First Lady

Michelle Obama must do it her way

Much is expected of Michelle Obama; both publicly and privately, writes Liz Hunt

 

Liz Hunt 

Who should Michelle Obama look to for inspiration? Photo: Getty

'Nothing,' said Thomas Jefferson, "gives one person so much

 advantage over another as to remain always cool and 

unruffled under all circumstances." While it was to 

Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy that Barack 

Obama looked for inspiration yesterday, it is the words

 of the third president that he embodies. The "unruffled"

 demeanour is a defining characteristic. Now it is also an 

attribute of the woman at his side.

It has not come naturally to Michelle Obama. At heart,

she remains the feisty girl from working-class Chicago

 who studied hard and earned the prizes. Used to speaking 

her mind, she did so early on in the campaign and found 

herself lambasted for belittling her husband when she 

joked about him being "snorey and stinky" in bed. Later,

 she was condemned for "emasculating" him when she

quipped: "He's a gifted man, but in the end, he's just 

a man."

But she learned fast from the criticism and from the

objections to perceived gaffes such as the "terrorist fist

 bump" and an alleged lack of patriotism. She gave up kicking 

off her shoes and going barefoot, and was rarely, if ever, 

photographed looking less than perfectly groomed. Even on 

holiday in Hawaii at Christmas, she denied the paparazzi 

the swimsuit shot. And yesterday, she arrived at the 

White House, polished, poised and ready for the challenge.

Much is expected of President Obama – nothing less than 

saving the world. But much is expected of Michelle, too. 

Publicly, she must deliver as châtelaine of 1600 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, and on the world stage. Privately, she has to deliver

 as a wife to a man about to be tested as few in history have

 been, and as mother to two young girls whose lives must

 retain some semblance of normality in the most abnormal 

of circumstances. She must also live with the knowledge that

 her family are the target of every crazy racist or terrorist.

So, to whom should Michelle look for inspiration? To the 

admirable, but bland example of the Bush wives, Barbara 

and Laura? To the wannabe-president Hillary, who flip-flopped

between healthcare reform and baking cookies – and failed 

on both counts? What about Nancy Reagan, living proof that

 you can be too rich, too thin and wear too much Elnett? 

There is, of course, Jackie Kennedy, with whom Mrs Obama 

has been compared sartorially, but how disappointing if she

 turns out to be no more than a glamorous appendage to her

 husband. Whatever she does, Michelle Obama will do it her way,

 learning from the mistakes of others, but mimicking none. Nor 

should she.

Just as Barack Obama seems to be the man for turbulent 

times and a world in flux, so, too, is this woman, whose

 experience of work, motherhood and marriage resonate with

 so many. So can she deliver? On the evidence so far – yes,

 she can.