Okay, so I am getting to this a little late (h/t Feministing), as I have been doing things other than blogging, reading blogs, and blogging about reading about blogs for a few days.But really, seriously? What in the name of zombie jeebus were the producers at Hardball thinking when they slapped this graphic up on the screen as a teaser (ha!) to talk about Michelle Obama's so-called "image makeover"???
So instead of (in addition to?) being the stereotypical Angry Black Woman, now, thanks to her "new outlook," she's -- what? help me out here, people... A stereotypical Jezebel? A sexy stripper? Here I thought she appeared on "The View" to show a "softer" side of herself. But apparently MSNBC has (or had, until they decided to drop it) an exclusive story that will reveal that Michelle actually plans to re-tool her image by appearing as a video dancer.
Christ, what's next? Calling her Obama's baby mama? Oh, right...
Where to go next? I mean, what's left here? Welfare queen? Mammie? It's only June and we're running dangerously low on novel stereotypes!
4 comments:
i'm a bigger michelle fan than a barack fan for sure, and have been similarly horrified by the liberal AND conservative media's inability to cover the woman...the harder they try, it seems, the worse it gets.
to the obama campaign's credit, axelrod says they've never used the term "makeover" and intend only to have michelle in a higher-profile role because they think she is an asset.
again and again, talking heads on both sides of the spectrum reveal themselves to be so insulated and so dilettantish when it comes to covering people of color - let alone women of color, let alone women of color from working-class backgrounds.... that we should expect more ham-fisted "coverage" like this for god knows how long, until the Republican 527s start race-baiting (michelle is, after all, a black woman from a working-class background, and thus inevitably both "angry" and "unpatriotic.").. when the race-baiting starts, mebbe we'll be lucky enough to hear the chris matthews' of the world make impassioned, outraged and problematic "defenses" of MO's "character."
Dare to dream, lex!
lex,
just to be clear: i don't believe the obama campaign has any culpability around the "makeover" concept. i'm glad they are raising michelle's profile--she is an asset. it's both sad and telling that the only frame of reference our culture can come up with for a woman defining herself on her own terms (and in opposition to mediated distortions)is a makeover. sigh...you are, of course, right that we can only expect this to get worse. nuanced understanding of intersectionality = not a media strong suit.
I say we elect Laura Bush "First Lady for Life!" You guys have to admit, she's done a really great job.
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