This morning, The First Lady sat down with Matt Lauer of the “Today Show” to discuss life in the White House as well as her plan to fight childhood obesity. In this country 33% of children are overweight but let’s face it, those numbers get higher when it comes to our community. So although she’s not saying it, I suspect that Michelle Obama, can’t help but pay special attention to the needs and health issues of Black (as well as Hispanic) children. But in so doing will she make sisters feel badly about the way they’re raising their children? Clearly, that is not her intent. However, some of our (cooking) traditions and shortcuts do contribute to the problem (as well as video games and safety issues—many of our kids can’t play outside). So in order to combat the situation she may have to make many of us feel uncomfortable. And that may turn out to be a good thing because epidemics cannot be beaten if we remain silent. Read the full story

First Lady Michelle Obama got a belated birthday present when Madame Tussards unveiled a wax replica in their London museum yesterday. The fake Michelle joins a replica of her husband that was already in their collection immortalized in a purple sheath dress and a cardigan. I guess showing off her arms would have been too much to ask huh?

When I did my year in review last week, I looked at all the posts I wrote about FLOTUS Michelle Obama. She has been scrutinized for her body parts, her hair and almost every single piece of clothing she’s worn since her husband took office. It has always seemed like folks were getting too familiar with the FLOTUS but PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) latest move takes the cake. The Associated Press is reporting that the outspoken animal rights group has decided to feature Michelle Obama in its latest anti-fur ad campaign without her permission. Kind of presumptuous don’t you think? Read the full story

We’re in week two of our countdown of stories that shaped the images of black women in popular culture. We’ve chosen a dozen stories (the good, the bad and the ridiculous) that captured our attention in 2009. Here’s the story that made our hot list today:

#1: Fascination with the FLOTUS (aka “Picking Apart Michelle Obama Is the New National Pastime” originally published April 8, 2009) Read the full story

It is clear that many in our community hold up the marriage of the President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama as a strong example of black love. Like other Presidents, their marriage is often analyzed and speculated about but unlike other Presidents and their wives the Obamas have been more candid about their ups and downs. Even if you don’t do the Sunday paper anymore you might want to get yourself a copy of The New York Times Magazine this weekend so you can keep a hard copy of Jodi Kantor’s in-depth interview (curl up with a cup of coffee long) with the couple about their marriage. Because while this story is inspiring it is also a reality check about what it really takes (and I’m sure they’re not even telling us everything) to have a strong relationship. Read the full story