Michelle Obama is arguably the most visible mother in America. She professed on the campaign trail that her children are the last thing she thinks about before bed and the first thing she thinks about when she wakes up in the morning. How many mothers can relate to that? She is also an accomplished, intelligent woman who openly weaves parenting into her busy days in a way that is a role model for many of us.

Yet the media seems to be a generation behind Michelle. Rather than hi-light her accomplishments and her ability to juggle her multiple responsibilities, they focus on her clothing, what food was served at the first White House dinner, and -drum roll- her biceps and whether she covers them or goes bare-armed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08dowd.html. No joke. Entire news articles have been devoted to whether she should wear sleeves and how long she works out in the mornings to attain toned arms. Am I the only woman who feels let down? Finally we have a young, ivy-league, attorney/mother as First Lady and the media reduces her to a “what will Michelle wear tonight” stereotype?

The point is that Michelle Obama has made magnificent use of her First Lady bully pulpit. She has spoken out on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, paid sick days for workers, military families, and now healthy eating for all Americans. She is a new kind of First Lady who integrates her beliefs with her actions. Surely the media can adapt their message to herald her massage rather than her right to bare arms.