Michelle Obama was interviewed by Jenna Bush-Hager on the Today Show this morning. Let that sink in! Dubya’s daughter interviewed FLOTUS. That’s pretty cool. Michelle is celebrating the fourth year of her Let’s Move campaign, doing pop culture-y appearances on The Tonight Show and hanging out with celebrity friends like Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell. What I always think is important about MO’s Let’s Move campaign is not about weigh-ins and shaming kids about their bodies. As Michelle says:
“We don’t talk about weight. We don’t talk about physical appearance. We talk about health. We talk about what’s on the inside. We spend so much more time talking to our girls about being kind and treating others well, and being passionate and respectful. We try to model the behavior that we talk about all the time. I want my girls to grow up to be strong, healthy, young women who aren’t afraid to exercise. They see it as fun.”
Michelle can take partial credit for one thing – the obesity rate for children under the age of five has dropped significantly over the past five years. But MO knows there’s still work to be done.
Incidentally, Michelle is also going to be making a guest appearance on Parks and Recreation. She’s already filmed her scene with Amy Poehler. Joe Biden rather famously did a cameo on the show, as did John McCain, Newt Gingrich, Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe.
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Photos courtesy of White House, WENN.
This is an amazing message.
That being said, I don’t get why the First Lady is such a celebrity. Parks and Recreations? Really?
I think it’s because she younger than most First Ladies and many find her relatable and enjoyable (I do).
And she really got behind her First Lady “hobby” and she should be able to take pride in its achievements
Nancy Reagan did Diff’rent Strokes.
I have to admit, that I really hate it when the President and/or the First Lady get involved in “entertainment” type things (awards shows, appearing on sit-coms, etc). I’m not really sure why it rubs me the wrong way, I guess I just like to think that the leader of our country is above celebrity, but clearly that is not the case.
And I am referring to any POTUS/FLOTUS, not just the current ones.
I’m with you, Delta Juliet.
But think of how many people they would never reach if they didn’t use entertainment to connect with people? You can give speeches at the White House all day, but if no one watches it, well…that whole thing about a tree falling in the forest, you know?
I love this program. The focus should be on being active, passionate people who make good choices regarding health. I am proud of FLOTUS.
great interview, great message, great program.
“obesity rate for children under the age of five” wtf????
The Nanny State.
Obesity rates of kids under 5 are NOT the result of a “nanny state”. Please.
You obviously misunderstood my comment to lana86.
The program has a great message, glad there are some results.
All of the cameos on Parks & Rec have been great, especially Biden’s and McCain’s.
Related to Jenna/FLOTUS: Can I say I kind of love it when old presidents/president’s families hang out? I always hope they’re talking about something kind of esoteric, like the way the upstairs sink in the White House always ran hot, or something.
I like how she’s moved the campaign around. When it first started, she did talk about weight and appearance more often. I remember her telling a story about how she became concerned when Malia’s BMI started to creep up, so she stopped giving her lunchables to eat. Some people called her out for that – saying that BMI isn’t that reliable, that she shouldn’t focus on weight, etc. Now she rarely, if ever, discusses weight and appearance. It’s more about health. I like to think that she hears when people have legitimate critiques and takes them to heart. If she does, she’s already miles ahead of a lot of other people in Washington.