Politics

I Don’t Care How Much Michelle Obama Or Ann Romney’s Clothes Cost

Leave it up to Us Weekly to keep us all informed on the retail price of first lady Michelle Obama and prospective FLOTUS Ann Romney’s Hofstra University debate outfits. The publication, which included the cost of Romney’s Tuesday evening attire but left out that of Obama in its article headline, had the inside scoop on each woman’s outfit, attesting:

Romney, 63, selected a short-sleeved crimped cotton silk dress by Oscar de la Renta. The Spring 2013 design is not yet available in stores, but retails for $1,690.

Obama, 48, styled a shift dress and cropped jacket from Michael Kors’ 2013 resort collection. The dress retails for $1,795 and the jacket is $1,495.

As you can see, Obama donned a pricier gown, but you wouldn’t immediately know that from the headline, which reads, “Ann Romney Wears $1,690 Oscar de la Renta Dress to Presidential Debate.” Though the blatant agenda of the mag bothers me, what irks me more is its ridiculous need to tell us exactly how much these two famous figures are spending on clothes. There’s a good chance these ladies are getting free stuff and not actually dropping thousands on apparel, but that’s beside the point.

Of course, Obama and Romney aren’t the first set of female political figures to endure this. During the previous election, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was roasted for her $150,000 wardrobe. Democratic strategist Tom Matzzie seemed to find fault with this, telling the Huffington Post:

“It shows that Palin ain’t like the rest of us. It can help deflate her cultural populism with the Republican base. The plumber’s wife doesn’t go to Nieman’s or Saks.”

Yeah well the plumber’s wife doesn’t wear Alexander McQueen either, but if we’ve figured anything out from the past few elections, it’s that the candidates aren’t going to be exactly like the rest of us. Ms. Obama and Ms. Romney are going to put down pretty pennies for their appearances, and we have to accept that this stretches across all political parties.

The people of the United States do not benefit from knowing the retail cost of potential FLOTUS outfits, and we’re certainly not going to determine our vote based on such irrelevant information. Your average Jane certainly can’t afford to blow more than one grand on a dress, so there’s not exactly an expectation that readers will go out and buy replicas just to copy their preferred FLOTUS. Both Romney and Obama have been criticized for the price tags on their clothing before, and though I’m uncomfortable with extravagant shopping sprees and purchases, their clothes are really none of our damn business, and I am sick of the petty backlash.

TAGS: Ann Romney | michelle obama

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