Watching President Obama's trip to Europe with the first lady this week has been so complicated for me. On the one hand, I am so very pleased that the United States has representation that relies on mutual respect and dignity rather than telling the rest of the world to go f**k itself on overseas visits, winking at the queen and groping Angela Murkle.
On the other hand, I have been disheartened to see how much attention Michelle Obama's outfits get from the press. The woman has an undergraduate degree from Princeton, a law degree from Harvard and spent her career working in intellectual property law and hospital administration. She is so far beyond what I could ever HOPE to do with my career, and yet its all about her pearls, her flats, her sweater belts and outfits. Why can't women EVER move out of the shadows of sexual objection and be considered a real person?
It makes me sad. I want to hope that I will be able to touch people's lives with my ability to navigate the legal system for them. I hope that I will be considered an advocate, a humanitarian, a person who joined the global initiative to eradicate poverty, prejudice and inequality. But, I wonder, while I'm making my arguments in court, will people will be checking out my outfit?
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