The New Agenda’s teeniest fashion critic
The New Agenda (née Ye Olde PUMA) styles itself as a women’s rights group, and there was much righteous harrumphing at the site today about the media’s focus on Michelle Obama’s clothes as she bowls over the UK. One of the front-pagers posted an evaluation of an AP piece, sarcastically wondering why no one pays attention to men’s fashion needs and instead obsesses on Ms. Obama’s wardrobe—even while women contend with issues such as “domestic violence, job loss fears, sexism in the media, fair pay, the sexualization of young women,” etc.
Fair enough. I also find the obsessive focus on women’s appearance and clothing irritating. And surely there are more weighty issues to discuss, what with the global financial system meltdown, the collapse of the US housing market, burgeoning unemployment and the alarming rise in terrorist violence in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Not to mention the substandard season of American Idol.
But I guess not all New Agenders got the memo about how sexist and unseemly it is to focus on women’s appearance: New Agenda front-pager and certified PUMAloon Madamab published a screed mocking Ms. Obama’s fashion sense the same afternoon The New Agenda was officially denouncing such frivolity.
The post was presented in the form of an excruciatingly lame one-act play in which the Queen of England and her husband serve as sockpuppets to express all the catty remarks the PUMAs routinely unload on the Obamas. Well, Madamab doesn’t go so far as to have the Queen call them “uppity nigras,” but all the other old PUMA canards are well represented, e.g., the Obamas lack manners and class, etc.
Even the hoary Obama-brushes-Hillary-off-his-shoulders and Obama-flips-Hillary-off legends make yet another encore appearance, surfacing in the Queen’s dialog as if she would have the foggiest notion about such things or would give two shits in a bowler if she did. But here is the relevant excerpt on fashion:
[Queen]: ...That awful woman TOUCHED me. And did you see what she was wearing? It didn’t even fit her properly! Can’t she afford a good tailor?
[Prince Philip]: I must say her appearance surprised me as well. The Americans are always going on and on about how sophisticated and stylish she is. I admit, I just don’t see it.
[Queen] (maliciously): Well, it’s hard to see something that isn’t there, darling. J. Crew is not exactly haute couture, is it?
It’s telling that Madamab would concoct a fantasy about the Queen of England hating on Ms. Obama to amuse her fellow bitter dead-enders. Ms. Obama enjoys stratospheric approval ratings in the US, she’s a rock star in the UK, and she was apparently a big hit with the Queen herself. How galling this must all be to the Hillary-or-mass-cult-suicide people! But in any case, I can see why an important feminist organization like The New Agenda would be eager to add such a dedicated feminist to their writing staff.
Posted by Betty Cracker on 04/02/09 at 11:05 PM • Permalink
Categories: Politics • Election '08 • Barack Obama • Bedwetters • PUMAs • Nutters • Our Stupid Media •

