Just look at them, they go all the way up to her shoulders. Apparently, Michelle Obama appearing in a sleeveless dress for her official portrait has got conservative American up in arms (ha! see what I did there). I mean really, she’s young, she has lovely arms why shouldn’t she show them off? Why does showing her arms make her the target of conservatives accusing her of impropriety*? What is wrong with arms?
Those of you following the link will notice that the piece also talks about Australian aspiring politician Pauline Hanson. I think that story has had enough airing now so please refrain from commenting on either the photos, which were not of her, or on her policies.
* Impropriety: from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary – the quality or state of being improper.
Categories: gender & feminism, media, Politics
Grabbing somebody is Assault, and sexual touch makes it Sexual Assault. Stop minimising this. #rapeculture101 
96th Down Under Feminists Carnival 
Today in Tangential Learning: the smell of chloroform 
What this election says about women getting themselves pregnant 
Hoyden About Town 
I’m going to cling to the hope that this is a first tentative baby step towards Michelle Obama doing some things that don’t make her a Perfect Conservative. Maybe she’ll give an interview about something other than clothes and cookies? Maybe she’ll make a public statement that doesn’t include an insistance that nothing is as important as her being a mom? Maybe she might even go back to working as – gasp – a lawyer, too? Because I’m still waiting for her to do something that doesn’t come out of the “Being a Perfect First Lady” handbook circa 1956.
I hope you are right orlando, although if this is the result of showing her arms goodness knows what they would come up with if she actually did something that wasn’t in the handbook. While I would applaud her for doing it, I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the end of the sh*tstorm that would ensue.
Also, the fact that she has lovely arms makes no difference to her right to show them. She has no obligation to look pretty.
Kirstente’s last blog post..Online activism.
@ Kirstente
Absolutely. My point was that she fits the patriarchal beauty standard of thin toned arms, so why are they bitching about her showing them?
The First Guns (aka Thunder and Lightning) now have their own blog.
From a post on The Arms in Winter:
I don’t remember them kicking up a fuss when Nancy Reagan bared her arms all the time.
MomTFH’s last blog post..Reply turned post, tired-of-pushing style