Turning a Political Figure into a Celebrity: Michelle Obama

Since President Obama’s inauguration in January of 2009, New York Magazine has kept a running slideshow documenting every outfit Michelle Obama has worn in public online. The website updates the slideshow weekly and showcases the First Lady’s various outfits ranging from walking her dog on the White House lawn to meeting the French President. Most photos are accompanied by a brief description of the location and the action taking place as well as information about her clothes. The photo below ran with the caption:

"Where: Talking with Greece's First Lady Ada Papandreou in the White House's Yellow Oval Room in Washington, D.C.

Dress by Narciso Rodriguez."

The “Michelle Obama Lookbook: Part One” which chronicles Mrs. Obama from 2008-2009 contains 222 images. The current 2010 Michelle Obama lookbook currently contains 62 images. The most recent picture features Mrs. Obama hosting the Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day at the White House. The event occurred today, April 22, 2010. In this day and age with the prevalence of the Internet, it’s possible for an image of Mrs. Obama taken today to circulate around the web in a matter of hours.

NY Mag’s lookbook stood out to me because I had never seen anything like it in regards to its subject matter. Plenty of celebrity gossip websites and fashion websites have various slideshows detailing what celebrities did that day and what they wore while they did it. However, these celebrities are often actors and singers. I had never thought of the First Lady as a celebrity.

But, looking back on Mrs. Obama’s first year and a half as First Lady, the media has portrayed her as a celebrity. Vogue magazine placed Michele Obama on the cover of the March 2009 issue, following President Obama’s victory. Vogue, known for its high fashion, dressed Michelle in J.Crew in one of the inside photos. Michelle has worn several pieces from J.Crew throughout her Presidency. That detail is significant because J.Crew has a reputation for being preppy, all American, and (relatively) affordable. By wearing a J.Crew cardigan that retails for $80 and can be purchased in local mall, women feel like they can relate to Michelle.

Glamour magazine subsequently placed Michelle on the cover of the December 2009 Women of the Year issue. Michele graces the cover in a bright red (conservative) dress. Glamour often features actresses and celebrities on its cover. Laura Bush and Hilary Clinton certainly never appeared on the cover of a fashion magazine. Mrs. Obama appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and the Oprah show in the past year. And, of course, NY Mag has kept a running tab on all of her outfits.

A first lady’s sense of style has not been this admired since Jackie O. Jackie O, with her perfectly put together suits and pillbox hats, represented the ideal American woman. She had a handsome husband, small children, a gracious smile, and an envious wardrobe. Forty something years later, the Obama’s share many traits with the Kennedy’s before them. Barack and Michelle are both relatively young to be in office (under 50) and they have two children under the age of twelve. The Obama’s are an attractive, powerful family in the public eye. People magazine often features photos of the Obama’s in the “People Watch” section. Michelle has shown an interest in fashion and the media has capitalized on that facet of her. It will be interesting to see how the media chooses to portray America's next first lady.