Michelle Obama: She is a "great beauty"

I was reading on Yahoo! News about a comment in Parade Magazines Sunday issue that supermodel/entrepreneur Iman made about First Lady Michelle Obama and I just had to think about it for a minute.

According to the article she said that First Lady Michelle Obama is not a "great beauty," but will "just get better with age"."But she is so interesting looking and so bright. That will always take you farther. When you're a great beauty, it's always downhill for you. If you're someone like Mrs Obama, you just get better with age,".

She also said, "You suddenly represent a whole race, and that race goes, Well, that person does not represent our ideals of beauty. For lack of a better term, it becomes what it was like during slavery,".

Now I understand that Iman is an exotic beauty and at times she is not put in the same category as some African American women, but I have to wonder if she considers herself a "great beauty". If you compared her to Halle Berry or Vanessa Williams is she a "great beauty". Or what about Oprah Winfrey and Jill Scott.

I really think that maybe Iman thought she was paying our First Lady a compliment, but it had too many "undertones" to me.

I don't want to jump to conclusions but who is she comparing Michelle Obama to( herself) It's funny that People Magazine can name her on the top "100 Most Beautiful" list. Glamour Magazine can name her #3 on their "50 Most Glamorous Women of 2009" list and she even made it on Maxim magazines list of "100 hottest Women in the World list".

Evidently the "great beauty" that Iman is use to has changed. And we need that!

Savvy Charity's: The Fresh Air Fund

Savvy Sistahs if you are looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a young person in your community this year than you should consider contacting someone from the Fresh Air Fund. Honestly I never heard of this charity until I received a heartfelt e-mail from Sara Wilson, who happens to be the Outreach Coordinator.

According to their website at Freshair.org THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2008, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

I remember when my sisters and I were little girls and we lived in a housing project in Michigan. Every summer my aunt would let us spend time with her in Chicago so we could see a different view of what life had to offer. We would go to the park, shopping on Michigan ave, walking on the beach and to the museums. The environment was like night and day. However, those experiences we shared with her opened up our eyes to the unlimited opportunities available to us and it kept us out of trouble.

Have you ever been in that place in life when you just needed some "Fresh Air"? Well that's exactly what many of the children who participate in this program are looking for everyday. There are many ways you can help beginning with your generous donation to help send a child to camp to becoming a host family.



If you would like information on how you can help visit www.freshair.org

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Savvy Sistahs! Enjoy your special day!