Make No Mistake: Michelle Obama Just Made a Bold Political Statement In Saudi Arabia

posted on: Jan 28, 2015

Like other first ladies, Michelle Obama’s clothes have been scrutinized endlessly for what type of messages they convey.

And she gets high marks for her “fashion diplomacy,” as she engages with foreign leaders at home and abroad. Her choice to go with a suit rather than a dress for the first time at this year’s State of the Union address “was a glimpse of the self-aware, tough-minded, straight-talking lawyer who took a brief hiatus from the public eye,” according to Robin Givhan.

So it is with Obama’s attire in Saudi Arabia — a country with a very strict dress code for Saudi women, who can’t drive and who exist under a system of male guardianship. In a country that demands women adhere to a strict dress code in public (face and hair covered, and long, flowing robes), Obama went with a flowing blue top, black pants and no head covering.

Obama’s choice is not without precedent. Laura Bush in a visit with King Abdullah made the same choice in 2006.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com