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WATCH: Rush Limbaugh Wants Michelle Obama To Stop Wearing Yellow

Radio host Rush Limbaugh is many things, but arbiter of fashion isn’t one of the bullet points on his LinkedIn Profile. So you can imagine how surprised we were this weekend when our sister site Mediaite wrote a post about Limbaugh commenting on first lady Michelle Obama‘s fashion clout. Suffice it to say, he got it wrong.

Limbaugh fielded a call over the weekend from Laura, a caller who has sort of gotten sick of the fashion industry lauding a woman who she thinks can’t even pull off the color yellow.

“Every time she dresses in yellow I keep expecting some little kid to pop up and say she looks like a bowl of mustard. I mean, I’m sorry. She never seems really to be happy. She doesn’t wear her clothes with any finesse or flair. She just kind of seems to march around looking like a lumberjack … and her clothes don’t seem to fit her right.”

Laura suggested that despite all this, the reason Obama is a fashion icon is that fashion reporters and the press in general is composed of a bunch of sheep, and then she posits that if Obama hadn’t been the first black first lady, we’d all be able to see her for what she really is: a lady who can’t dress herself.

And Limbaugh, who’s got loads of experience evaluating fashion (and who is totally sensitive to both race and politics), agreed.

The opinion you have of Mrs. Obama and her fashion choices is fairly common, I think, and yet she’s written about as a leading fashion icon, trendsetter and all that … Why in the world is she written about in ways that so many people agree or at least question?

There is an obvious answer to my question. And I’m sorry, I’m not going to answer it.

We sort of think Limbaugh was blowing hot air with that last statement.

We’ll admit to being really big fans of Michelle Obama, but that’s largely because we, as people who devour fashion news and runway coverage and other little bits of style for a living, recognize her as a singularly well dressed woman who has done immeasurable good for the fashion industry. The economic impact she has on American designers is unequalled, and so is the way she’s been able to inform how American women dress. Clearly her outfits have the power to spark a lot of debate and contemplation — how many people in the United States knew what Alexander McQueen was before she wore one of the label’s gowns to a state dinner?

Obama is a fashion icon because she’s good for the fashion industry, and because she has a good understanding of what looks good on her. And people who get fashion get that.

Take a look at the vide below and tell us if you think Limbaugh was off base or right on target.

Fashion Icon Rush Limbaugh And Caller Bond Over Michelle Obama’s Misuse Of The Color Yellow [Mediaite]



  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VM7AFH7V4HOW64UFOSUOKFG5LA Sarah

    wow, how did they bring racism into fashion o. 0. Such unnecessary negativity, and has nothing to do with politics. Don’t know why he’s still on air

  • Lngshirt

    She looks like a horse in a burlap bag. Plain and simple. No politics No Racism Face it she has no style. At least when Hillary knew she couldn’t pull off any fashion she went to pant suits. When MO is put up against other foreign leaders wife she is just embarrassing. You fashion snobs think you know what looks good and you forget women dress to be attractive to men and speaking as one you don’t know beans

  • http://www.signature9.com Signature9

    Google man repeller (I’ll wait) if you want evidence that not all women are dressing to be attractive to men. And even if that were the goal, the President seems to like what she wears.

    There are a lot of people who like that she doesn’t resort to pantsuits. There’s a wider world of style out there besides Dockers and polo shirts.

    -YM

  • http://twitter.com/CestDerrode Derrode L. Rowe

    You sound like the biggest idiot in America right now. Good Job.

  • Kathy K

    She dresses like the average woman who works full-time and is raising a family. And keep in mind that anything she wears sells out as soon as she wears it. Would I dress like her, no, because her style is not my style. But, she always looks good and comfortable. My question is why does Rush Limbaugh think he is a fashion critic because he is not.

  • BLC

    Michelle has singlehandedly knocked down every single negative stereotype thrown at black women over the centuries. She comes from a solid home, she isn’t doing drugs, she has a husband not a baby daddy, she’s not living in the projects, there are no dirty stories from disgruntled boyfriends, no sm utty pictures hanging around on the internet. She’s a beautiful looking woman that a lot of BLACK women can relate to her and feel a connection – that dark skinned women who don’t have piles of weave and wind machines behind them can snag tonight’s star prize.
    But in spite of the above, I’ve always felt that there is something about THIS black woman that has stirred deep dormant feelings in many people. I can only assume that is is driven by nothing more than overwhelming jealousy. All her sterling characteristics, her depth of character, her calm poise, her intellect and impressive educational background, her insight and good judgment, her beauty, her healthy looking toned body, her enviable family life, her dashing husband who is the most powerful man in the free world, her unique ability to relate to all kinds of people and appear comfortable in every kind of setting, her clothes (even her YELLOW clothes), her date nights in Rome, Prague, Paris & Broadway, her life as the first African American First Lady and the legacy she will leave one day. She’s a little black girl from the South Side who took an unlikely journey to the top of the mountain and not only made it but made it BIG. People are driving themselves mad and giving themselves blood pressure over someone else’s blessings ! That’s very sad.

  • Clrrwl

    My question is : Mr. Limp Baugh or is it Lip Baum?

    okay, moving right along here. (screaming out Loud!!! Me and the whole office)

    What is your wife wearing? And, your Daughter? .Ok, the last and final question. What size is your waist line? Oh just one more what about your bra size???

    Hey, Americal wants to know.

  • Cami324

    It’s pathetic that her stand-out contribution as First Lady has been “The economic impact she has on American designers”. Nice save guys and way to stand behind Obama, but also sad that nothing else she does, if she’s doing anything else, warrants observation or attention.

  • Shnellnational

    Notice that the article did not include the sharpest part of the caller’s comment: she said “it is like the Emperor’s New Clothes, she is waiting for a kid to pop up….. etc. Interesting that the author odf this article left that out.

  • http://twitter.com/wavyJACKS Jacqueline

    If you paid attention to what she IS recognized for – which isn’t just “the economic impact she has on American designers,” you would know what Michelle is ACTUALLY recognized for. I’m not going to list everything, but if you knew anything about Michelle you would know that one of the things she is recognized for is her tremendous involvement with children eating healthy and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

    Why is it pathetic that the First Lady is also recognized by her fashion sense and what clothing designers she wears? Because if you are going to go down that road, you might as well criticize previous First Ladies that have been recognized for their fashion sense (e.g. Jacqueline Onasses Kennedy).

    You are visiting, reading, and commenting on an article related to FASHION. Obviously, her other lines of work do not need to be mentioned in this article because this isn’t the New York Times (;

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