<p>Well, yeah, you’re “much more” concerned about that, but how much are you concerned about her hair style?</p>
<p>
I would disagree. If I’m looking for a woman as a friend, I couldn’t care lesss about her appearance. But for First Lady, I expect a polished & highly presentable woman. Remember how frumpy Hillary looked in her Arkansas days? She paid no attention to appearance. Once her indifference to fashion started to distract from Bill’s political ascension, she got a makeover. An attractive woman was hiding behind the headbands, bushy eyebrows, & dowdy clothes. Howard Dean’s wife comes to mind as an obviously bright & independent woman who was ultra frumpy. She would have been an issue if his campaign had progressed.</p>
<p>At any rate, either Michele or Cindy could “look the part” of a presentable First Lady without needing a makeover. While women are focused on more intently when appearance is being judged, neither would we accept a First Husband with hair sprouting from his ears or unpolished shoes. Good grooming shows that the politicians & their spouses respect the office & realize they represent their constituents.</p>
<p>
Was that supposed to be a pun? ;)</p>
<p>Does anyone have a link to a set of photos of Michelle Obama’s chosen hairstyles over, say the last decade? Is her current style merely a reflection of her general preference? I would think that she has a large staff of folks who give strong input into the decisions as to choice of clothes, shoes, hairstyles, makeup, etc. Also, I don’t know why I think this, but I also think that the middle of the campaign is probably not the best time to make a dramatic change in her hairstyle-- just more grist for the media mill, and those who analyze and overanalyze every step the politicians and their families take. My feeling is, if she likes her hair like that, fine by me. Now the Queen of England on the other hand… talk about being in a hairstyle rut!</p>
<p>Does anyone remember when Oprah did a show where they essentially did a “makeover” of the late Coretta Scott King (another who kept her same signature coif for years). While I think the makeover was very flattering, Ms King rapidly returned to her comfort zone, and her easily recognizable style. </p>
<p>My general thought is consistent with that last line of the article as well. It is not what is on your head, it is what is in it.</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<p>“To say someone has a nappy head is considered an insult, and the word nappy, which merely describes the kinky texture of hair, is practically considered a profanity. In polite circles, the word is euphemistically referred to as natural…”</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a euphemism to call unprocessed hair ‘natural’. That’s what I’d call my hair, too, which is stick-straight.</p>
<p>^^^ Maybe one should say “natural” for that person. My hair, like Suze’s is naturally curly. When I talk about letting my hair go natural, I refer to the way it would be if I didnt do anything to it (which is a frizzier, wilder version of the way the curls <em>can</em> look when the hairdresser uses a diffuser and $50 worth of hair products-- a look that I can never seem to reproduce at home… sigh…)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think Ms. Obama is particulary attractive. She has many “manly” features and jestures. Her hair is the least of her problems.</p>
<p>“jestures”?</p>
<p>I’ll bet she can spell better than razorsharp! :)</p>
<p>On the subject of First Ladies’ looks: Eleanor Roosevelt was probably the homeliest, Least Ornamental First Lady ever, and arguably the most civic-minded and influential do-gooder.</p>
<p>FWIW</p>
<p>What’s the difference? It’s who she is and what she has contributed to society that makes a difference. What has she done since her thesis at Princeton? I realize being a mother is important. How has she otherwise contributed to society, besides her hairstyle, which to me seems totally irrelevant?</p>
<p>In regards to the original question of the thread, I’m going to have to answer no.</p>
<p>I myself, wear my hair natural and kinky. My dad tells me I need to stop this whole “ethinic trip” and straighten my hair. My brother wears his hair in neatly groomed dreadlocs. My dad tells him he needs to shave his hair and start looking more presentable.</p>
<p>As much as I resent what my dad says, he is only relaying to us the commonplace opinions of public America. Most people without kinky hair probably don’t realize it, but natural black hair does carry a stigma with it. I couldn’t tell you what it is, but for some reason it isn’t viewed as professional, beautiful, whatever people want their hair to portray about them.</p>
<p>So I’m going to have to say that no, America isn’t ready for a first lady with kinky hair. America just won’t know that until the first lady tries it. It’s one of those things people never realize they have a bias against, until it’s put out in the open.</p>
<p>I used to do hair- especially in late 70’s early 80s.
Fros were BIG! 
While I didn’t work at a salon aimed at African American clientele, I did have more patience than some & so eventually was the one that the black clients came to. ( It took longer to either straighten or do a good job cutting an afro- than for instance the 15 min it took to cut a Dorothy Hamill wedge)</p>
<p>My take on Michelle Obamas hair is that she has found a look that works well for her. She doesn’t have petite features, but I would not call them harsh or manly. I think her hair looks very healthy and is flattering.
[The</a> Black Snob: The Michelle Obama Fashion Retrospective](<a href=“http://blacksnob.blogspot.com/2008/02/michelle-obama-fashion-retrospective.html]The”>http://blacksnob.blogspot.com/2008/02/michelle-obama-fashion-retrospective.html)</p>
<p>Unprocessed hair can look good as well, but when you have volume to your hair- it makes your whole head look bigger and when you already are strong featured…</p>
<p>I always loved Cicely Tysons hair ( as opposed to Angela Davis lol), but that is because I like to see someones face- not notice their hair before anything else.</p>
<p>I don’t think black women are necessarily " denying their roots", if they opt to use processing to get the hairstyle they prefer.
Not any more than the Asian/Caucasian women, who perm and then curl their hair & add color to it on top of that.
What was it Johnny Carson said about Nancy Reagan? " She fell down and broke her hair" & about her husband " Ronald Reagan doesn’t dye his hair, he bleaches his face".</p>
<p>I think hairstyle is a personal choice, although it is certainly more out there than, - for instance our preferences " behind closed doors".
But I would disagree that she chose her hair style conciously because she felt it would be " less offensive" to Caucasian America.</p>
<p>To be in the professional eye and to present a polished appearance, you have to fiddle with your hair. Whether you end up getting a perm to already wavy hair, because one side stays flat otherwise, getting a tint, because the grey makes you feel faded, or straightening your hair so that you feel you identify more with business types rather than the hippie farmers selling kohlrabi in the market- it is just one choice that you make- not a lifestyle.
bell hooks take
[Z</a> Magazine - Twenty Years](<a href=“http://www.zmag.org/zmag/viewArticle/13843]Z”>http://www.zmag.org/zmag/viewArticle/13843)</p>
<p>Well, Michele wouldn’t have been hired in her corporate hospital position if she were frumpy. She obviously has an eye for fashion & dresses for the kind of career she wants. Any kind of natural hairstyle on a woman of any race has to be rather subdued if she wants a corporate position.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, I just looked through a little directory that shows head shots of all the members of Congress. It appears to me that almost all of the black women have straightened hair (mostly short), except for a couple with short “naturals.” Almost all of the black men have their hair cropped short like Obama. No Sharpton hair. The closest is Charles Rangel, who doesn’t have a lot of hair, but what there is is wavy. For what it’s worth, most of the white women have short hair, with the notable exception of Mary Bono.</p>
<p>I don’t care in the least what a first lady’s hairstyle is like, or her size, her height, race, etc. I care more about what’s inside that head and I wouldn’t even care about that if she stayed out of the public eye but most first ladies end up representing the administration and country in one way or the other so for those, what’s inside their head is significant.</p>
<p>What I wouldn’t give to have my hair the beautiful gray that Barbara Bush’s hair is when I get to that age. I’m glad she never did anything about it.</p>
<p>To be fair of this whole ‘sexist’ thing, had Hillary won the nomination, and all of a sudden Bill decided to grow out his hair, color it, perm it, grow an unkept beard, whatever, the press would have made a story out of it, too.</p>
<p>And, again, I’d give anything to have her body, except for maybe the height. She’s always standing next to her husband, so she doesn’t look so tall, but when I saw her on The View, it made me realize how much she towers over the majority of other women.</p>
<p>I really can’t imagine your collective screwed-up priorities. How can you even think of discussing Michelle Obama’s hair when, according to the New York Daily News homepage, Hillary Clinton has changed the side of her part.</p>
<p>[Hillary</a> Clinton’s parting shot - her 'do goes from left to right](<a href=“http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/07/16/2008-07-16_hillary_clintons_parting_shot__her_do_go.html]Hillary”>http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/07/16/2008-07-16_hillary_clintons_parting_shot__her_do_go.html)</p>
<p>LOL zoosermom!</p>
<p>And USD-UCLA-Dad-
I think you hit on the solution… to
just have her run as his vice presidential runningmate. That’ll keep her out of the public eye!</p>
<p>
Barbara Bush’s hair made her look like she was ancient and from the South.</p>
<p>If Obama really wants to be President, he needs to dump Michele and get a hot First Lady like the First Lady of France.</p>
<p>Fortunately today fashions aren’t led by first ladies- remember how what Jaqueline Kennedy wore influenced things? I would be in real trouble with my perfectly straight hair and coloring if I were to attempt to mimic anyone with Michele Obama’s features. The standards are different for entertainers than for mainstream people, as well as for the under 30-40 crowd. It seems to me she has a hairstyle that suits her and her position, one of several that works with her hair, features and coloring. It is their problem if they chose to raise their children differently than I raised mine, just as it is everyone else’s problem for choosing to not do as I would do… The job of the president is to uphold the laws of the land, not to make the country fit his beliefs- anyone who can’t reconcile their religion with the ways of the country will have to drop one or the other. The Obama children may benefit if their father gets the Presidential job.</p>
<p>“I don’t think Ms. Obama is particulary attractive. She has many “manly” features and jestures. Her hair is the least of her problems.”</p>
<p>Interesting. I’ve seen her in person, and I think she’s drop dead gorgeous.</p>