By Jonathan Jackson
In a world where impression is everything, Jonathan Jackson examines the transformation of Michelle Obama's image to suit a successful political forum.
AT A SPEECH
in Wisconsin before the last history-making US election, an excited young woman introduced Michelle Obama as the next President. In the very calm manner that she exudes in public, Michelle walked over to the podium and with a big smile said, "I like that promotion that I got. I don't know if Barack knows yet. We can announce it on the news tonight. He's going to be the First Lady."
A wry sense of humour, sometimes lost or misinterpreted in the press, is the first sign of a personality that has charmed the majority of the American public. Today, when she takes the stage to introduce her husband, she unleashes a charm offensive that not only befits a First Lady, but deems her the toast of talk shows and glossy magazines.
Her charm, however, has not always been in evidence.
Early in the election campaign she was deemed an 'angry black woman' by a harsh media. Some websites attempted to propagate this image prompting her to respond: "Barack and I have been in the public eye for many years now, and we've developed a thick skin along the way.
When you're out campaigning, there will always be criticism. I just take it in stride, and at the end of the day, I know that it comes with the territory."
There was, in fact, more criticism than she would care for. On February 18, 2008, she commented that "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback."
Later that evening she reworded her speech, saying "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."
She was widely criticised for her remarks, forcing the campaign to issue a statement that "anyone who heard her remarks...would understand that she was commenting on our politics."
Debate about Michelle's comments was still in vogue in June 2008, when First Lady Laura Bush commented on the controversial words: "I think she probably meant I'm 'more proud,' you know, is what she really meant... I mean, I know that, and that's one of the things you learn and that's one of the really difficult parts both of running for President and for being the spouse of the President, and that is, everything you say is looked at and in many cases misconstrued."
THE CHANGELING
A driven woman, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois to Fraser Robinson III, a city water plant employee and Democratic precinct captain, and Marian Shields Robinson, a secretary at Spiegel's catalog store.
She and her brother, Craig (who is 21 months older), skipped the second grade and by sixth grade, Michelle joined a gifted class at Bryn Mawr Elementary School (later renamed Bouchet Academy). Michelle graduated from high school in 1981 as salutatorian after becoming one of the school's most honoured students and then followed her brother to Princeton where she became active in social change.
It was subtle activity. She challenged the teaching methodology for French believing it should be more conversational and she spent her free time running a literacy program for kids from the local neighborhoods.
When she moved to Harvard to study law she shifted her efforts into attracting African American undergraduates to the course: her politics were practical, not inspirational. According to one of her professors, Charles Ogletree her purpose was to get things done. Another professor, Randall Kennedy told Newsweek, "When [Barack Obama] spoke, people got quiet and listened." Michelle had a more modest, quieter, lower profile."
Yet it was her bluntness and practicality that could well have played a small role in derailing the election campaign. As part of her requirements for graduation, she wrote a thesis entitled, Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Community. Years later during the election campaign this thesis was temporarily withdrawn from the Princeton library, causing controversy the campaign could do without.
"I remember being shocked," she says, "by college students who drove BMWs. I didn't even know parents who drove BMWs."
She wrote in her thesis: My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'blackness' than ever before. I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances under which I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second.
Her university years show Michelle grappling with race and identity. She wasn't angry, but her Princeton thesis displays a woman concerned with a society in which a black Princeton alumnus might only be allowed to remain "on the periphery."
Had more been made of this thesis, the soon-to-be First Lady may have run second as certain groups painted her as militant and even racist. However, that is not what Michelle is about. She stands up for what she believes in and sometimes this defies conservative convention. However, her goals are to bring about social change for the good of community.
This attitude is evidenced by the fact she gave up her high paying legal career (in which she met and mentored her husband) to take up differing local government positions including in 1993 (encouraged by Barack Obama) the position of executive director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organisation encouraging young people to work on social issues in non-profit groups and government agencies.
She told Newsweek: "I started thinking about the fact that I went to some of the best schools in the country and I have no idea what I want to do. That kind of stuff got me worked up because I thought, 'This isn't education. You can make money and have a nice degree. But what are you learning about giving back to the world, and finding your passion and letting that guide you, as opposed to the school you got into'?"
So the trick for political advisors when Michelle became First Lady was to soften the image of the hard woman while promoting her social conscience and bringing about the glamour she seemed to lack.
IMAGE IS EVERYTHING?
This hasn't been easy, focus on 'what Michelle is wearing' or those toned arms at times borders on absurd.
Columnist Bonnie Erbe has argued that Michelle's own publicists seem to be feeding the emphasis on style over substance. Erbe has stated on several occasions that she is miscasting herself by over-emphasising style.
And while this may be some of the case, it seems attitudes have certainly changed as Michelle's persona has softened.
Like her husband, she has won the hearts and minds of a majority of Americans by not only glamourising herself, but by presenting her politics and social morals as those that represent the majority.
On the first night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Michelle said both she and her husband believed "that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, and you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them."
During her early months as First Lady, she continued the work to which she had become accustomed and enjoyed. This time it was a representative of the White House. She has frequently visited homeless shelters and soup kitchens. She has also sent representatives to schools and advocated public service. On her first trip abroad in April 2009, she toured a cancer ward with Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and she advocates on behalf of military families. As the public is growing accustomed to her, she is becoming more accepted as a role model.
Michelle has learnt, some would say the hard way, that you can stand your ground and fight for your principles while maintaining a level of popularity and respect that is vital for survival in business, government and life in general.
She has softened her image, but remains intent on reaching her goals without compromising her integrity. Political aide David Axelrod told Newsweek, "Michelle has always been in the camp of, 'Let's not forget what we're fighting for'."
Part of her appeal today (she draws audiences of 1,000 plus to her speeches), is that she comes across as normal. She has positioned herself as a woman of conscience, a family woman and someone who enjoys glamour but doesn't necessarily let it define her.
She is the First Lady, but a lady first who has transcended the 'angry' tag to become one of the most impressive public figures in the world.
