to not understand why young girls are told to aspire to be like michelle obama

[HRHShoesytwoesy]

have I missed something? if so what?

Glass of wine, Morloth? Go easy, my love.

I know what you mean too.

I absolutely love Michelle Obama. I am going to make both of my children watch her speeches. I thing she's an inspiration and a wonderful role model.

Morloth if you're drunk at 10.21am then you have shot straight to the top of my own personal role model list

Your theory however is a bit arse-over-tit. She is famous in part because she is so amazeballs, hence her role model status. You can't be that much of a role model (apart from to me, clearly) or we all would have heard of you

It is 7:20pm here.

Ah but you can be amazeballs without being famous, obviously I am a case in point.

Modest also.

She's as famous as she is because she's inspirational and accomplished in her own right, just like Hillary was when she was first lady. And like Cherie Blair was when Tony was Prime Minister.

Whoever gave a shit about Laura Bush, or Nancy Regan or Norma Major?

I do rather like Michelle Obama (and have a big crush on Barack, mmmm), but in the end she is famous for being a good wife, supporting her husband in his career, and looking good in nice clothes. She isn't famous for being a lawyer, or for her charity work, even if she does those things.

I don't aspire to good wifedom myself, nor do I particularly want that for my dds, so for now I'll stick to women who are inspirational for things besides being well married as role models.

I don't think 'being a good wife' is necessarily something to deride. It's something to be proud of in its own right. It means you're likely to be supportive and strong and kind and patient and have loads of other good qualities.

Of course, there are many other things that make someone a good role model, and Michelle Obama pretty much ticks all of the boxes.

Southside to princeton scolarship to Harvard law school to white house is pretty impressive for any woman of any minority in any country.

What's not to admire?

Hm. But does her being famous for being married to Obama negate all the amaze-balls stuff she did before? No. Hence she's still inspiring. She's in the public domain because she married someone and supported and assisted someone who then went on to become the President, but she's amazing because she came from a deprived, ethnic minority background and then went to Princeton and Harvard and then went on to be a highly successful lawyer.

The problem with our society is that fame or notoriety is given too much importance. There are many, many, many individuals in society (like Morloth obviously ) who are doing wonderful things and are wonderful role models. Should that be negated because they're not famous? And likewise, should someone be admired just because they get themselves known in the public domain? No.

Birdsgottafly as someone who lived in the US the idea that there is more social mobility in the US is a total illusion which Americans do a very good job of maintaining but its total bollocks. In fact there is less social mobility there than in any other developed country (although the UK isn't great for that either). In large part due to the fact that it costs so much money to get a degree (and the costs there dwarf what we are seeing now even post coalition.
Which makes Michelle Obama's achievements all the more striking.

Conversely, being a good husband should be admired as well (rather than just shagging anything that moves and being a bit of an arse).

A rabbi told me last night - the most important thing you do in your life is how you treat those closest to you. You could be a super wonderful lawyer or something, but if you're an absolute arse to your partner and children, it counts for nothing.

Yes she is married to the world's most powerful man. But I seriously doubt Michelle Obama would have married him because he may one day have been president. She married him because she loved him and he loved her and they moved in the same circles. The fact that they moved in the same circles is testament to how far she had come from her roots, I think.

And if she uses her position as First Lady to draw attention to her passions and beliefs, and if these in turn benefit other poor young women, then bloody good on her. She is using her position in the most positive way she can. If people are incapable of seeing her as more than the President's wife, then that reflects badly on them, and not her.

Well yes, if she wasn't famous obviously we wouldn't be able to use her as a role model. But her fame in itself isn't worthy of admiration or emulation!

morloth - put the bloody wine down! I only have coffee because it's 10.35 here and it's not fair!

No, its my wine, I like it, it is my rest day from the gym and it is my wine. I am making this glass work dammit, whilst watching Masterchef.

Living the dream baby!

I would need an insane amount of money to be famous, what a pain in the arse fame looks to be.

HRHShoesytwoesy, have you not heard of Google, couldn't you have looked her up first before starting this AIBU thread?

I am sure this has all been said on here already but by god, as a teacher and a mother i would rather my DDs and the girls I have taught be inspired to reach for the stars like MO did, and believe in themselves, rather than aspiring to be a pop star, page 3 model or footballers WAG

Jajas...... WTF are you unable to read?
I posted ages ago when my question was answered.
blimey talk about arsey

BsshBossh sorry didn't realize I had to check with you first before asking anything.

even if she wasn't a qualified lawyer I think she'd be a role model. She is smart, feisty, stands up for what she believes in (and I happen to agree broadly with her stated opinions) and appears to manage to be a mum and a supportive partner. She was an african american woman who went to a hard to get into university and made the most of her opportunities and to a large extent, as I understand it, she made many of her opportunities herself. I would like my two dds to be able to achieve what she has, if they want to do so but most importantly to take from her story that you can achieve even if you do not come from a 'privileged background'.

I also like her - not that I know her!

updates her arsehole spreadsheet (and not with the lovely OP )

(or overthemill, who made her point nicely unlike others)

fanjo Are you sure you're not mixing up the titles of your spreadsheets? "Arsehole" versus "Culturally unaware"?

I am not putting the OP on the spreadsheet, AlpinePony, I am putting the rude twunts who taunted her about JeremyKyle etc

hence I said (and not with the lovely OP )