I'm gonna make it clear that I don't care what you think politically! It does NOT apply here!!
OK, now that I have that out of the way, and if we are all good in this understanding...I'm going to talk some FLOTUS.
Do you know what "FLOTUS" is? Many might...but I'm sure there's those of you scratching your heads, so let me explain...
About 3 years ago, the Simpsons had an episode where Lisa had started a blog for organic gardening. She did not have a lot of hits on her posts, but she always got a comment on her posts that were very sweet & encouraging by someone with the username "flotus1".
During the episode, Lisa starts getting kind of bullied for being an overachiever...so Lisa took to her itty-bitty blog about it...and that's when action was taken...
Eventually, Air Force 1 shows up to Springfield Elementary, and Michelle Obama stepped out, called out Lisa, spoke to the students about the good that can come out of overachievers, and to leave Lisa & those like her alone.
In Lisa's shock, she wanted to know how in the world Michelle Obama would know about her situation. That's when it comes out that it's Michelle Obama who had the username "flotus1". It stands for: First Lady Of The United States One (1). She then went on to say that "flotus" was already taken...and it's because little Ralph has it because he swims with his "flotuses on".
In real life, the First Lady of the US got onto Twitter for her birthday. I am so entertained by the fact that her Twitter handle is @FLOTUS. I thought it was brilliant!!
I got thinking about Mrs. Obama due to the media making a big deal about her mid-life crisis. As I said, she just had a birthday last month, and she turned 49. (I don't care who you are, she looks GOOD, right there...) It came out that she made a video screen appearance on Rachael Ray talking about what she chose to do. Apparently she didn't buy a fancy car, and she's not allowed to go bungee jumping...so she got bangs.
That's right people...the bangs that the fashion world blew up about, both positively & negatively, was her midlife crisis moment.
In the same interview, it's said that she talks about the one thing that is missed the most since going to the White House: just being able to live a normal life. She was "caught" shopping a Target a couple of years ago...because it was something someone would & should be able to be regular about. And the media went crazy over it!
It's not just Michelle, either...
Any woman who has been in that position would know what that was like. Taking in scrutiny for anything they did, wore, stood for, looked...how tiring!! Her hubs is the one elected, but the entire family all of a sudden must take on this role.
You don't have to agree with everything or anything the 1st Lady does, but you must look at her as trying to keep things as stable as possible within their family. But they get thrown into positions where they must take open stands on things. And they have to be advocates for different charities. My head swims thinking about what any of these women have to deal with WHILE trying to be a mother/wife!
I look at their position closely. Although it's not exactly the same, A PASTOR'S WIFE, SUCH AS MYSELF get a very different treatment.
Even in talking about it before, I still get called "First Lady". There are many other pastor's wives that get called "First Lady," too. I'm not sure how all of them feel about that tag, but I do know we want a sense of normalcy surrounding us. And I never use that "N" word of "normal" lightly.
We get scrutinized for where we sit, what service we are in, how we deal with our kids, what meetings we do or don't attend, what group or groups we do or don't associate with...
It's tiring!
As many of you know, I love playing with my own hair & fashion. Because it's fun for me. It helps me express myself! And there are many that want to show up to service or another church event to see if I'm there & what I'm wearing. It's sweet. I don't mind inspiring others to try something, but I am also not a walking landmark of sorts.
Much like our FLOTUS, Michelle Obama...her fashion choices are fantastic, but also get plastered all over the media, then praised or criticized for expressing herself. My favorite is when they give her a hard time (or any celebrity for that matter) for wearing the same outfit for a 3rd time in 8 months. Seriously?
I will make this clear for myself & for another pastor's wife/spouse (cuz there are hubbies, too) that we just want to be ourselves. We are involved in our own things & have our own talents. I try to make it very clear that I am not the former pastor spouse who was there before. I am not Edna & will not cook for the women's group...and you probably won't see me leading a class either. I will use my creativity to do drama or dance or something like that. If there's a spouse that likes to knit, let them! Just know the spouse following them probably won't knit. I don't play the organ or the piano. I don't sing in the choir. There are spouses who can & do some of that stuff...just don't expect that new spouse of the new pastor to take the other one's place.
This is important knowledge!
That's why I cringe so much at the "First Lady" title. I am one of the congregants of the church. I should not be on a pedestal. The higher the pedestal, the harder the possible fall.
Much like the FLOTUS...Michelle is not the same as Jackie O., even though the comparison has been made. She is not Laura Bush or Hillary Clinton (OH, MAN...I STOOD UP FOR HER AGAIN). Not Barbara, not Mary, not Lady Bird, not Martha...
All of these women are & have been completely different!
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| A collage of both presidents AND first ladies...and they are all different from one another |
Yet, no matter who the FLOTUS is, she is plastered all over the media for anything she does, says, wears, looks...it's tiring!
And my little tiny corner of that thought does plague me because of what my hubby was called to do.
We all want some normalcy...and it doesn't happen. Even if I go to WalMart or Target or the mall...I get recognized & hope I don't end up saying something really stupid...cuz...IT'S BEEN KNOWN TO HAPPEN.
Whoever our First Lady of the US happens to be, I look up to them because their position, though much like mine, is much more intense.
I wonder if it will be treated the same when we get our 1st female president...and the media may have to deal with the First Man of the US (or something like that). Or let's pretend for a second (and so I can totally freak a ton of you out) that our next president is a gay man...who is married thru one of the states who has it legal. Either way, in those instances, there would be a man in what has been filled by a woman since the beginning of the US.
I can almost guarantee that they would be viewed quite differently...and probably not in the same way a FLOTUS would.
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
Love it, Erica! I completely agree! Michelle is my hero.
ReplyDeleteThank you, ma'am! I just could never imagine being so high profile that everything you do is copied lovingly or smeared hatefully while having such high expectations on a position you took over by chance. I look up to most everyone in the FLOTUS position...but some handle it more gracefully than others. I just hope to break any mold around my position I've taken over by chance.
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