History of Feminism
Related: About this forumWhen asked if she could be anyone in the world, the first lady said, "Beyonce"
I feel the need to express my overwhelming admiration and support for Michelle Obama. That she chose, when asked by People Magazine, to name Beyonce as her choice if she could be anyone in the world, was probably a mere impulsive response that any or us might have made. I guess, I am more curious as to what that might say about how female attributes and aspects of female success are most valued today--even subconsciously. Or, perhaps it merely reflects the first lady's recognition that she was being asked this question by People magazine and not Time--and acknowledging the difference in interest and audiences. At any rate, I wouldn't make more of this than is warranted, still I think this commentary was interesting....Oh, and I should qualify, that I too like Beyonce as a performer. I don't think this is about thathttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/michelle-obama-beyonce_b_1554425.html
--snip--
In an interview with People magazine to promote her new gardening book, when asked if she could be anyone in the world, the first lady replied "Beyonce."
While I thought it was a slightly odd response, (after all, I couldn't picture Hillary Clinton saying, "Lady Gaga" or "Madonna" I assumed that maybe I was simply being too square. I then shared the article featuring her response with a family member and African-American friend, both of whom are fans of the first lady, and another friend who is not African-American but is a die-hard Beyonce fan. Without sharing my own thoughts first, I asked for theirs. They all reacted with varying degrees of horror.
They were not alone. A quick look at the comments on predominantly African-American news sites, where commenters tend to be fans of the first lady, Beyonce, or both, made it clear that many found the first lady's response troubling, and some found it downright embarrassing. --snip---
First off, Beyonce, is pretty, talented, rich and famous, and to top it all off she seems like one of the nicest celebrities on the planet. She is also best known, not for her singing, but for wearing as little clothing as possible while doing it. And as successful as she may be, like many black entertainers before her, she pursued her career at the expense of pursuing an education, and I don't mean college. She never graduated from high school or earned her GED; a topic of discussion that crops up on message boards when she misspeaks in interviews, which, unfortunately, is not an uncommon occurrence. --more-- at link above
So, what do you think? Much ado about nothing? Or.....?
redqueen
(115,103 posts)There's a line from a movie or tv show that says something like 'always be yourself, unless you can be Beyonce.' And that's the first thing I thought of, was that it was a reference to that. And now I'm wondering if there was more to her answer... if she went on to say more about her choice.
BlueIris
(29,135 posts)Lots of people want to be her. I wouldn't mind being Beyonce for a while. At least I'd be able to sing.
Violet_Crumble
(35,980 posts)Each to their own. If I were to be anyone, it'd be Shirley Manson from Garbage. and I doubt many women would share that one
BlueIris
(29,135 posts)Shirley is great.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Beyonce wrote this letter some time ago... Seems like MO was returning the kindness...
http://www.theboombox.com/2012/04/12/beyonce-letter-michelle-obama/
redqueen
(115,103 posts)Thanks for posting it.
hlthe2b
(102,491 posts)monmouth
(21,078 posts)daughters and thinks she is a good role model. This is so much ado about nothing. I wouldn't mind trading a few days with Beyonce myself, as long as the baby was sleeping through the night.
Lisa D
(1,532 posts)It must be very difficult to always have to be "on" whenever anyone speaks to you. That you must always have a 'correct' answer at the ready.
As someone who can't carry a tune AT ALL, I've always admired people who can sing and wished I could be one of them. Does that mean I want to trade places with Barbra Streisand...hmmm, let me think about that for a minute Okay, no, I prefer my own songless life.
I've never understood the need for people to pick one person they admire--I have so many to choose from: Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Margaret Atwood, and oh, yeah, Barbra Streisand. I'm sure if the writer had allowed Michelle to give a list of people she admires, it would have satisfied everyone (except Republicans )
I also agree with the OP that MO might have been playing to her audience. My bet is that most of them know Beyonce and an important component of election season is for the nominee (and his family) to be relateable. It would be nice if actual issues were the deciding factor for most voters, but that's often not the case.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)stir about black body paint
getting GED?
lemonaide diet
baby bump.
i dunno.....
boston bean
(36,224 posts)and she didn't really mean that.
I can see how that can happen. Sometimes, an obvious question, can take one aback. Especially if you haven't really put some thought into it. You might, off the cuff, want to go with someone you think will be a safe answer.
Know what I mean?
wildflower
(3,196 posts)...and had been thinking of posting it here for discussion.
Beyonce's lettuce diet is just the latest crazy move by a celebrity mom to get back into bikini shape
Dear New Celebrity Mom:
I understand your desire to get your famously hot body back. Even we mere mortals, who somehow managed to get impregnated despite never once making it to the Maxim 100, have gazed longingly at our pre-pregnancy pants, yearned to set our draw-stringed maternity clothes on fire, and gasped a What the HELL? when getting a load of our doughy postpartum selves in the mirror. And we never had to get in shape for a Victorias Secret show. We didnt even coin the word bootylicious to describe our own assets.
So, Beyonce and company, I can only imagine the disconnect you feel, seeing yourself all squishy after having that baby of yours, and the pressure you must be under. But I am begging you all, knock it off. The world already will hold you under a cruel microscope the second you dare to step out in public. So, Miss Sasha Fierce, you dont have to joke, as you did during your comeback gig this past weekend, Yall have no idea how hard I worked! I had to lose 60 pounds. They had me on that treadmill. I ate lettuce! Adding that youre now going to get chocolate wasted doesnt mitigate the message. This is what one does after having a baby: One gets on a treadmill and eats lettuce.
(snip)
So whats the hurry? You could instead be like former Shape magazine cover girl Jenna Fischer, who, after the birth of her son last fall, sanely said:
Theres so much pressure on you as a new mom that the last thing you need to have hanging over your head is some expectation of what your body is supposed to look like. I actually think that the scrutiny of new mothers bodies has gotten out of control. Every new mother just gets a free pass. Im actually angered by the posing in a bikini six weeks after having my baby [trend] Who cares if our boobs are hanging low and we have a little more junk in the trunk? We created a human being, everybody. Lets celebrate!
This is why Jenna Fischer is fantastic. Sure, being honest and focusing your energy on stuff like getting some rest and taking care of your new baby means you might not make the cover of MILF Monthly. And you might, like Jennifer Garner, have the gossip pages wonder when youll ever lose the baby weight a whopping two months after youve given birth to your third child. But consider the healthy role model you could be to other mothers and to your own children.
More at http://www.salon.com/2012/05/29/stop_aiming_for_postpartum_hot/singleton/ .
I found myself agreeing with this and I wonder how Michelle would feel about it.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)Nothing wrong with Beyonce and she seems to be a nice person too.
I think that being the great mom that Michelle is, maybe this was just where her head was at in the moment. Remember she has teenage daughters.
I say give her a pass on this it's no big deal. Must be hard to be FLOTUS and mother of teenage daughters at the same time.