Articles and Stories

January 16, 2014

America’s First Lady Michelle Obama is turning 50 on January 17th. A poised, intelligent and charismatic First Lady, “Rebellious yet Conservative” as Andrea Koehler from the Neue Zuericher Zeitung (NZZ), the leading Swiss newspaper, calls her in his article “Fünfzig und fabelhaft” on January 14, 2014. A leading U.S. newspaper would have probably chosen different attributes to describe Mrs. Obama, all is relative to the culture and environment of the writer.

Beside being the First Lady, she is a well educated, confident and an accomplished lawyer, family-oriented (‘Mom-in-Chief’ as she previously described herself), a style icon whose dress for the second inaugural ball just made it into the Smithsonian rather than into her husband’s future Presidential Library, though perfectly comfortable with choosing unknown designers for stately events and shopping at J.Crew.

She is celebrating her 50th birthday consistently with her ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, her save-the-date emails for a Jan. 18 gala read “Snacks & Sips & Dancing & Dessert” and guests are being told: Wear comfortable shoes, eat before you come and practice your dance moves. (Katherine Skiba, Chicago Tribune, “Michelle Obama at 50”, December 26, 2013). As Paula Cocozza from The Guardian writes on January 6th in her blog “Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday: is ‘snacking & sipping’ a new party trend?

“The alliteration suggests it’s a party of two halves. First comes the sipping and snacking, which is also probably the speaking and chatting part. The dancing and dessert phase is clearly an update on the 70s/80s heyday of the dinner-dance, but with less food and more time on your feet.”

Certainly a party format to be praised by any critics of frivolous government spending and very appropriate in the recent economic climate.

The French Press was able to slip a ‘hip-hop’ in there too, by describing Mrs. Obama’s event as ‘very little protocolar’ yet very much in line with her ‘Let’s Move’ mission (Le Point, “Soirée hip-hop à la Maison-Blanche pour les 50 ans de Michelle Obama !”, January 1, 2014).

Michele Zurleni, from the Italian publication ‘Panorama’, looks back at Mrs. Obama’s first 50 years describing her as more popular than her husband, a First Lady who set the raising of her daughters as priority and wished to stay away from the limelight. A First Lady who is decisive and outspoken while keeping a low profile. The Italian writer mentions a couple of instances of ‘lack of style’, forgiven by a public opinion that continues to appreciate her and to feel her as authentic, real and close. A public who sees her as she sees herself: a splendid fifty-year-old. (Michele Zurleni, “I 50 anni di Michelle Obama”, Panorama, January 14, 2014).

Happy birthday Michelle!

The wish I have for everyone as they celebrate their next birthday, big or less big, is that they may feel fabulous, comfortable with who they are and with where they are going.