27 November 2009
From the campaign trail to the White House, Michelle Obama has attracted attention. She was on the cover of Vogue magazine in March, and she appears on the cover of Glamour magazine's December issue. "Mrs. O," a blog devoted to Michelle Obama's fashion sense, has become so popular it has inspired a book. The woman behind both says there hasn't been a first lady in more than 40 years who has attracted this much attention for what she wears.
Another First Lady recalled
"I think there is a way we feel about Michelle Obama that we haven't felt about a First Lady since Jackie Kennedy," says Mary Tomer.
That's what inspired Tomer to launch her blog, “Mrs. O.” It led to the publication of her book, Mrs. O: the Face of Fashion Democracy. The blog features an update nearly every day with what the First Lady was last seen wearing.
It averages 10,000 hits a day, with visitors from more than 200 countries. "I think they are inspired to see a modern fashion-forward woman in this fantastic role and platform."
White House
The First Lady hasn't been without her critics. Some said wearing a cardigan to meet Queen Elizabeth was inappropriate. And the sleeveless Narcisso Rodriguez dress she wore to the President’s first address to Congress was controversial. Some thought she should not have shown her bare arms in winter, especially at that occasion.
But Tomer says, “A lot of women see her fabulously toned arms as inspiration."
Her toned arms are once again being shown, this time on the cover of "Glamour Magazine." However, Michelle Obama is being recognized there not for her fashion sense, but for being a mentor to young women, something she did before becoming First Lady, when she was a practicing attorney.