17
Jul
Freedom From Fear: Suu Kyi’s Fight for Democracy
by Genevieve Castonguay
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Get Creative, Living Life, Making Waves, Organized Aid, That Girl
Over 400 people congregated for a ceremony marking the 65th birthday of Burmese opposition politician, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the home of a party member in Yangon on June 19. The pro-democracy leader could not attend her own event, however, as she has spent the last 15 out of 21 years under house arrest due to her fight for democracy in a military-controlled country. Suu Kyi’s journey has been tumultuous, but she still provides a platform of hope and revolution representing the voice of the people.
Suu Kyi was the only daughter of Aung San, known as the father of modern-day Burma who negotiated the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Aung San was assassinated that same year by rivals and Suu Kyi was raised by her mother. The political ties of her father transcended to her mother who became a prominent figure in the newly-formed Burmese government. Suu Kyi followed in her mother’s footsteps by first procuring a solid education with a degree in politics at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi followed by a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford. She worked at the United Nations in New York City and eventually married Dr. Michael Aris. Earning a Ph.D. in 1985 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, it wasn’t until after Suu Kyi returned to Burma to tend to her ill mother that her political journey truly began.
The leader of the Socialist ruling party stepped down from his position in office in 1988 leading to mass demonstrations for democracy which were aggressively suppressed. Suu Kyi made a move to publicly address half a million at a mass rally calling for a shift to a democratic government. That September, a new military junta assumed power but in the same month, the National League for Democracy was formed, with Suu Kyi holding position as general secretary.
Suu Kyi believed in non-violence and Buddhist concepts in producing results. The forces in power were threatened by her progressive movement and placed her under house arrest in 1989, giving her the option of freedom if she left the country. But Suu Kyi stayed with her nation. In 1990 when the military junta called a general election, an overwhelming 82% of the votes were for the National League for Democracy. Although the votes were nullified, Suu Kyi was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
Suu Kyi remains in Yangon and holds a significant presence in society. U.S. President Barack Obama and other political leaders continue to urge for her release. Until that day arrives, Suu Kyi will patiently pursue her right for democracy and live by the famous words she uttered during her “Freedom from Fear” speech: “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”
She spent 100 days in prison and still doesn’t know why. But journalist Roxana Saberi doesn’t feel she did anything wrong because all she really was looking for was information.
Saberi had been living in Iran for six years and was collecting research for a book she was writing on Iranian society. On Jan. 31 of this year, she was arrested and, according to her, made a false confession to her Iranian interrogators that she was a U.S. spy in hopes she would be freed. Saberi’s eight-year sentencing led to a hunger strike. She was released on May 11 after an appeals court cut her jail term to a two-year suspended sentence — and after thousands protested around the world for her release.
Even though Saberi is now home, what does her experience say about the availability of information and the freedom of journalists globally? Well, it depends on where you are.
The United States’ Freedom of Information Act allows the disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the government. Laws like these allow citizens and journalists in the U.S. to examine government activity and have an input in decisions that affect them. Not all countries have journalistic protections, however.
Saberi’s case in Iran (as well as the case of Laura Ling and Euna Lee on trial in North Korea for alleged spying) shows that even as an American journalist, problems can arise when searching for information abroad.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1981, Iraq is the most dangerous country in the world to be a journalist. Their statistics also show that from 2000 to 2008, 125 journalists have been imprisoned worldwide with China having the most at 28. From January 1992 to April of this year, approximately 734 journalists have been killed around the world — 32% of the suspected perpetrators in the murders were traced back to political groups.
Even though the U.S. has protections for journalists, it’s still not perfect. The CPJ wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on June 1 urging him to address issues of journalistic freedom, and in particular that of Reuters freelance photographer, Ibrahim Jassam.
According to the letter, Jassam “was detained by U.S. forces at his home just outside Baghdad on September 2, 2008. A November 30 Iraqi Central Criminal Court decision found that there was no evidence to hold Jassam, and an order that U.S. forces release him was rejected by U.S. military authorities, who concluded that he ‘continued to pose a serious threat to the security and stability of Iraq.’” The exact threat is unknown.
When reporters and ambitious researchers try to delve into a more controversial and covert world, things can get messy. Although the persecution and cover-ups will most likely continue, the pursuit of truth far outweighs the risk for many journalists.
photo by steve rhodes
Promoting open discussions on sex, politics and even rock ‘n’ roll, Meghan McCain is far from your standard Republican. The 24-year-old daughter of Senator John McCain has become the emerging face of the younger sect of the party and has caused quite the commotion in the process.
Known for her strikingly liberal views when it comes to social issues (she admittedly voted for John Kerry over George W. in 2004), the young McCain garnered a lot of attention when she created her upfront blog, McCainBlogette.com, during her father’s presidential run. She has publicly referred to Obama as sexy and also confessed to being pro-gay marriage.
“I think that the party is at a place where social issues shouldn’t be the issues that define the party,” she informed Larry King. “And I have taken heat, but in fairness to me, I am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat.”
McCain has proven her intellectual capacity by earning a degree from Columbia and flexing her journalistic muscle as an intern at Newsweek (she also interned at SNL). She penned a children’s book about her dad and currently serves as a contributor for TheDailyBeast.com.
“The worst sexual double standard in politics right now is that too many subconsciously believe Republican women are void of sexual desire altogether,” McCain recently blogged on the site.
Such extreme views are usually what push the party’s conservative buttons. But they also manage to lure otherwise disenfranchised younger voters into the folds of the GOP.
“I think we’re seeing a war brewing in the Republican Party,” McCain said at the Log Cabin Republican’s national convention in Washington D.C. “But it is not between us and Democrats. It is not between us and liberals. It is between the future and the past.”
Even if you don’t agree with her politics, you have to give Meghan McCain props for speaking her mind.
22
May
Women, Casualties of the Law in Afghanistan
by Rosalind Adams
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Making Waves
Recently, a law was passed in Afghanistan that immediately caused outrage in the global community. President Obama has called the law “abhorrent” and the United Nations has also called for its review. Named the Shia Family Law, the legislation essentially rolls back the rights of Shi’ite women in the country.
The Shia Family Law is a series of provisions which govern family life among the Shi’ite sect of Islam. One of the most severe aspects of the law is its legalization of marital rape. Husbands are granted the ability to demand sex from their wives every four days. Husbands may also force their wives to wear make-up and dress up, and even restrict them from having a job or receiving an education (in a country where many of the women are already illiterate). Under these laws, Shi’ite women are reduced to little more than mere possessions.
Interestingly, this law singles out Shi’ites, who still make up six million of the people in Afghanistan. While in the U.S, there exists a separation of church and state, Afghanistan is a heavily Islamic country where religion is integral to their constitution and government. Islam is the supreme law of the land (even civil law may not transgress Islamic beliefs) and concessions are made for certain sects of Islam, including Shia. This permits some laws to govern Shi’ite only relations.
In early April, Afghani President Hamid Karzai responded to the protests of other countries, saying he would examine the law again, but little has been done since then. In August, the president is up for re-election, and many feel he has signed this law in order to gain the votes of the Shi’ite sect, needed for a victory. Presidents serve a five-year term in Afghanistan and are elected by a direct vote of the people (Karzai is the only president who has served a term in this nascent democracy).
Karzai pushed the law through both houses of the Parliament, and many of the regular legal processions did not take place. One MP admitted that the law was not even read aloud in the upper house of Parliament. The law was also passed as a package, instead of being passed article by article as is customary (there are well over a hundred articles to the law). A more detailed examination may have halted some of the more extreme provisions from passing into law, considering Afghanistan is one of the world’s leaders in female political representation, with about 28% of their Parliament being women (the Afghanistan constitution requires that 25% of representatives are female).
An interesting turn of events came just a couple of weeks ago when about 200 Afghan women took to the streets themselves, marching to Parliament with a signed petition against the law. The women were greeted by many more angry counter demonstrators, screaming “whores!” at them. One thing is quite clear here though: even Afghan women will not stand for these laws. This is not simply a matter of a cultural difference. This is a purely political move and the livelihood of Shi’ite women is being sacrificed in the process.
12
May
On Appointing the Next Female Justice
by Sophia Hsu
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Making Waves
The recent news that Justice Souter will retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s term this summer has the nation eagerly anticipating who Obama will pick to be his successor. Yet long before Souter’s announcement, legal observers had begun speculating that either a minority or woman will don the black robes. With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lamenting that she has been “lonely” ever since Sandra Day O’Connor retired in 2006, the speculation that a woman will serve becomes all the more tangible.
But why should Obama appoint another woman to the court?
The obvious answer is gender equality. The list of past and present justices is overwhelmingly filled with names of old, white men – only two African-Americans and two women have been sworn in. While the number of female judges is rising, that increase has had no impact on the most powerful court in our country.
Ginsburg has remarked on the importance of female justices when she served with O’Connor for 13 years: “Here are two women. They don’t look alike. They don’t always vote alike. But here are two women.” Now Ginsburg fears that the implication is that a woman justice is a “one-at-a-time curiosity.” And the message sent to young girls about their professional prospects when they see a slight Ginsburg among eight other men is discouraging to say the least.
While gender balance is unequivocally crucial, appointing a woman is not just about keeping up appearances. There is something unique about female reasoning that is necessary to offset the male rationale that has dominated the court since its inception. Though the notion of women’s jurisprudence has been debated by theorists for decades, proponents point to psychologist Carol Gilligan’s book, In a Different Voice, to explain how men judge by clear-cut rules and neutral principles whereas women favor extenuating circumstances and broad discretion.
But the existence of feminine legal reasoning is controversial and basing a justice appointment on it may not be convincing to critics. What is convincing is the fact that the mere presence of a female judge affects the behavior of her male associates. A 2008 paper called “Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging” found that male judges were 10% more likely to rule against sex-discrimination victims than female judges. Yet when a female judge serves alongside them, male judges are significantly more likely to rule in the victims’ favor.
This coincides with the larger belief that one’s personal experience will resolutely influence the views of one’s colleagues – meaning that even if you’re the most open-minded and well-intentioned person in the world, you still don’t know what it’s like to be in another’s shoes. Only by interacting with those who are different from us can we start to comprehend life on the other side.
Obama has asserted that he seeks a justice who stands by his/her passions and will judge with an understanding of how legal decisions affect people’s lives. Since those decisions don’t just affect men, this appointment presents Obama with the opportunity to give women a say in the high court. And with strong female candidates like Sonia Sotomayor, Diane Wood, Kim Wardlaw, and Elena Kagan, Ginsburg may not be lonely much longer.
As a company, our philanthropic branch, That Girl Goes Global (TG3) teamed up with the boys who founded Invisible Children to support their efforts in freeing the child soldiers in Uganda. We have three days to ensure that their worldwide awareness campaign is a success, including scheduling celebrities/ governmental officials to show up in every one of our 100 designated locations. I was flown to DC a few days ago to join the boys and lobby with Senators and Congressman on Capitol Hill. The life altering, surreal, exhausting yet exhilarating experience has gone something like this:
Day One: Fly into DC from Los Angeles (an 8-hour travel day with a two hour layover in Chicago). Sprint off the flight to meet the boys and several “people of influence” (aka celebs and high ranking DC power hitters for dinner and drinks). In between conversations, we take bathroom breaks to text, call, email people about the upcoming event. After a 14 hour day, we cab it home and walk into a foreign, dark apartment, where I exhaustively throw my body in my designated bed and fell asleep.
Day Two: Wake up with “The Crew” (aka six of us all crashing in one of the nicest apartment I’ve ever seen). The Crew consists of two of the founders: Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole. Two other, vital IC staff members Jedadiah Jenkis and Adam Finck as well as little Miss Kristen Bell, a beautiful, Hollywood starlet. Morning introductions and a Starbucks run later, we head to “The Hill” and then have meeting after meeting with Senators and Congressmen for nearly 8 hours straight. Immediately after our last meeting, we jet to a private screening of the boys’ documentary and rush off to yet another dinner requiring the rubbing of elbows with people far more important than we are. We cab it home again, almost all of us falling asleep in the car, and drag our bodies upstairs where the boys proceeded to work until 3:30am. K-Bell and I fall asleep around one, after literally soaking our feet in a hot bathtub (a requirement after being in high heels for a 16 hour day).
Day Three: Wake up, make the gang breakfast since yesterday we went most of the day without eating anything. The six of us slip into our church-going clothes, hop in a taxi, and head to the State department for another screening of the Invisible Children documentary. More governmental officials and are now cooped up in our luxury apartment (loaned to us by a friend) and are all on our computers and cell phones doing anything and everything to ensure that at least 150,000 people show up around the world tomorrow, to rally for our cause. Naturally, not stressful at all.
Highlights of the trip so far: Well, first, we’re just fighting to change the world, no big deal. Second, we actually had a meeting in the West Wing of the White House yesterday with one of Barack’s chief advisers (admittedly one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced). I’ve now witnessed the ability of normal boys to significantly sway the United States agenda first hand; I’ve waltzed with some of our country’s most influential people and candidly seen just what it takes to relentlessly pursue your passion. Not to mention I have watched “acquaintances” quickly blossom into magnificent friendships with the five people I have lived, eaten, slept, and worked with non-stop for the past several days.
Take Aways: What I’ve learned when it comes to making a difference, I don’t care how tired you get, I don’t care how many obstacles there are, or how long that dark tunnel appears… anything worth anything is worth everything. We’re on a count down, 13 hours, 8 minutes and 22 seconds before these boys try and pull off one of the most ambitious, awareness events I could possibly fathom.
As I look around the room before me, their heads down, mesmerized by their computers and last minute details, I sit here in awe of these boys. No sleep. No food. No breaks. No quitting. No excuses.
Tomorrow they will be rewarded for their hard work. Tomorrow will prove everything went right. Tomorrow will inspire millions more to get on board. But today is not tomorrow and today it’s go time. As my dad would say, “Finish strong.”
1. OBAMA IN BAGHDAD – IRAQ
Obama’s first stop in Iraq as president came at the conclusion of his first world tour as president – a noticeably different international diplomatic protocol than our former top man, George W.. Robert Gibbs, Obama’s spokesman, said this trip was mainly about the troops, to give them “our utmost respect and appreciation.” In addition Obama wanted to visit with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talibani to survey Iraq’s current political situation.
Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/07/obama/index.html
2. G20 SUMMIT FLASH MOBBING – UNITED KINGDOM
Last week the world watched as the industrial powers of our world came to together to plan our market recession exit strategy. All eyes were on London as anti-capitalist protesters clashed with British law enforcement around the streets of the Bank of England. How did they get there? You guessed it folks – our Internet favorites Twitter and Facebook! Flash mobbers, as the London Telegraph reported, use texts, tweets, and facebook to organize impromptu gatherings before authorities can block their efforts… Long gone are the days of mass pillow fights and silent discos.
Read more at www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/5090003/G20-summit-Protesters-use-Twitter-Facebook-and-social-media-tools-to-organise-demonstrations.html
3. EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS BRACE FOR THE FUTURE – ITALY
A powerful earthquake shook the medieval town of Aquilla in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The earthquake toppled buildings, damaged century old monuments and killed over 150 people. Many of the survivors were born and raised in the region with nowhere else to go. Rescuers set up tents, and handed out food and water to those left without homes. The panic of yesterday’s Earthquake has left survivors of the ancient town with a sense of sadness and hopelessness over the catastrophe. At the same time, many brace themselves as they begin rebuilding their lives.
Read more at http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/07/italy.quake.eyewitness/index.html
4. FLEXING SOME MISSILE MUSCLES – NORTH KOREA
North Korea sent a shock wave through out the international community this week when testing their ballistic missiles that carried a satellite into orbit. In an interview with CNN, Ex -Secretary of State Madeline Albright criticized the US for not opening diplomatic talks with Pyongyang. Perhaps they would be able to figure out what exactly they are trying to do.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7988939.stm
5. FIDEL CASTRO ASKS HOW TO HELP OBAMA – CUBA
An engaging and energetic Fidel Castro met with a team of US congressmen. The rare meeting with the notorious former Cuban president was held in Cuba in an effort to improve US-Cuban relations. Fidel Castro publicly ceded power to his brother Raul after falling ill in 2006. However the three congressmen who met with Castro thought he was vital and asked how Cuba could help President Barack Obama normalize relations between the two countries.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7988865.stm
6. A DESPERATE PAKISTAN CALLS FOR TRUST WITH US – PAKISTAN
President Asif Ali Zardari called for trust between the US and Pakistan in response to President Obama’s new foreign policy agenda which will involve a regional strategy to defeat rogue militants plaguing Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistani officials were also referring to recent US drone attacks over Pakistan as a violation of their sovereignty. Though the US officials said they would not hand over the drones, President Obama has planned more than $1billion of economic aid for the country over the next five years.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7986908.stm
7. ANOTHER SHOE ATTACK – INDIA
Just as the sentence for the most notable shoe attacker was reduced, another attack was staged, but this time in India. Palaniappan Chidambaram was in Delhi when a member of the press TOSSED his shoe at the startled minister. The Sikh reporter yelled, “I protest” and off the shoe went. Officials in the room gently led him away. This appears to be the new form of political protest around the world!
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7987201.stm
photo by rob veo
He is the beacon of hope, the antithesis of the Bush administration, and the change we believe in. And now, after being sworn in and thrown to the dogs of economic crisis, war, and bipartisanship, Obama now faces the fickle American public. The bleak reality of our domestic situation has set in, and America’s love affair with the new president seems to be fading. As his 
approval ratings drop from their stratospheric pre-inaugural heights, one can only wonder, “Where did it all go south?”
With an almost god-like 82% approval rating before taking the presidential oath, Obama appeared as if he could do no wrong. Every word that fell from his lips inspired us, and his ease under pressure assured us that everything would be okay. Obarama was in full force, and we reveled in the media blitz. But when January 20th came and America still had troops overseas, unsustainable healthcare, rising unemployment, and a plummeting economy, the rose-colored glasses began to come off.
By demanding tangible and instantaneous results, the American public only set itself up for disappointment. Bush Jr.’s misleading government left such distaste in our mouths that we overhyped Obama’s promise for change and accountability. Anything that wasn’t sweet ambrosia fell short, and whatever optimism we had was crushed by our distrust in politicians. Thanks to the last administration’s divisive tactics, Obama faces an uphill battle when it comes to passing policies even in a Democratic Congress. Too bad America has no tolerance for bureaucratic BS – take too much time and risk losing our faith.
But why should Obama take the brunt of our impatience? We can’t fault him for inaction. Taking full advantage of his newfound power, Obama set forth an onslaught of initiatives within his first weeks as commander-in-chief. Closing Guantanamo Bay, reversing a Bush ban on abortion funds, setting a withdrawal date from Iraq, and implementing a multi-billion dollar economic stimulus package are only a fraction of Obama’s activities. Plus, with the G-20, Obama may have repositioned America as a trustworthy leader of the international community. Our 44th president cannot be charged with executive sloth – it’s evident that he’s been working his butt off for us.
Additionally, the media reports of Obama’s declining approval ratings have been grossly exaggerated. Looking at his current approval rating of 61% (according to the most recent Gallup poll), it’s true that Obama has lost 21 points from his staggering post-election high. But having only lost 7 points since Inauguration Day, Obama’s numbers are still above those of Bush and Clinton at the same point in the first year of their presidencies. By putting the stats into perspective, Obama remains one of the most favored presidents in U.S history – his approval percentage upon entering office falls just second to that of JFK.
So we must turn the mirror on ourselves and reevaluate our expectations. It’s only been three months, and it’s not as if Obama has been sitting in the Oval Office, twiddling his thumbs. Genuine change takes time, and Obama actually seems to be serious about keeping his campaign promises. His earnestness and intelligence got him elected, so let’s afford him the space to use those qualities to effectively do his job. The race to 100 days isn’t over yet – there’s still time for Obama to prove his mettle even more than he already has.
photo by matthew chastain wright
25
Mar
The Weight Debate: Celebrities and Body Bullying
by Natalie De La Rosa
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Amuse Me, Making Waves, Sit Back
We’ve all seen unflattering celebrity photos. They infiltrate the blogosphere, land on the covers of the gossip mags and somehow manage to make headline news. While many of us are guilty of scoffing at the images, is it right to deride celebs and label them “fat” just because they’ve gained a few pounds?
Understandably, stars are victims of media scrutiny—females especially. Quite often, they are held to 
unrealistic beauty standards. If they are unable to maintain or achieve a rail-thin, waif-like appearance, they are scorned by society. It’s no wonder eating disorders and unhealthy lifestyles are rampant in Hollywood.
When photos of a more full-figured Jessica Simpson surfaced in January, the media mocked and ridiculed her endlessly. Even Barack Obama commented on Simpson’s “weight battle” in an interview with Matt Lauer. Outraged by the barrage of negative comments, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Simpson’s sister, wrote on her site, “I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all woman to read about a woman’s weight or figure as a headline on FOX News… All women come in different shapes, sizes and forms and because you’re a celebrity, there shouldn’t be a different standard.”
Admittedly, Simpson’s outfit was in the least bit flattering. However it doesn’t justify the cruelty and body bullying that surrounded her. Quite frankly, the media and public should be less critical towards women. Ashlee continues, “How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure?” Despite the weight-ism, Jessica Simpson is confident and comfortable in her own skin. More importantly, she is happy with herself.
Body bullying is nothing new in the entertainment world. Celebrities such as Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Tyra Banks, and Jennifer Love Hewitt are just a few of the famous ladies who 
have been the butt of countless weight jokes. It’s human nature to notice and observe drastic changes in celebrity appearance but it’s another thing to judge and criticize them harshly. The negative commentary surrounding “fat” celebrities truly has a damaging ripple effect.
Both Banks and Hewitt have both publicly discussed their much-publicized-weight gain for the sake of younger girls. Being labeled “ugly” and “disgusting” for a slight fluctuation in weight is disconcerting and sends wrong messages about body image. Unlike us, celebrities don’t have the luxury to choose which photos the world gets to see. Many times, unflattering celeb photos are a direct result of bad angles and poor styling decisions. Or maybe stars like Britney and Kelly aren’t obsessing over what they eat and how long they spend at the gym.
What can average girls take from all this? Be healthy and embrace who you are. What matters is that you feel good about yourself. Jennifer Love Hewitt couldn’t have said it better. “Not everyone can be super tall and super skinny. You have to look inside yourself and find your own confidence.” C’mon ladies, let’s stop with the body bashing and redefine what real beauty is.
Michelle embodies everything it means to be “That Girl.” To take a few steps backwards, this lovely Diva grew up in Chicago, did her undergrad at Princeton and law school at Harvard; she’s one smart cookie to say the least. While, most recently, she has taken the prestigious title as the first African American First Lady in history, her story of meeting our new President is equally inspiring.
Michelle and our new Man of the Hour (President Barack Obama) first met when SHE was assigned to mentor HIM while he was a summer associate at their law firm. In one of Barack’s speeches he said, “If you think I’m smart, Michelle will blow you away.” (It’s like having the hot professor in college, what guy wouldn’t fall in love with a girl assigned to be his “mentor”??)
Michelle is also a testament that women can have it all these days. As an incredibly respected professional (lawyer), and now as the First Lady, she still manages to make her two daughters the center of her attention. During the presidential campaign, she made a commitment not to be away from the girls for more than one night each week and to only campaign two days during the week. She is a tenacious lawyer, a supportive wife, dedicated mother, and a beautiful, independent woman in her own right.
In addition to the obvious ambition, intelligence and class she exudes, Michelle also has a sensational fashion sense. Few women can pull off being among Harvard’s’ “100 Most Influential Alumni” and Vanity Fair’s “10 of the WORLD’S Best Dressed People.”
When your secret service codename is “Renaissance” you know you’re a bad @#% .We salute you Michelle. You are in fact, “That Girl” and it’s certainly an honor to claim you as America’s First Lady.
photo by mike baird