President Obama pooh-poohs Michelle's wardrobe (the first couple: They're just like Us!)
You know how the entire world is obsessed with what Michelle Obama wears, with how her arms look in sleeveless dresses and if she's choosing the right designers from the right parts of the world? Well, make that the entire world minus one. Last week, in an endearing/adorable interview with The New York Times, Mrs. Obama explained her husband's outlook on her wardrobe:
"You didn't need any more shoes," the president has said, "The shoes you had on yesterday were fine. Why can't you just wear that for the rest of the presidency?"
Michelle says Mr. Obama also has opinions about specific items in her closet, namely one questionable belt:
"Barack calls it my 'Star Trek' belt," the first lady said. "He doesn't understand fashion."
And, last:
"He's always asking: 'Is that new? I haven't seen that before.' It's like, Why don't you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet."
Amen, sister. I actually loved reading this story because (sorry to get all gender-role cliché on you) it's yet another example of the Obamas being a real, relatable couple, with real couple BS. So many of us have to deal with similarly dumb and frustrating "Men are from Mars" attitudes about our shopping habits. It's as if our straight male partners just cannot grasp why we need (in my case) five pairs of boots, or new earrings, or another black dress when the one we have looks just fine. And they don't get keeping your look fresh and paying attention to trends and updating one's wardrobe almost constantly. This is essentially because fashion is easy as heck for men. They could put on the same shirts and ties and suits for at least 5 years without looking like they're trapped in the past. Also, no one really cares what they wear.
It's a completely different (and let's face it, more challenging) game for us. There's really no universal lady uniform and, because of this, our style is held to a different, ever-changing standard. Many of us enjoy keeping to this standard, and even if the men in our lives don't totally comprehend the process, they tend to enjoy the results. Remember the night of the inauguration, when the president looked at Mrs. Obama in awe and said, "First of all, how good looking is my wife?"
Not for nothing, but I'd bet he's glad she wasn't wearing an old dress and a busted pair of shoes.
Mrs. Obama Speaks Out About Her Household
