In the news today, they stated that Michelle Obama’s popularity is slipping. They said this is mostly because many feel she is not doing anything tangible as the first lady. Aside from being the first lady, wife and mother to her two children, her focus has been promoting gardening/healthy eating, military families and Chicago’s failed bid to host the Olympics.

They said many couldn’t relate to her because they don’t have gardens, are not military families (God bless them!) or didn’t care that much if Chicago hosted the Olympics or not. Even though I’m just glad she’s the first lady, I feel sorry that this woman’s abilities are not being harnessed for the good of the country perhaps just so she doesn’t do anything that could be perceived negatively.

No one including Michelle Obama can please everyone, but the close calls she had during the campaign that the media made a field day out of has made her unwilling to take on many issues. As the saying goes, once bitten twice shy and Michelle is very shy now. Tabloid covers labeled her as an angry black woman. Many in the media branded her very negatively to the point that she didn’t want to give them more ammunition to attack her with.

Now, her carefully crafted public image is one that is very self-conscious, more like a black Barbie doll. We all know that Michelle is a very strong, educated and articulate woman who could have done a million times what she’s doing now if the media had not gone after her prematurely.

This is an extremely intelligent woman who I can only hope will go back to who she really is after her husband’s term in the white house. Though I don't know what occurs behind the white house walls, for now in the public eye Michelle is functioning below capacity and her abilities are being under utilized.

While she’s looking stunning on the front covers of magazines and on her husband’s arm at events, I mourn for what we all are missing from this lady who I have no doubt in my mind would have been willing to roll up her sleeves in more ways than she is currently doing and work hard to make the USA a better place.