Michelle Obama's First 100 Days

Earlier this week all the talk was about President Obama’s 100 days, but what about the First Lady? Michelle Obama hit the ground running shortly after the inauguration. And while 100 days is only a gauge, it has let us know that the First Lady is taking her job as international role model and partner to the President extremely serious. Since the day she officially became First Lady, Michelle Obama has gone about her job in an almost professional way: visiting soup kitchens, supporting military families, talking about workplace equality and work-balance issues for women. She has promoted healthy living by showing off those toned arms and creating a garden in the yard of the White House. She promised to bring regular folk to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and she has done just that. Think about it: Little Black girls and boys have sat in the White before a First Lady and President, who look like their own parents or aunts or uncle.

The First Lady is acutely aware of this moment in history and knows how influential her role can be. She knows we want our First lady to be glamorous, and at the same time she will grab an outfit from the racks without a thought. In a matter of three months, Michelle Obama has gone from being a perceived thorn on the side of her husband to an asset. Her poll numbers are higher than his. How has she done this? She has been in total control of her image, she has highlighted her asset – that talent and ability to make you feel like she is your friend, that you come from the same place and that she is on your side. While many have emphasized her fashion sense, let’s not forget that Michelle Obama is a Harvard-trained lawyer and was a high-paid hospital administrator before becoming the First Lady. She is a savvy businesswoman who knows how to make her point without being too assertive. In her own compassionate way, she has shed light on some hard-core issues. So we should not be surprised if some of those issues the First Lady has championed one day  become policy.

If you were First Lady, what would your agenda entail?