Friday
Dec252009
Merry Christmas
Friday, December 25, 2009 at 10:18 PM 
Image by Hugh Gentry / Reuters
The president and first lady made an appearance at a Marine Corps Base in Hawaii today, where they spent the afternoon with 100 Marines, military members and their families. Mrs. O wore a white cotton silk sundress by Narciso Rodriguez (last seen in Rome), accessorized with hoop earrings and bangles.
Merry Christmas Mrs-O.org readers!
tagged Narciso Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez
Reader Comments (111)
I have also changed my name since it appears "Nona" is now being used by another poster.
I just want to chime in that there are no universal truths regarding African American hair or hair styling, particularly comments like the one upthread that the daughters can "get away" with blow drying because of their "heritage". That type of comment is based in such antiquated thinking about African American hair types, and Im terribly dissapointed to see it spewed in such a broad forum. *you know what I mean*. Ill refrain from commenting on Michelle's hair from now on, because the whole topic is a can of words that does not need to be addressed here.
This beautiful crisp white dress makes me yearn for summertime!
I love, love, love coming to this site but lawd sometimes I wonder what people humanly expect of POTUS and by extension FLOTUS. Give them a break. They are human beings and need time to revamp and ponder before the next chore. Not only does POTUS have America on his plate but the fallout has affected the rest of us i.e. The Rest of The World and he is trying to fix as much as he can in a very short time
They look FAB, Michelle is QUITE appropriately dressed and I could not say it as eloquently as my fellow Mrs. O'ers, Audrey, Marabout40 and mszonian524.
I agree, I concur, I support!!!
WAY TO GO!
All the best as we head into 2010!
Original Nona, sorry about the typo that accidentally caused me to temporary steal your name. Anyway, while you may not wish to address the controversial hair issue, it is nothing but science and DNA: Children of mixed heritage tend to show traits of that mixture in their appearance, and Yes, that includes hair. It is by no means disparaging to mention someone's mixed heritage. It would be a disservice to all of us, and require to a certain extent that President Obama renounces his White mother of whom he is so proud--and rightfully so. America is amalgam of beautiful races, hues, and ethnicities and acknowledging our differences only makes us more special. There is nothing wrong with pointing out that Mrs. O's kids beautifully reflect the ancestry of their Caucasian grandma all the while exhibiting the strength and beauty of their mother. That people of mixed heritage tend to have a different hair texture and length is not "antiquated thinking" but mere fact.
Mr. President I'm glad your'e home for Christmas.
Afterall, tis the season that brings with it, fond memories, special
moments and treasured times spent with family and friends. You
both look great, in this YOUR'E FOUNDATION, and that warmth you
inherited as a child is a huge part of your great character
and personality.IMO. L
Beautiful woman both inside and out!
Housedressy. Sorry, this dress should have hit at the knee or below.
Audrey, your analysis of the nature of the criticism that we hear from Alyse and others sadly like her was brilliant.
My super fabulous First Lady!! Rock on Mrs O, rock on with your spectacular husband, my great President!!
Loved the book and so does everyone who walks through the door. This book seizes all attention. I was shocked that she had in fact worn Oscar de la Renta before, with pictures to prove. Great work, Mrs. T.
Lovely dress with sweet details. Perfect for an informal setting where the marines and family were eating in their informal civies.
There are more flattering pix of this dress around including a very sweet one of Mrs O hugging the tiny wife of a young marine..
Re the NYT piece Sarah Palin could better be compared with Hillary Clinton as both are politicians themselves. The well-fitting tailored jacket has an important place in the wardrobes of both women. In addition to giving a neat, professional appearance to the wearer, it imposes a certain distance by its formality. This is not what Michelle Obama is up to as First Lady.
Leaving Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/02gwfUN6Z2dtQ?q=michelle+obama
@Nora:
Not to get into the hair debate (personally, it doesn't matter to me if Mrs. O wears a relaxer or not. It's her hair, not mine) I just wanted to dig at one tiny point in your second post. Most African-Americans (I'm making a distinction here -- I mean descendants of slaves brought to America) have "mixed heritage." Malia and Sasha may be able to point directly to their grandmother as a non-black person in their family tree, but there was just a lengthy story in the New York Times about the white slave owner who was a part of Michelle Obama's family tree. I would not be surprised at all if there were more non-black people who are part of her ancestry.
I bring this up only to note that you cannot so neatly divide American black people into those of "mixed heritage" (presumably, the Obama children) and those who are not (presumably, Michelle.) And because of that, it is also hard to make sweeping judgments about how someone's hair might look based on their parentage. There are many "white" people who have hair that is something other than silky straight. There are many "black" people who have hair textures other than the stereotypical kinky afro.
Science and DNA is complicated in this arena; we are far more complex than Mendel's peas.
What strikes me is POTUS and FLOTUS are always "on" - even on "vacation". In my lifetime, I can't remember a First Couple who were so keenly watched and covered in the press. I'm not sure what the expectation is of the posters here and elsewhere who criticize Mrs. O's fashion choices as being too informal. With the exception of her few days in London and Martha's Vineyard with her children, it seems like FLOTUS is always working or on call to perform humanitarian duties.
Is FLOTUS supposed to carry a valise with her, while on vacation, with an assortment of outfits so she can appease people who serve as the fashion police? I just don't get it.
It's disturbing that Alyse took a jab at the amount of time the First Couple spent with the military families. That's just not fair.
As to the dress - to me it looks crisp and cheerful.
What is it about the First Family that when they are on vacation or out of the public eye for even one day that people start taking potshots at them? I have noticed this on this site and others. I too go into Mrs O stalking withdrawal during those times, but I don't begrudge them their downtime. This is why I love this site but hate it all the same. I come for the fashion and then end up watching like a car crash that you can't turn away from. There are some strong minded people on this site. They will love or hate Mrs O from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep and nothing you or I say will change that. I wish that we could stop engaging and model ourselves after the First Lady who chooses not to engage in the negativism and instead sees the potential in us all.
Very valid point Christina and I do agree to a certain extent, but in this context, as you pointed out, the lineage mixture is a bit more readily apparent. Say what you will, but the norm tends to be that most African Americans or people of African descent have curly hair and most caucasians have straight hair. As a person with a range of ethnic hues and features in my family (but identifies myself as Black despite my somewhat Asian features), I believe in embracing all your heritages. I do not need the need to highlight my non-African American roots to validate myself, thus my point in the previous post. Also, do you believe that some people really have no idea about the inner workings of African American hair texture? Which, while understandable, needs to be remedied). And that is one of the many reasons (even if it is a trivial one) it is wonderful to have Mrs. O in the White House.
BTW, New pics of "date night" on Getty :)
MOVING ON.... (please!)
Maybe everybody can divert their attention by checking out BeeGee's link to a FABULOUS NEW DRESS that we haven't seen before! WOW this dress is sooo coooool! Luv it
Love the dress in BeeGee's link as well. Would love to see it from more angles/views. Really great!
Nora, I am an African American of mixed heritage and I continue to disagree with your thinking. I will leave it at that.
I enjoy this site but Mrs T i notice sometimes your choice of photos or pictures are not that good one. Please next time try to pick better photos, How about other people do u feel the same?
Wow I posted a simple fact that the FIRST LADY does NOT have a hair relaxer, and all hell breaks loose. I was just stating a fact that her pin ups have nothing to do with a relaxer, since her OWN hairstylist said she does not have one.
@nonaw
I agree, Nora and the other have a funny way of thinking if they believe Sasha and Malia's hair texture is different from Michelle's. Malia and Sasha do NOT look like they have a white grandmother, so this whole white heritage is prominent in them is BS. Malia and Sasha are not even considered "mixed" by their mother and father! One can look at Malia and Sasha's hair from when the President was sworn into the Senate and see the normal black hair texture, Malia's puff ball looks like MANY black little girls hair I see daily in the picture. There is no one hair texture for a particular ethnic group. Maya Ng has curly hair while north Asians tend to have straighter, but they are still both Asian. Why is it so darn hard to believe that Michelle Obama soley gets her hair blow out!
I am reminded of this exchange between Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou -
Oprah: Earlier you were telling me that your life is defined by principles. And one principle you have taught me is that we can't allow ourselves to be "pecked to death by ducks."
Maya: That's true. Some people don't have the nerve to just reach up and grab your throat, so they just take....
Oprah: Little pieces of you—with their rude comments.
Maya: That's right.
Oprah: They try to demean you.
Maya: Reduce your humanity through what Jules Feiffer called little murders. The minute I hear [someone trying to demean me], I know that that person means to have my life. And I will not give it to them.
Oprah: It's an assassination attempt by a coward.
Maya: Yes. Some people don't have the courage to just walk up to you and pull the trigger. If somebody just walked up and said "Boom!"—well, there you go. Bye. But when a person commits these little murders, and then you catch him or her at it, he or she might say, "Oh, I didn't mean it." But make no mistake: It is an assassination attempt.
For this occassion at the Marine Corps I would have liked to see her in something a little more glam. She has so many natural-fiber sleeveless sheaths that she wears (without hose) that would stand up just fine in 80+ degree weather. If she and the POTUS made this trip on a whim I can understand, but if it was planned in my opinion she could have chosen something with a little more punch. Even in Rome she dressed this white dress up with a big turquoise pin. Perhaps the "casual" effect here was increased by her pulled-back hairstyle. But in Rome the dress looked a lot better on her.
"Malia and Sasha do NOT look like they have a white grandmother, so this whole white heritage is prominent in them is BS......"
But, I'm not sure what one is supposed to look like if one has a white grandparent. Malia and Sasha's non-black ancestry is further down the family tree, sure. But most other American black people are "mixed" too, to greater or lesser degree. That's actually something kind of interesting about American black culture...we tend to call people "black" even when they have quite a lot of non-black ancestry.
Anyway, does it really matter if Michelle is getting a relaxer vs. a blow out vs. something else? Unless someone was buying into the concept that naturally straight hair is "good" hair and that a relaxer is somehow cheating, I'm not sure it matters too much.
Very nice "new" dress in BeeGee's link! I hope we'll see it again sometime so that we can see some other pictures.
There are pics of the whole outfit on getty images. She is wearing those sandals that has no toe covering at all. Here is a pic: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/95443047/AFP
The dress is not anything I would wear, but if she likes it, I love it! (BTW, I am talking about the dress in the pic I linked. I love the white dress!)
One more time....
While everyone is fussing about the white dress and hair, at 10:00 AM this morning I posted a BRAND NEW PHOTO of her leaving Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu IN A DRESS WE HAVEN'T SEEN HERE BEFORE!!!
(Silly me. I thought this was a fashion site....)
And new photos of them arriving at the Kailua Racquet Club to play tennis:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/95458123/AFP
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/95458119/AFP
A new photo of the blue arrival dress:
http://www.daylife.com/photo/04mN0fz3Tx9HD?q=michelle+obama
HAIR, IMO, has nothing to do with anything.
It's what's inside your brain. Didn't mama say that, when we spent
hours in front of the mirror in "teenage years", "go get your homework done" (smile).
It's a complicated issue, if we compare with other races. Don't
waste your energy. I enjoyed reading the articles though. BRAIN POWER is more
important than hair, Look where her education got her. Lets take a leaf from her page.
My hair can take time to style etc.so I wear wigs, when I don't have time. Love them.
Listen to this, one company I worked for, there were some people from
other countries, who cover their hair, until sweat poured down their faces. My boss
turns to us and said, "You can wear your hair however yu want, go bald, wear a hat
doesn't matter".
I turned to one of those ladies and I said, "I wish I had the easy to
manage hair yu have, just wash and blow dry". She smiled. Then another girl born
with flowing straight hear, was "bawling, I mean bawling - threw herself on the floor
and sobbed saying "the hairdresser cut off my beautiful hair", what a world. I have
worked with so many nationalities - I could tell stories. I am proud of AMERICA, they
have conquered the hair issue, somewhat. The choices are great and easier now.
No matter what your race, or hair type, let's face it, we may be in a situation where we
may have to add, remove, blow dry - whatever. LETS GET OVER THIS STUFF.
I don't think it's that important. Mrs. O will, and can do whatever and however she
wants to wear her hair - and she's in a position to do so. This is her first year. For those
who are so interested in her hair styles, you will have many more pictures to look at.
Mrs. T,
Did you see the pictures of the President and First Lady on a double date sunday with the President sister and her hubby? Mrs. O is wearing open toe flat shoes and a floral dress? I saw the picture on the huffington post.
I hereby nominate lorns for secretary of state. With common sense diplomacy like that, we'd have nothing to worry about! :-)
Since everyone is all hot and bothered over the dress and ancestry, here's a picture to calm things down. It's from the Star-Bulletin in Hawai'i and it show a young Barack Obama with a friend--who just received the photo back signed by the President. It also proves conclusively ;) that Sasha favors her Dad.
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20091228_third_grade_photo_captures_obamas_grin.html
Bee Gee - that's not Michelle in those tennis club pics walking next to him. Is it his sister?
Dear All,
Hello! This comment is overdue. I've been a bit distracted the past few days, traveling back from Columbus to New York, etc. A few things to say about the comments above, though I can't remember who said what exactly.
- I don't agree with those who deemed this dress inappropriate for the occasion. What is appropriate or inappropriate? I think one of the most exciting facets of Mrs. O's style is that she makes her own rules about what to wear when, and in some cases, is challenging our presumptions about how a first lady should dress.
- One comment observed that Mrs. O wore the dress with a large Erickson Beamon brooch in Rome. I was missing the brooch this time around too.
- Mrs. O has not worn her hair down a single time in 8 weeks. (I counted a few weeks ago. Don't ask.)
- I am not going to feature the photos of Mrs. O leaving the restaurant or at the tennis court. I know this is all very subjective, but they're on vacation, and unless it's an obvious public appearance, it's just not something I want to do. Hope everyone understands.
- Someone expressed disappointment with my photos. Again, quite subjective, but please know great care goes into this. I always look for photos that 1) flatter the first lady and 2) feature as much of an ensemble as possible. For big events (where multiple images are featured) I'll often take suggestions from site regulars on which photos to add. My suggestion is that you link to photos you like.
- Thank you lorns and mckinley for the nice comments about the Mrs. O book!!
Hope everyone is enjoying the end of 2009. What an exciting year its been!
Mary T.
I don't mean to beat a dead horse and it is so dead but would someone please explain to this blue eyed, very naturally strawberry blond why it is important whether Mrs. O relaxes or presses or blows out her hair. I'm asking because I am obviously missing something here. Secondly, why does it matter if she wears her hair 'up' or pulled back for a few weeks. If it is too complicated then don't bother but I find myself being a tad irritated by the hair discussions.
@Amdrea, thanks for the Oprah/Maya dialogue, yes it is an assassination attempt, made me more aware, too
o-o-o-oh juliede, she is wearing them again.......
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/95443042
Amdrea: Completely spot on. That exchange captures exactly what the Obama's are dealing with, but it will all work out in the end. I have no doubt that theirs will go down in history as one of the greatest and most successful presidencies of all time.
Happy holidays to fellow Mrs O regulars. Hope everyone stays safe and warm.
Perhaps the lack of ability to convey tone over the internet is the problem but I don't see the need for all the "calm down all hell is breaking loose pearl clutching" over some conversation. I don't think anyone is getting all hot and bothered-folks are talking about issues they find interesting around her appearance. No one's acting out as far as I see. Perhaps I don't know this site well enough, but what is wrong with some chatter beyond "ooh I love that dress". That would get boring after a while no? As long as everyone's respectful, what's wrong with some disagreement and chatter?
@Willet:
Holy smokes! Now, I've been going around talking about how much I think Sasha looks like her mother, but I do believe you have check-and-mated me. Wow, that picture really shows the resemblance to her father. Dang. And it is very cute, too!
@ Mrs. T, you make me laugh (in a totally good way!) counting how many weeks it's been since Mrs. O has worn her hair down. How funny...I can imagine doing the same thing.
Also, I just assumed you weren't posting because you wanted a break yourself! A vacation for the Obamas can be a vacation for the Obama watchers, too ;-)
@Nic John -- I wouldn't respond, but since you asked; once Mrs. T starts charging me for this site, then I'll feel free to give her advice on how to pick pictures. :-) Yes, I know that the site probably generates some money from our traffic but I still feel like it's free to me, and she was working on Christmas day getting a post up for us.
(I guess that makes me sound like a butt-kisser...so be it.)
Canyongal, not a clue here except that the caption identified her as the First Lady. Looks more like his sister, does't she. I thought it might just be a bad photo.
I have posted two times on this site and was very objective. My posts never appeared. It seems like this is more a MO fan site and any attempt to offer constructive criticism is not allowed. Again, I did not like the white dress for the occasion and do tire of all the skin, especially in the winter.
1) Michelle Obama has been going to Hawaii with her husband for the past 11+ years (as indicated by the children saying they've spent every Christmas in Hawaii). I think Mrs. Obama knows how people in Hawaii dress. To expect her to dress as "real Hawaiians" dress is as silly as expecting somebody from Nevada to buy a new wardrobe to fit in with people from DC or NYC when they visit. That's silly.
2) Michelle Obama very well could be relaxer free. Johnny Wright could get Mrs. Obama's hair straight with a blowdryer and a flat iron. I guarantee you my hair is more coarse and kinky than Mrs. Obama's...I do NOT have a relaxer...it gets straight with a blow dryer and a flat iron...and it does not puff up in an Afro when rain hits it. Quite frankly Mrs. Obama's hair would be a A LOT thinner if she did have a relaxer. She might be experiencing heat damage hence the up-dos or she just might be bored with it down all the time. Just because your hair might shrivel up in the rain does not mean other people with kinky unrelaxed hair experience shrinkage in the rain.
She has a relaxer.
Her hairstylist for years growing up (Rahni Flowers), said this in an article:
"Mr. Flowers is credited with keeping the first lady’s chemically relaxed hair healthy. Although he declined an invitation to move to Washington in order to be Obama’s full-time hairstylist, he will be on hand during the inauguration festivities. Rahni will skillfully style her hair according to what she is wearing:"
(Article link: http://tinyurl.com/yc79ael)
If I were to believe one or the other, I'd believe the man (Rahni) who cared for her hair for years over someone who was on the job sporadically (Johnny) until she became First Lady.
I just think Johnny was mistaken.
And quite honestly as an African American woman that sometimes wears her hair natural (more curly) versus blown out (how African American hair gets straight without a relaxer, it is blow dried then flat ironed), I think her hair always looking straight and well moisturized is a result of a relaxer.
(Not that African Americans can't have straight well moisturized hair without a relaxer, just given the amount of time and energy it takes to maintain it with daily public appearances would take alot of behind-the-scenes hours to maintain).
Lol at this discussion of Sasha and Malia's hair texture.
They look like they have the same texture as any African American little girl I've seen walking down the street, I don't think their white grandmother impacts their texture.
Halle Berry and Alicia Keys have a white parent (versus a grandparent) and their hair is the same texture of African Americans with no white parents.
@Mica
Get over it hun. SHE DOES NOT HAVE A RELAXER, why is it so darn hard for women of color to realize that MICHELLE ROBINSON OBAMA does NOT have a relaxer!! Every black woman does NOT have a relazer, get oer it. There would be NO POINT for JOHNNY TO LIE over a freaking RELAXER!!
Also, Michelle's hair is TOO healthy and long for her to have chemicals put in it frequently! Every woman does not need or have a relxer. Michelle allows her daughters to wear their hair natural, so there for why would her hair not be natural.! She is VERY secure in who she is so I doubt she is one of those woman thay has hair hang ups!
There were a few of us who expressed dismay over Mr. O's lackluster navy blue polo. Just saw an article on Yahoo about how his 1st year in office has been very exhausting, but, no he has not lost or gained weight in fact he fits in the same clothes that he wore 17 years ago.
Might that blue polo be one of those?
Sorry to be catty but just couldn't resist.......
@Mica - I haven't had a relaxer in years. I go to the hair salon once a week to get my hair shampooed, blow dried, straightened (with a hot comb) and flat-ironed. I wrap my hair each night and don't do much else - there's very little maintenance involved. I can assure you that my hair is healthy, silky and moisturized - yes, sans a relaxer. I have no idea whether Mrs. O has a relaxer or not - until she issues a press release none of us will ever know for sure. To claim to know with certainty that she does or she doesn't is just plain silly to me. It's her hair and she can rock it however she sees fit. However, I do wish posters would refrain from making blanket statements about African-American hair. What might be true for you, isn't necessarily true for others. There are so many variables to consider: hair texture (which changes over time - my hair, which is quite thick and coarse, has become less so as I have aged), hair products used, frequency and use of heat and chemicals, etc. Also, not exactly sure why some have worked themselves up into a tither over the fact that Mrs. O has been wearing her hair up. Most women I know wear the same hair style over and over for weeks and months on end. None of us know why she has decided to wear her hair up, but some are convinced that it's due to some kind of hair damage or that's she's giving her hair a rest. Could be that she just wants to wear her hair up... All of this speculation masquerading as fact is a bit maddening... Thanks for letting me vent! :)
Haven't posted anything in a long time, but I visit this site at least once everyday. Perhaps I can offer something to think about regarding the hair debate. There is this product called Diva Smooth
http://www.janellebeauty.com/shop/shopcontent.asp?type=diva2
that allows you to achieve relaxed results without chemicals. Perhaps FLOTUS is using this or something like this. Oprah too, for that matter.
@nonaw:
You may be new to this site, but regardless, and more to the point, there's a big difference between offering "critical analysis" and being just plain "critical". So when some posters try to use this blog to denigrate the First Lady and her family by cowardly hiding behind their "critique" of her choice of apparel, there should be no surprise when the response is swift and fierce. Despite the propensity of a few to try to tear this woman down, I continue to be in awe of the First Lady's (and POTUS too!) resilience and cool attitude. Then I remember an interview with her last year during the campaign when Sarah Palin was heaping a lot of ugly names at the POTUS (terrorist, un-american, communist, socialist, etc.) despite the fact she herself lives in a glass house. The interviewer asked her how she manages to remain so calm, cool, and collected in the midst of all the nonsense the repubs and their allies were tossing their way. She replied that while growing up her parents instilled a healthy dose of self-esteem in her and her brother, and that when you know who you are then you don't concern yourself with what others feel, think or say. She further stated that her mother made the analogy "when someone calls you a dog, do you get down on your 4's and crawl like one to prove them right or are you going to continue to act true to yourself?" I thought to myself...well-said, only a very strong and insightful mother could come up with such a thought, and it ties into Maya Angelou's comments to Oprah on character assassination...who does it and why.
So, is it obvious that I greatly admire this woman, you bet! It goes beyond her fashion sense. I admire the way she interacts with her husband and children, the way she treats other people on meeting them for the first time, how her close friends say she treats them, and how she's willing to give people like Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain the benefit of the doubt even as they tried to disparage her during the campaign. As for her fashion choices, I think she hits it out the park 95% of the time. Are there times when I may not like some of her choices as much, yeah, but then again, no one is perfect, and judging from her own comments, I don't think she aspires to be either.
So for those of you who are quick to flash out your poisoned pens and try to hack away at her character, independence, personal choices and decisions, think again, for as you continue to try to denigrate her, you achieve the opposite. She's a woman of substance that many of us should try to emulate, perhaps even apply some of her character traits to ourselves in this new year.