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Article Source: Yahoo!In an interview Mrs. Obama talks about her daughters' weight and being told by their doctor that the girls were overweight. Some are now questioning whether this could be humiliating and damaging for the girls.
*Please note-this article is seeded to discuss the line between public and private life of the president's daughters and the effects (if any) of publicly discussing their weight. Comments that amount to partisan mudslinging will be deleted.
While innocuous to some, this comment has set off both valid and not-so-valid criticism in the blogosphere—everything from calling the first lady well-intentioned-but-misguided to hinting that she could be tipping off her daughters’ future eating disorders. Even with one-third of American children classified as overweight or obese, several critics are far more concerned with Michelle Obama’s anecdotal use of her daughters.
#1 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 3:26 AM ESTI think Mrs. Obama's daughters will wish she had kept her big fat trap shut. I wouldn't be surprised if they were embarrassed by their mother's comments--to say nothing of humiliated.
It's one thing to talk generally about weight issues among the population--but don't put your daughters out there as examples of what's wrong. At least I don't see a problem with either girl--the youngest will grow out of it, just like I did, and thrusting them into such a horrible limelight is the worst thing the first lady could've done to her kids. Appalling.
I believe it is a positive moment for Mrs. Obama to talk about the necessity of talking to your children about healthy eating. Nowhere did the First Lady talk about the concern being about "appearance" but the concern is about "health". Totally different things. I'm sure she had already talked to her daughters about the interview she would be giving and what she would be saying. There's no big story here...just a smart and dedicated mother using her own life stories to set a good example for others.
and thrusting them into such a horrible limelight is the worst thing the first lady could've done to her kids. Appalling.
Oh please, Lkessler! Don't be so dramatic...Honestly, you think this is the worst thing she could have done to her kids? What, are we allergic to being honest in this country? Being overweight is unhealthy and can lead to many health complications. We don't want people to be overweight yet we cannot mention when they are even if it is in the context of health and concern?
Get over it! She framed it in a respectful way. People need to not be so sensitive and be able to be constructively criticized without crying and needing therapy for the rest of their life.
Don't get me wrong--but I doubt very much she talked to her daughters about any of it. And really, has she looked at her daughters in a mirror lately? Neither one is what I would ever even remotely think of as fat.
If there's anyone with fat anything, is her and her husband. Fat egos with an unreasonable taste for limelight. They both need to get a life.
Lkessler - She was only stating what a doctor said. It was not her opinion of her daughter who she said she thought are "perfect". So why not get upset with the doctor who said they were overweight?
Would you feel the same if she said the doctor "diagnosed them with Autism" or "with scoliosis"?
Don't get me wrong, but I think you are the one who needs a life...their ego is exactly the same size as every other president we have ever had. You have to have an ego to think you could be president of the USA! Especially knowing the amount of crap the other side (which ever side it is) will give you. If they had your ego, they'd curl up in the fetal position and sob. See the vine? People are mean!
No, it's called respecting your kids privacy. Even at their age, they have a right to not have their medical history discussed on TV--no matter what.
I don't care who you are--that's just not right. I wouldn't do it to my kids, and I know my mother wouldn't have dreamed of doing something so tacky to me. She would've talked to me about it before doing anything of the sort. They're both old enough to understand, so don't give me that crap. I would want my mom to talk to me about my health issues and to let me have a part into whether or not I'd want them disclosed. Period. We can agree to disagree here.
It would be a lot worse to so what most people do - ignore the fact that their kids have weight problem. A huge pecentage of americans do and it is a REAL problem. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away. But addressing it does.
I was on myspace the other day and I saw a bulletin from one of my friends kids. I hadn't seen these people in several years and was pretty curious what they looked like now, so I clicked on her profile and checked out the photos. The last time I saw their little girl she was 11 and was as my husband put it a "plump little butterball" and my friend was constantly adament about teaching her good habits and helping her manage her weight. She seemed a little fanatical about it sometimes. We wondered how that was going to turn out (would she rebel? would she go too far? etc) Well let me tell you, 8 yrs later that girl is so beautiful and healthy (both physically and emotionally from what we can readily observe on myspace) it's unbelievable - it obviously does work.
sunny: but given that her kids do not have an honestly visible weight problem, why thrust her children into the spotlight? That's just insane.
And yes, it's far worse to ignore such things--but again, on two girls with no visible issues on the subject? Please.
Maybe they don't have any visible issues because they already are handling it so well.
I do not think that living a public life is inherently damaging, if anything it may actually be benefitial.
#2 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 3:43 AM ESTI don't think it is up to us to judge whether she crossed a line or not. Those are HER daughters, it is HER choice to decide what comments are acceptable or not. Whatever the outcome down the road, it will be her issue to deal with. (And frankly, it wouldn't be such a big deal if unrelated people didn't make it into one.) Just my 2 cents. :)
#3 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 3:50 AM ESTOne of the things that is...interesting...bothersome...not sure the right word...to me is that the WH and Obamas have been very clear that the kids are off limits (and rightly so) and have gone to great links to protect that. So why then drag their weight into public scrutiny?
#4 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 4:00 AM ESTGood question but still the mother's choice. She gets to set the rules and decide whether and/or when to speak about them and in what context. Having photographers and unapproved outsiders getting involved is one thing, limiting them is right for the Obamas to do. They need to protect their daughters or they would be VERY negligent parents. But for a mother to bring up an anecdote illustrating her concern, especially regarding the campaign she is promoting, is somewhat different. It illustrates her own awareness and concern for her own children.
And besides, she's a MOM! She humiliates her kids! For the record, did you appreciate everything your mom said about you to other people? I certainly didn't!! I can still hear my protests in my mind. ("MOM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! DON'T SAY THAT!") :)
She gets to set the rules and decide whether and/or when to speak about them and in what context. Having photographers and unapproved outsiders getting involved is one thing, limiting them is right for the Obamas to do. They need to protect their daughters or they would be VERY negligent parents.
Agreed.
And besides, she's a MOM! She humiliates her kids!
LOL! Also agreed. And I doubt it even occurred to her that she was humiliating them. But it just seems like something that has now been set up to be watched constantly, which can be especially hard on the oldest daughter, as she is close to the awkward teen years.
and have gone to great links to protect that.
What lengths have they gone to in order to keep their kids off-limits from the public?
They shield them as much as possible from having their photos taken, only the WH photographers pictures can be used, with permission, in the press, and even last year there was a campaign for better school lunches that just used their names, not even their pictures, and the WH tried to have the posters removed.
And I doubt it even occurred to her that she was humiliating them.
AGREED! :)
Everything that the Obama's say is now being parsed word by word to see how much damage can be done to them personally and politically. Kind of a sad commentary on our country if you ask me.
I am neither a liberal nor do I agree with a lot of what this administration has done. But they are being held to a ridiculous standard in a lot of ways.
#5 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 4:08 AM ESTEverything that the Obama's say is now being parsed word by word to see how much damage can be done to them personally and politically. Kind of a sad commentary on our country if you ask me.
I think that is true of any high ranking politician now. It is (sadly) the culture of politics now.
#6 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 4:22 AM ESTYou're right about that... but it's also worsening as time goes along.
As a nation, we really would benefit greatly by cutting out most of the partisan rhetoric.
Weight is something that doesn't have to be discussed because it's something you see.
Because she is active in the fight against childhood obesity she's putting a face to the reality that obesity and weight issues and concerns aren't just a poor person disease....it can and does happen to anyone and its something we all need to be cognisant of and not make it a taboo subject like everything else is in this country that we bury our heads in the sand about and pretend don't exist.
Besides, considering the fish bowl, fish eye lens world the first family lives in and I feel she took a proactive role in beating the paparazzi to the punch and showed that she is a mom concerned with the health of her children.
We all know the paparazzi would have twisted it into the Obama's failing their children' while going around telling the rest of America to watch their weight.
#7 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 5:15 AM ESTWell said Susi!
I know people are furious about her comment. Like you, I think she was trying to put a realistic tone to her new campaign as if to say that obesity can affect anyone. And you are right, if her kids were obese, the press would have a field day!
From what I have seen she is an amazing mom. My own mom took my daughter to see/meet Michelle when they were campaigning here in Ca. My daughter is usually not impressed with meeting people (my bro is in hollywood and she has met quite a few) and my daughter came back just exploding with "She is amazing!!! That was the coolest thing I have ever done!" etc. So bottom line to my rambling, Michelle Obama didn't cross a line.
Thanks ERich
As they say the best defense is a good offense. As someone who has had lifelong struggles with weight I can tell you that as a mom I became an advocate for my daughter in making sure that by the time she reached 18 she had a healthy sense of self and a good body image.
She is conscious about her figure as most young women are but not obsessed and not self-conscious. That has made all the difference.
I am sure it's embarrassing but in the end those girls will thank their mom.
I think the girls are just fine. It appears to me that Michelle's butt has grown a bit.
#8 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 7:27 AM ESTRemember that obama wrote a "public letter" to his daughters shortly after the election -- using them as surrogates for a message of indoctrination meant for teens across america. mo does not have garner the interest or sympathy of many americans, so this was probably her "tammy wynette" moment. Like hilary clinton who fumbled badly on the issue of "baking cookies and standing by her man" in her husband's first term, mo needed to find a way to connect to the issues of american women not specifically interested in her husband's political agenda.
So, she trotted out the kids. If I were as vulgar and intolerant as those on the left when discussing palin, I would have used the term applied to her and said that mo "pimped out" her kids. But the vulgarity and incivility of the left must be condemned, not imitated.
#9 - Thu Feb 4, 2010 6:51 PM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
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