Iman Says Michelle Obama Is No Great Beauty—Insult Or Truth?

misspixie
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:46 pm: [report]

So this is a comment from a woman who has spent the majority of her time in the fashion industry, surrounded by stick thin models and having a certain “type” of beauty being held as the ideal. Beauty is so many, many different things to many different people. There isn’t just one type and actually Iman’s comments make her sound incredibly narrow minded.

idiotfactory
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:51 pm: [report]

I can just picture the first lady just brushing a little dirt off her shoulder like the president did during his campaign speeches when Hillary was smack-talking.

Goldfinch86
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:52 pm: [report]

Truthfully I think Iman should have kept her Amazonian mouth shut. It may have been put politely but she should have said she is beautiful in her own way, not in the classical sense of the word but the more contemporary way we think of what is beautiful. Saying that she is “No great beauty” and that she is “interesting looking” is as polite a comparison as the Bearded lady is also “interesting looking”. Models should not talk about other people point blank, it comes off as being cheap and backhanded.

CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:52 pm: [report]

@misspixie: I agree.

I think she looks a lot like Jackie O.K., well as much as you can make generalizations about looks. She certainly is no Barbara Bush though…eugh *puke*

misspixie
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:58 pm: [report]

Cheese - well this is true, she definitely has the elegance to match Jackie O, but with a totally modern twist on it. Magazines and the fashion industry are too quick to influence how people perceive other people. I have spent most of my life trying to shake off the feeling that somehow I really should be a stick and feeling totally dissatisfied with my figure, when really it’s probably alright all things considered.

To me - beauty isn’t all about the face. It’s about how someone carries themselves, it’s a look, it’s a gesture, it’s about the grace and poise with which one goes through life. When talking about beauty, to me it seems to go beyond the mere surface - it radiates through a person. Whereas someone can be attractive, that wouldn’t necessarily go more than skin deep.

Annika
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 12:59 pm: [report]

I don’t think Iman’s remarks were tasteful or tacky. I think she was unfairly comparing Mrs. O. with supermodels, but that’s no surprise. When you look at Michelle as a whole package, you realize she is a great beauty—with sharp, lethal eyebrows.

On a similar note, Iman was reportedly evil to her daughter because she was/is overweight. So I don’t think she’s that great a judge of beauty.

cattgirl813
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 01:00 pm: [report]

My mom and I talked about this.  Here’s her take: “Those remarks just didn’t come out of nowhere.  I wonder how many times ol’ Davy has said how much he thinks Michelle is sooooo beautiful in front of Iman?”  Wonder if Moms may be onto something?

Goldfinch86
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 01:29 pm: [report]

cattgirl813, thats such great insight! How hurtful to a model to have others think a healthy normal person is more beautiful than they are based on not only body but the brains to match? Especially your spouse! I think’s it’s also part of putting others down because they do not look like a model that makes anything a model says about a normal person sound like a half hearted attempt at niceness.

jimnist10
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 01:42 pm: [report]

Ok, so technically I agree with Iman. Michelle Obama is not a “great beauty” the way one thinks of classical beauty like Natialie Portman or Liz Taylor or Iman herself. It was backhanded and catty even if it’s technically true. It’s like in high school when then the other girls can’t figure out why the popular girl is popular or are jealous of the popular girl’s popularity and the only thing they can think of to bring her down is say “well, she’s cool and all, but she’s not THAT pretty or anything.” As if that matters the most. God, women are such bitches to each other!  Besides, Michelle Obama is by no stretch of the imagination unattracive. And the woman has style and intelligence and humility. She’s just so…cool. I have such a girl-crush on Michelle Obama. I’m sure Iman is just jealous that she isn’t the object of millions of women’s girl-crushes.

Lynn
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 02:55 pm: [report]

@jimnist10 - you took the words out of my mouth. I agree 100%!

Anniekins
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 03:01 pm: [report]

I’d like to think it was meant in a “While she may not be a model, her poise, intelligence, and natural beauty make her beautiful” sort of way.

On that note, my dad once told me that if I wanted to know if someone is beautiful, I should picture them without hair.  If you still appreciate their face, for what ever reason, there is beauty.  Oddly enough, he was right.

ChoJinn
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 05:20 pm: [report]

People too often confuse being “beautiful” with being “hot.”  While M.O. always at the least looks very presentable, I find the media’s infatuation with her more a result of her being not unattractive than actually per se beautiful.  If she and B.O. weren’t first lady and Pres, and just an anonymous couple walking down the street, would they be so attractive?  Doubtful.  Television, despite adding ten pounds, adds about 2.5 to the 1-10 attractiveness scale.

Now Nancy Reagan?  rowr

fallenangel915
wrote on May 18 2009 @ 07:51 pm: [report]

Michelle Obama is a striking woman. There is something about her that commands the eye. She may not be conventionally beautiful, but there are many women (some models included) who are not conventionally beautiful but are still known the world over for their “beauty.” And, yes, I think that even if Mr and Mrs Obama were not President and First Lady, they would still draw the eye, even if only for their “interesting” looks.

Anniekins
wrote on May 19 2009 @ 03:51 am: [report]

There’s something to be said for the way both the president and the first lady carry themselves. They both have an incredible air of confidence.  When people have a commanding presence, you notice. 

If she were mousy, we’d pay little attention to her.  It’s not that Laura Bush was homely…but nobody cared because she wasn’t that interesting.

focker81
wrote on May 19 2009 @ 07:49 am: [report]

I actually think Iman was taking a dig more at herself and other models than at Michelle. She said it’s “always downhill” if you just have your beauty to rely on. And I think that’s true: if you’re known for your looks, when you start aging, people start making comments about how you’re no longer that beautiful and they focus solely on that. That’s gotta be pretty rough.

Iman basically said Michelle is the full package. She is attractive and has brains and she’s intriguing. By the way, I’ve heard the “she’s no great beauty” comment applied to Sarah Jessica Parker as well. I also think it’s true in her case—she is not classically attractive, but she’s cute and interesting looking and stylish and quirky and seems to have a great personality. She and Michelle will have a lot more to work with as they get older.