Shortsgate: Michelle Obama Dares To Bare Her Legs!
Posted by: Amelia McDonell-Parry
Filed in:
style, video
9:20AM, Wednesday August 19th 2009
Oh holy hell. First Lady Michelle Obama has caught some flack for daring to wear shorts while on vacation with her family at the Grand Canyon in 100+ degree heat. (Emphasis all mine because I cannot fathom the absurdity.) This morning on “The Today Show,” The Washington Post‘s Robin Givhan and Mary Tomer, author of the upcoming book Mrs. O: The Face Of Fashion Democracy, discussed the brouhaha over Mrs. O wearing above-the-knee (GASP!) shorts. Apparently, some see this as her, I dunno, giving the middle finger to propriety and tradition since the look is so casual. The whole thing made me mega-stabby, especially since Lauer can’t help but acknowledge how ridiculous it is that they are even discussing the topic. If Obama had been wearing, say, a khaki skirt, would people have cared to comment? If the shorts had been below the knee, would that have been OK, or would the chatter then be about her looking frumpy? Also, isn’t there, like, a health-care debate going on?
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_jsw_
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 08:35 am: [report]
I was incensed that, whilst drinking from the water fountain at the gift shop, she failed to extend her pinky finger. Classless. It’s like the country is being run by the cast of “Roseanne”.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 08:49 am: [report]
Call me when her thong is popping out of those shorts, because I don’t care.
joyy
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 08:53 am: [report]
OK, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where they visited in the park, is ab 7,000 ft elevation. It was not 100F there when the visited. It *WAS* 100F+ in Phoenix (~2k’ elevation), where they were before and after their visit, I believe. It would have been maybe ~80F on the rim, though the intensity of the sun increases as you go up in elevation (with less and less oxygen in the air).
Temps *IN* the canyon increase as you descend, up to 120F in the shade in the hottest parts of the year in the very bottom of the canyon (which is a contributing factor in a lot of canyon deaths, which happens more than you’d think).
That said, I thought she looked great. Casual, relaxed, but put together and natural.
beejcee
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:01 am: [report]
If I had legs like hers, I would be wearing shorts, too.
Give her a break!
writergirl
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:03 am: [report]
Umm…I distinctly remember pictures of Princess Diana in shorts—on vaction, coming out of the gym and in jeans again, on vacation, playing with the boys or whatever.
They are moms. You can’t chase a kid through the grand canyon in skirts and heels.
joyy
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:09 am: [report]
@writergirl - you’d be surprised how many tourons show up and then hike down in the canyon in STILLETOS. And please, you don’t have to have children to dress practically and appropriately for a situation.
LunaLena
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:30 am: [report]
Oh my gosh, she’s dressed just like a… a normal person! How dare she!
writergirl
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:40 am: [report]
@joyy-no, of course not. But that was my thought as I was watching the video—she was on a family vacation. She was doing stuff with the girls—she wasn’t dressed for “state” business she was dressed for “mom” business.
Who the hell can walk the canyon in stilletos. I can’t even navigate Macy’s in them.
Kiki T
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:46 am: [report]
can’t they talk about some real news???? isn’t there hurricane’s and famine happening????
joyy
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 09:52 am: [report]
@writergirl - Oh I think it’s the dumbest thing ever (hiking in stilletos, not mothers!), but sometimes people lose all their sense when they’re on vacation. I haven’t actually seen it myself, but I have friends who are Grand Canyon hiking guides and just avid Canyon hikers who have seen it surprisingly often. After seeing how unprepared people are on some of the hikes I’ve done in the canyon, I have no trouble believing it.
She’s actually wearing exactly what she should be: light colored hat, thin light colored shirt to keep the sun off her skin, decent length shorts, and what appears to be comfortable walking shoes (considering they’re day-tripping). “Mom” business or not, I give this outfit an avid outdoorswoman’s seal of #&@$% approval.
writergirl
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 10:00 am: [report]
@joyy I knew what you meant even without the disclaimer. Personally, I like my feet to be comfortable and I prefer not to go tumbling off a rock face, so if I’m in the grand canyon, I’m dressing like Mrs. O.
joyy
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 10:06 am: [report]
@writergirl - I’m sure you don’t need a lecture on how to dress appropriately, I just can’t believe that people are actually throwing a hissyfit over it since she’s actually setting a very good example, imo. We’ve already had two hiker deaths in the canyon this summer, most likely due to unpreparedness. So to see someone criticized for dressing appropriately given their day’s activities? They should be applauding her.
Now if the shorts had a 1” inseam or something written across the ass, different story
LunaLena
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 10:19 am: [report]
@ joyy - That was actually my thoughts exactly: she’s dressed exactly as any sensible person would dress for a day of hiking in a desert environment. It constantly amazes me that people who simply don’t like the Obamas have to find something to criticize in *everything* they do, even if it’s exactly what they would do in those circumstances.
jimnist10
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 11:18 am: [report]
Why is this a big deal? We have better things to worry about than whether Michelle Obama wears sleveless dresses, wears shorts or hugs the Queen of England. The woman has style and class, so basically she’s always going to be dress appropriately. It’ll be real news if she ever goes in public wearing daisy dukes, a tub top, glitter eyeshadow and lucite heels, but only because we’ll have to worry about her mental state. Until then, girlfriend can wear whatever she feels like because I know she’s going to look great and appropriate.
Melania
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 12:21 pm: [report]
Good for her she is on vacation.
If the presidents of the world can go shirtless i am sure she can wear shorts.
electricaldaisy
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 04:16 pm: [report]
Jesus! She’s on vacation and it’s probably friggin’ hot out there. Leave her alone and let her enjoy her time away from the White House.
writergirl
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 04:24 pm: [report]
@joyy—no, I dress appropriately, most of the time. LOL.
But yeah, the shorts were in no way in appropriate for the venue.
thickasawhaleomelette
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 04:41 pm: [report]
Amelia, I am so so glad that I read about this here. If I had read it anywhere else, there is a 99% chance I would have been enraged that people are confusing an absurd critique of modest practicality with news of substance. Instead, I’m snorting with laughter at the sentence, “The whole thing made me mega-stabby…” Thank you! =)
thickasawhaleomelette
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 04:49 pm: [report]
Ack! Now I watched the video. You know what to do when you think a whole story is crazy and not real news worthy? Don’t report it.
Also if there are people who are upset by this, I suggest they take their self-righteous crusading to the malls. They’ll likely be scandalized by the tweens in hooker heels and cheek-revealing cutoffs, but at least their fashion frustrations will be more reasonable.
MissChaotic
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 07:12 pm: [report]
...what else would you wear to the effing desert? Ok, so can we get rid of all the retarded town hall idiots making a stink about the Obama ladies being “too relatable to everyday people”.
canadiancutie
wrote on August 19 2009 @ 11:19 pm: [report]
Diane Kruger and now Michelle Obama. Damn. You guys are just trying to make me feel bad about my legs today, aren’tcha?
stiffinp
wrote on August 24 2009 @ 11:44 pm: [report]
Mrs. Obama is on vacation so she can have her shorts. And I don’t mean below the knee shorts. I don’t think those should qualify as shorts.