I found this really interesting article while perusing The New York Times about Cherie Blair’s advice to First Lady elect Michelle Obama. Mrs. Blair advises Mrs. Obama to prepare herself for letdowns in her new role, one of which is that she will have to take the back seat to her husband, in both public and private. One of the things that I love about Michelle Obama, aside from her sense of style and the fact that she seems like she’d make a great friend, is that everything about her exudes intelligence and success. She seems motivated and goal oriented and seems to have been able to achieve it all – a great family life and an incredibly successful career. But what this article points out, is she putting this all aside for her husband? She left a job as a hospital executive to become a self proclaimed “mom-in-chief.” Should we consider Michelle Obama as another woman joining the opt-out revolution?
As contributers to the article note, this isn’t the end of the road for Mrs. Obama. She will certainly bring her drive and intelligence to the White House and being First Lady gives her many different opportunities. In addition, her time in the White House is also an investment into her own name and will only benefit her career in the future.
I think this is a really interesting new foray into the political realm as we begin to see first ladies who are more than just hostesses at their husband’s events. Hilary Rodham Clinton was the first first lady to hold an active career before entering the White House, and Mrs. Clinton and Laura Bush are the only two previous first ladies to hold graduate degrees. Some also noteworthy is that Cherie Blair, a lawyer and mother of four children, continued to work as a lawyer while her husband Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
take this pink ribbon off my eyes 