Michelle Obama Taking Some Heat

From ABC News by way of Matt Drudge:

Did Michelle Obama Send the Wrong Message With Obesity Comments?
First Lady's Mention of Daughters While Discussing Obesity Triggers Debate

Yeah, she did!

Comments

[bgates]

The lovely Mrs bgates noted last night that these girls are told by the whole world that their mother is a fashion icon, so it's not just that their mother is calling them fat in front of 6 billion people, it's that their mother has been lauded by the world as someone who knows what she's talking about.

And yet these girls are naturally predisposed to struggle with their weight, because their mother is a Klingon and their father is only emaciated because of his heroin problem.

[Sue]

This has been something that has angered me since they first started discussing their children's weight. Children, especially children thrown into the spotlight that didn't ask to be there, should not be used as an example for good, bad or indifferent behavior. They are children trying to figure it all out and then there are their parents telling the world they are overweight, when neither of them are overweight. And if they are, they have their overblown mother to thank. She needs to keep discussion of weight directed at her own hips, not those of her children.

[Mustang0302]

"Mama, if I'm fat, how come your cereal bowl has lifeguards? Oh, and when you wear a 'little black dress' you look like outer space!"

[DebinNC]

"We went to our pediatrician all the time," Obama said. "I thought my kids were perfect...

What kind of mom takes her perfect children to the pediatrician "all the time"? Aren't waiting rooms full of sick kids a greater health hazard than normal levels of baby fat?

[BumperStickerist]

More tin-earedness from the White House.

The problem shouldn't be defined as childhood obesity. The problem should have been defined as "Getting our kids fit" which includes reducing childhood obesity.

Getting kids fit is something that everybody can rally around. And, hell, Michelle could have relayed the stories about her kids and the pediatrician as part of an overall strategy to keep her daughters lean and mean. Not skinny and pissy, like their dad.

But, no, she's telling you that your kids, and by extension, my kids, are fat.

Nice work.

[Porchlight]

The problem should have been defined as "Getting our kids fit" which includes reducing childhood obesity.

Yes, she could have said that she was "concerned that they weren't getting enough exercise." That is a problem for many, maybe even most kids who aren't actively involved in sports, and it also can be a concern even for kids who are already eating well.

Saying this publicly would be much less hurtful to her own girls, and a ton of parents would immediately relate.

But Michelle is not very bright, so there you have it. I'm confident that eventually she'll be brilliant enough to start talking about their disappointment in the girls' grades.

[Jeff]

At least in 2013 Michelle can be the spokesperson for Dress Barn. O-6bama told her she was the Fat Czar so she decided to bulk up.

[Sue]

If they would put recess back into school, and allow the children to play "tag, you're it"(they aren't allowed to play that anymore, because they might hit each other) it would go a long way into reducing the obesity of children that sit on a couch watching television or playing video games all day. (I left off chatting on blogs, for personal reasons.)

[Jane]

My guess is the result of Mrs Obama's use of her children is that her children will suffer with weight problems for their entire lives. Either that or they will be anorexic.

[Janet]

I find the whole weight issue pretty low on the "what's important" scale. Feed your mind and soul garbage, but your body must be fed and draped with the finest? Seems like the wrong priorities to me. Content of character matters more than outward appearance.

[Ignatz]

--Children, especially children thrown into the spotlight that didn't ask to be there, should not be used as an example for good, bad or indifferent behavior.....And if they are, they have their overblown mother to thank. She needs to keep discussion of weight directed at her own hips, not those of her children.--

Don't worry Sue. I'm sure we'll all soon be sternly lectured on the irresponsibilty of any of us even bringing them into the discussion.

[narciso]

Why does she do this, any time I am willing to give them a break on anything, they make me take it back. I guess it's the "Emperor's
New Clothes' syndrome ratified by the likes of GQ. THe kids are fine, why make them a centerpoint of some silly initiative.

[JM Hanes]

Porchlight:

"I'm confident that eventually she'll be brilliant enough to start talking about their disappointment in the girls' grades."

IIRC, the Prez has already brought one of his girl's grades up -- on national TV, of course. One can only hope that the kids are blissfully unaware that they are being trotted out as examples by their parents. It's all part of Michelle's misguided effort to connect with ordinary folks, like her risible poor mouthing (po' mouthing in the vernacular) on the subject of college loans.

[Janet]

(I left off chatting on blogs, for personal reasons.)
LOL!

[DebinNC]

An oldie but goodie from two years ago: Michelle's Struggle

Someone needs to ask Gibbs more about those Obama family "sports supplements".

[JM Hanes]

BumperStickerist:

"The problem should have been defined as "Getting our kids fit" which includes reducing childhood obesity."

JFK introduced a major physical fitness initiative. If my school was typical, that program was pretty successful. All kids need exercise for both physical and mental health; an anti-child obesity campaign is a recipe for humiliation at the most sensitive ages of development.

[Porchlight]

IIRC, the Prez has already brought one of his girl's grades up -- on national TV, of course.

Aarrgh...I did have some vague memory of this when I was typing the above, but hoped I was wrong.

It is a shame - I don't know how protected the kids are from this stuff but I doubt they really can be, given their age and the difficulty of escaping the media. Presidents' kids in the distant past could probably be kept away from newspapers and nightly TV news, but no longer.

Makes you feel even more for what Jenna and Barbara went through. At least this media is generally friendly to the Obamas.

[centralcal]

I particularly liked the photo choice Drudge used of MOO. Looks like she's been eating more than arugula since becoming a DC celebrity. (First "Lady" just doesn't seem to fit.)

[Captain Hate]

Makes you feel even more for what Jenna and Barbara went through. At least this media is generally friendly to the Obamas.

So friendly they've never asked Worf to explain what she did at the hospital for 300K+/year and why the job was eliminated with her exit. I would think with Toonce's desire to "punch (healthcare) across" there'd be some interest by the "speaking troof to pauer" bunch.

[bgates]

At least this media is generally friendly to the Obamas.

The Pope is generally friendly to Jesus Christ. The media/Obama relationship goes way beyond that.

[Soylent Red]

Looks like she's been eating more than arugula since becoming a DC celebrity.

Must be growing bon bons in the White House victory garden.

And while I'm at it...

"Your First Lady is so fat, she sweats gravy."

[Jane]

I had arugula for lunch - just saying...

[Frau Babyfett]

The girls are the sole bright spot in this administration. I just hope their grandmother is sensible, and that they didn't listen closely to Rev. Wright's race baiting, er, sermons.

[bgates]

Soylent -

What do they call Michelle Obama's plane? "Air Force Ton".

What did Michelle Obama do when she heard the recession might be a double-dip? Bought more Fritos.

What's the difference between Michelle Obama and the 1975 Chicago Bears? About six ounces.

[R.Darton]

I bet Michelle Obama's girls will be just fine. Don't worry your pretty little head about them. Those girls know that they are loved. All I sense is the same old bull from Obama haters. Any little thing she say,maybe better words could have been used, but I don't think she meant any harm. Regardless what she said you certain people people will find fault with it. That what hate is all about.

[R.Darton]

I'm willing to bet that the Obama girls will be just fine. Don't worry you pretty little little head about them. As if you would. Those girls know that they are loved. All I sense is the same old bull from Obama haters. Any little thing she say, maybe better words could have been used, but I don't think she meant any harm. Regardless what she said or says certain people will fine fault with it. That's how hate works.

[Ignatz]

--Any little thing she say, maybe better words could have been used...

Racist.

[Soylent Red]

Shorter Darton:

"Racist haters!"

"Racist haters!"

[sbw]

JFK introduced a major physical fitness initiative. If my school was typical, that program was pretty successful.

Now NYS Phys Ed is about book learnin'. You don't DO things athletic, you WRITE about them.

According to my wife, the literacy coach, one of her education certification classes admitted that of the 28 major education initiatives in the past decades... none has registered a measurable improvement in the quality of education.

It doesn't matter to the political elite and credentialed morons that you succeed, only that you are spending money to look like you care. [My opinion, not my wife's.]

[bgates]

All I sense is the same old bull

That's no bull, that's the President's wife!

[Mike Myers]

Ms. "Wide Ride" doesn't have much room to talk where her kids are concerned. She's not setting much of a parental example in the hips department.

[sbw]

Because I quietly but gleefully chuckle so cynically at the Michelle look jokes, my wife wonders why I seem so preoccupied with her looks when I have not previously been so about others.

I explained because Michelle is so ugly on the inside, the history of which seems to have been missed by the press.

[centralcal]

You are so right, sbw. The ugliness inside her heart and mind cannot be disguised. I mostly see it in her face - constantly. The attention to her "fashion icon-ness" is a misdirection by the media and her handlers. Predictably, it backfires, because the oddities of her fashions, hairdos, makeup, only serve to make me scrutinize her more.

[Todd29]

No one, especially a child, wants to hear anyone call them "fat"! It is up to the parents to set a proper example for their children and to lead by example. You will lose weight by reading the right information; as such, being healthy is a lifestyle, not a diet! There are many good tips on how to achieve permanent weight loss; none of them includes gimmicks, diets, or diet pills. To assist with weight control; keep a daily food journal and every time the urge to snack is felt, first drink a large glass of clear water. It does not hurt to treat yourself with something special once in a while, what is necessary is that you moderate your food portions. Being overweight ******, but after reading a book, I lost 85 pounds! Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps