That it was even brought up was stupid, I agree. But what I couldn't believe was that there were people on Fox News stating that it was ridiculous for the press to waste time attacking what the FLOTUS wears. I don't know what they are smoking, but as this article in Salon points out and sources, the hypocrisy level of anyone on that network saying the FLOTUS should not be attacked for what she wears is astounding. As the article relays, Michelle Obama was regularly attacked by the staff at Fox News for fashion choices, including many times they thought her decisions to have been too haughty. But now it's wrong to pick on Melania's to-fly-in Louboutins? Why?
And it isn't just fashion that the network has been unfair on. Take their coverage on Michelle's bare arms, which, mind you, is in the politics section. On the flipside, Melania often wears sleeveless dresses and no one at Fox News says a word. And here is their coverage on Melania's nude photos. This was labeled entertainment, unlike Michelle's arms, and they offered the take of Donald Trump himself and the photographer as the main focus. Unsurprisingly, they both defended the photos, and even claimed they were art. Well, I'm sure that Michelle's husband and her dress designer or personal trainer would have had just as many glowing things to say about her arms, if anyone at Fox had cared to ask.
Their coverage of the FLOTUS is extremely biased. I am going to add that personally, I totally think race is a factor. It seemed that there was a lot of effort on their part to try and force her to fit into the image mold of one of President Reagan's make believe welfare queens, which many believe was a strong sociological force in the 1980's in demonizing black women in particular (Alexander 48-49).
Don't think so? Here are the google results for "Michelle Obama vacation Fox News." And here are the results for "Melania Trump vacation Fox News." I suggest you look through the results of each and decide which woman Fox News is trying to paint as having an ungrateful, greedy attitude. Despite Trump having been in office less than a year, he and his family "have broken the secret service budget." Yet Michelle was the greedy over-indulgent one?
But let's try to pretend that their is no chance that race is involved in this lopsided view of how they talk about the FLOTUS on America's most right-wing biased network. What is it then? Michelle Obama holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard. Not only that, she made it to Princeton and Harvard after being raised on the South Side of Chicago. In addition, she was successful career wise in her own right prior to moving into the White House. She is also altruistic and by all accounts, a terrific mother. How is she not every Conservative, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" ideologue's dream come true?
On the other hand, Melania Trump never finished college, not even once she had more than enough means. She came here to model. She doesn't seem to me to hold any real opinions on anything. Literally the only thing I know of her is that she appears to be a good mom. If she hadn't hit the genetic lottery with her looks, where would she be today? Highly unlikely to be anywhere near where she is. What kind of right-wing "rugged individualism" does she represent? Because I don't see it.
So why is she treated so much better by Fox News than Michelle was? If it isn't race related, and isn't indulgence related after all, it seems it would have to be gender role related. Is it the same flavor of abhorrence everyone's one awful sexist uncle had for Hillary? The one that just screamed he couldn't stand to admit a woman may be smarter than him? It certainly feels like it. It feels like maybe Melania wins more respect from the right-wing culture because she "knows her place" as a woman. She is arm candy, meant to be seen but barely heard, and she seems to be okay with it.
As a woman and a mother of daughters, it's just disheartening. We went from being on the cusp of our first female president, after having such an inspiring FLOTUS for eight years, to having a FLOTUS whose greatest life skill appears to be Zoolander-ing her gorgeous face into something that looks like a cats. And yet I read posts from female and male Fox News viewers on social media about being glad Melania will "bring some class back" into the White House.
Seriously?
Works Cited
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness., 2010. Kindle.
Melania reminds me a lot of “The Rich Bitch,” with how she’s a wealthy mother that appears to be more focused on her vanity. I think it’s interesting how, in her case, she is being defended. Just because she is FLOTUS for the party Fox News wants in power. I have rarely heard about her “failings” as a mother except for when the nude photos were released and people were upset with how her son will have to grow up in a world where these photos exist. But I suppose maybe people are accepting the fact that a first lady is allowed to be busy enough to hire nannies and focus on her duties as first lady. That may be a step forward that many people have yet to realize. I am unsure whether or not this is the best decision for her son, because it is not mothers that are important, it is parents, and right now it looks like neither are there for him.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I totally agree that there is lots of bias on the Fox news station. I would also agree that race plays a huge part when it comes to how Michelle Obama is treated so vastly different than other first ladies. That being said I would like to point out the counter argument. Fox news will sometimes say " The left wing media stations are always making fun of Melania Trump's english".
ReplyDeleteMelania? Bringing class back to the White House? What are these people smoking?
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely a racial component to the difference in coverage between Michelle and Melania. It goes way beyond party loyalty when it comes to Fox News and the Obamas. The mandate of the GOP in 2008 was to make Barack Obama a one term president. They never said why, not specifically, but there's no doubt in my mind that the statement was racially motivated. I can't remember anyone ever seriously saying that about a president of the opposing party before Obama.