What in the world is happening? Two high profile Black women have been called out of their name in the most disrespectful way this week. First we had the weird case of Rihanna. A Dutch magazine, called Jackie, had the audacity to call her a racial slur that couldn’t get lost in translation if it tried. Anyway you looked at the term n#@$#b#*&^, it’s not pretty, flattering, or desirable. Black girls around the world were shocked, sad and angry at the same time. And there was a collective cheer when Rihanna fired back on Twitter. But just a day later we have crazy news of a different short coming from our shores. Yesterday, a Wisconsin Congressman named Jim Sensenbrenner made disparaging remarks about our First Lady’s body—-her backside to be specific–while on the phone in the Delta Airlines Crown Lounge according to Fishbowl DC. Here’s what he said:
“She lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself.”
In other words this man is calling the FLOTUS out of shape, or to put it more bluntly…FAT. Go ahead and scratch your head because I sure was. First, of all we find ourselves back at the place where folks think they have the right to dissect Michelle Obama’s physique. There was a time when I thought we’d never hear the end of comments about her arms. Instead of dwelling on this ish Mrs. Obama chose to go to work and her mission with the Let’s Move campaign was to take an active role in the prevention of childhood obesity–which has reached epidemic proportions. We’ve seen her in her garden, jumping rope and exercising with kids at school and a walking her talk in a host of other ways. Educating folks about the importance of making better nutritional choices and exercising is no small feat and to have this man (and Rush Limbaugh before him) diss her efforts is both ludicrous and insulting.
I have got to say this: why is the hell is this man looking so hard at the FLOTUS’ backside? He must have been staring very hard to come up with this conclusion. And where is he getting his standards of fitness? (And is he applying them to himself?). We all know that Michelle Obama looks damn good. She has a grown woman’s body complete with curveships. Yes real women have hips, boobs and backsides. Limbaugh once compared her physique with that of a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model to measure her level of fitness. In other words, a young white girl who is barely out of her teens. That’s like comparing an apple to a banana–they’re both fruit but that’s where the similarity ends. But this slight also has deeper meaning, it seeks to belittle and erase all the good Mrs. Obama has done with the Let’s Move campaign. The Congressman says that he doesn’t think anyone has the right to tell Americans what to eat–in other words me thinks he may be a little salty because he may need to heed the advice himself. (I ain’t going to lie, I do too!) The difference is I know and appreciate the value of the message.
Finally, why did he feel free to share this? Clearly, we already know there is a lack of respect among some folks when it comes to our President and his family.But this incident makes clear something else. There is a racially charged undercurrent we can’t ignore. Forget this post-racial notion, this is a new kind of crazy.
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