greece and Rome, also, woman often wore sleeveless garments– the Roman stola could have long, short, or no sleeves, for example. However, when they went out in public, the women ordinarily covered their arms with a wrap. They also often wore a veil that covered their arms as well as their head. Exposed arms, like exposed legs, were not considered appropriate.
You find it in medieval times. Medieval European ladies loved to wear elaborate sleeves of various sorts and often had detachable sleeves on their garments so they could change the look of a dress by attaching different sleeves. Oddly, even dresses with plunging necklines that left little to the imagination had sleeves.
Sleeveless clothing for women did not become commonplace until modern times– I think with the flapper era, perhaps but certainly not before the late nineteenth/early twentieth century.
Women wearing some sort of covering on their arms in public has a long history. It is not something that is a recent political or religious statement.
I’m not arguing for it or against it, just explaining the history. Yes, political and religious beliefs have influenced dress in various ways throughout history, but so has fashion, social norms, and comfort.

We’ve finally seen the real Barry–far left radical deeply in love with himself.
When can Michelle finally be herself?
This cheery sweet routine must be killing her.

The only thing that looks good on Michelle are her arms. Other than that she looks like a cross between a transvestite and a Klingon. That photo looks photoshopped. Either that or they worked on her for hours to get her to look a quarter way decent. She’s big, ackward and ugly. She shouldn’t pretend to be otherwise.

I meant to add that there’s also such a thing as dressing appropriately. And Michelle doesn’t get that at all. The dress she wore to the speech the othernight was more apporpriate for a cocktail party than a joint session of Congress. For a formal portrait? Her dress is just wrong. Just because she looks good in it (I bet they photoshopped her hips…) doesn’t make it the right dress for the occasion.

Michelle is happy…
Finally an America she can be proud of.
The old America wasn’t good enough.
So her husband is destroying it–and creating an America in his image.
Evidentally Michelle wasn’t good enough either since he brought in a team to change her too.
Narcissist need everything to be grand so they can sit back and enjoy the spectacle they have created.

You look stunning, Michelle.
And I don’t care what you wear. Your natural beauty, strength and accomplishments shine through whatever you wear.

She looks lovely. But I will say this: She looks like she could take Barack with one hand tied behind her back, but then he’s pretty puny.

token?
wouldn’t ‘signature look’ been a better choice?
also, my faux outrage. she is sleeveless!? how dare she! as a nation we will be scorned!
give me a break.

Michelle Obama is trying to copy Jackie Kennedy’s style. Jackie always wore sleeveless A-line dresses. I have seen pictures of Michelle Obama when she was living in Chicago, and she never dressed like this. Michelle Obama is even trying to get her hair to look like Jackie’s.
There is only one Jackie!

I don’t think we need to worry about Obama “pulling any Clintons”. Michelle could take him out and quick! Wonder if the Redskins need a lineman? But in all seriousness that protrait is very becoming. The painter must be highly skilled.

I couldn’t stand Michelle’s bellyaching and whining about this mean country that she’d never been proud of during the campaign. But, I did also notice that she had great looking arms, and she has good reason to draw attention to them. The portrait is lovely, actually. She’s fine as long as she’s not talking.

Michelle Obama has been getting alot of free dresses worth up to $6,000 dollars and also some free jewelry worth almost $20,000 dollars, but you won’t hear about this from the mainstream Obama media which viciously savaged Sarah Palin over her clothing, even though so many Americans are losing their jobs and becoming destitute while Barack and Michelle are living it up in the White House.
Everyday you hear about the Dali Obama either playing pick-up basketball games or attending NBA games, so you could say that “Obama is dribbling while Rome burns”.

What a lovely portrait. Michelle looks wonderful.

O. Said :News Flash: Your 1st Lady is an African American Lady…
Live with it.
I Appreciate her and the Various styles worn by our 1st Lady.
——————
NEWSFLASH I AM AFRICAN AMERICAN AND I STILL THINKS SHE HAS NO STYLE AND SHOULD DRESS LIKE A LADY AND NOT A TEMP AT AN OFFICE POOL.

The President, his staff and visitors (both male and female) should always wear a suit and tie out of respect for the Oval Office. Even Bush did that. Tom Brokaw was correct to raise the issue.

Michelle looks wonderful.
What a fuss people can make about any little thing! Her dress has no sleeves! Shocking! Yet at many affairs where men wear tuxedos, the most dressed apparel a guy can wear, women appear in sleeveless gowns.
I am really proud our country elected Obama as president and I think Michelle makes a very intelligent, classy and individual First Lady.

U,
It is idiotic to link the attire Bush wore to respect for the White House. After all, he only trampled over the Constitution and made a huge mess of our economy, Iraq and Afghanistan. But hey, at least he wore a suit.

No “Peace Train”
I said this, in it’s Enirety…
———–
News Flash: Your 1st Lady is an African American Lady…
Live with it.
I Appreciate her and the Various styles worn by our 1st Lady.
——————
Its a Large Step Up, from Laura & Barbara Bush…
Was Nancy Reagan,Good Looking…Noooo
She Looked Odd and Looked Mal-Nutritioned.
————-
Was Pat Nixon…even Average in the Looks Department ?
Was Betty Ford…Beautiful…Hell No !!
Hillary was Attractive…Not Beautiful
—————-
The Only Beautiful 1st Lady, was Jackie Kennedy.
Michelle Obama is Far Better than what left the White House…
Period
———-
I would put Michelle in the Middle, between Jackie Kennedy & Hillary Clinton..
Compared with those ..

IMO: If Michelle covered her arms (it would look more lady like) and
Obama put his coat on, they could turn down the thermostat at the white house.

Michelle is a Goddess!
WHY did the CONSERVATIVES under BUSH spend like there’s no tomorrow and wreck the economy, and now the US is producing less than ever. With the lowest tax rates on the wealthy in history, why did the economy collapse? CNBC’s hypocritic stance by ignoring what they helped create through their supporting the GOP and BUSH’s insane spending has caused a depression! Remember the 2 Fools on the Hill? Bush: It must be a budget, see there’s numbers on it. — Cheney, “Deficits don’t matter.” Sometimes its not HOW much you spend that wrecks an economy, it’s WHERE you spend it! You spend a million on a bridge in the US, the accounting is balanced. You don’t have a million dollars but you have a million dollar bridge, hence balanced accounting. If you spend a half million to blow up a bridge then spend a million to rebuild it in a foreign country, you are immediately in the red!
Suddenly the GOP CNBC pundits are feigning worry about the middle class?, blue collar workers? UNIONS? They certainly have been the enemies of the middle class since Reagan, as the middle class is disappearing before our eyes, and the poverty classes growing faster than ever under CONservative failed ideologies! Industrial production is plunging, and partly due to CONservative corporations fleeing the USA to build factories where they can pollute unrestrained. These corporations under a common sense government should never be allowed to do business in or with the United States ever again! The current lame efforts diluted by the GOP have only allowed pollution to increase. The answer to industrial production and corporations is clean up your act, here and abroad, to continue doing business in the United States.

We were all appalled to find out that in the Taliban Afghanistan women had to be covered from head to toe. Tell me how this is different? This is America where women can/should wear whatever makes them feel good. I like the new look pregnant women are wearing as well. Just let that belly show! I am old enough to remember when you couln’t even look at a pregnant woman. Many of them would harldly leave their homes. I was pregnant myself before I ever saw what a pregnant belly looked like.

Posted by: Nan
The only thing that looks good on Michelle are her arms. Other than that she looks like a cross between a transvestite and a Klingon. That photo looks photoshopped. Either that or they worked on her for hours to get her to look a quarter way decent. She’s big, ackward and ugly. She shouldn’t pretend to be otherwise.
________________________________________
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Judge and you shall be judged. Why be so mean? Nan. I’m sure the first lady doesn’t care what you think? Keep in mind somewhere there is someone maybe saying the same about you!

>>>at many affairs where men wear tuxedos, the most dressed apparel a guy can wear, women appear in sleeveless gowns.
I didn’t see any men in tuxedos at the SOTU. But there was Michelle in her cocktail dress – showing off her arms.
Plus Michelle has terrible posture and walks like a man.

She has the right to bare arms, as long as her husband doesn’t mess with the right to arm bears or bear arms, I’m cool with it.

Wow…she looks great.

Who are these people that are complaining ABC? Well, we haven’t had a young, vibrant, power couple first couple in Years, so I guess you better get used to seeing how “real” professional Americans look. People complained about Hillary’s pantsuits, remember. Jackie was just stylish, and no one had an opinion of Laura or her grandmother, uh, Barbara simply because it was just nothing to admire or like one way or the other. Michelle is vibrant, smart, classy and beautiful

Wow, some of the comments here are just plain ignorant.
I remember Jackie O in sleeveless dresses at plenty of important functions, even at a state of the union address. I think losers gave her a hard time about it then, too.
What is refreshing about Michelle is she has her own style. Maybe people who don’t like this always follow the crowd when they make decisions, instead of deciding for themselves what they like.
Personally I don’t admire people who can’t choose for themselves without looking around to see what others are doing and then copycat it. As my mom used to say, God gave you a brain, so use it. That’s always good advice.

I agree with the posters that say she’s showing how very low class she is. And how little honor she has. Yes, she is attractive, for who she is. Yes she has toned upper arms. But just because of these, she should not be free to express her “hang out” clothes-style, and should not be wearing sleeveless dresses when inappropriate. I’m surprised she’s never read Emily Post’s Etiquette book. Or been to Finishing School. I was made to read Emily Post’s book and Miss Manners when I was young. I was never made to do the things in the book, I was given the choice by my parents. But I can sure tell when someone who also believes in class and manners is in the same room with me. There’s almost an undercurrent of shared knowledge. The old rules of no bare arms for women, no white pants before memorial day and no white pants after labor day, send a thank-you within 3 weeks of the gift giving, mens’ cuffed pants should end just below the ankle bone, no bare stomachs, etc. etc. etc. really do still apply eventhough many people dismiss them. I would think that with her Ivy League education, someone would’ve pulled her aside during her preparatory years and let her know the proper way to conduct herself, the proper way to dress, and help her get rid of that “better than thou” attitude. No, I am not a republican or a democrat. I am an independent thinker who believes that women should be women and men should be men, that proper etiquette is class that can transcent the amount of money in one’s bank account. For those of you who do not understand this concept of etiquette, perhaps no one has pulled you aside to show you proper manners and class, either. That is not a slam on you, it’s just unfortunate that so few people understand this type of proper behavior. Shunning traditional manners and etiquette is a sign not only of a lack of awareness, but a lack of respect to our forefathers. This type of lack of understanding on the part of our First Couple is certainly embarassing for our country for our First Couple. Having even a suggestion that a First Lady dresses like a stripper (I’m not criticizing strippers, at all) wouldn’t even be an option if she would dress appropriately. Nice reporting Jake Trapper. A I’m glad Tom Brokaw brought up the issue of Michelle Obama’s bare arms.

Jackie Kennedy was not beautiful. SHe did not have a pretty face, but she was fashionable.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Joannah

It’s a photograph of Ms. O; no doubt about it. I’d say the photographer has a bit to learn. Background far too busy. Looks like the drape ( curtain ) is growing out of the top of her head. Just too busy.