PFB Blog

I noted the other day that the creator of Beannie Babies was making some dolls sort-of in the likeness of the Obama girls (the dolls will be black and will share their names). I thought it was a pretty dumb idea simply because the family, especially the girls, haven’t done anything that would warrant making their likenesses on dolls to hand out to your children.

Well, ever the sanctimonious Michelle Obama has now registered her anger over the dolls. Oh, but don’t be fooled: She’s not disgusted about the personality cult surrounding her family, no sir. She’s pissed because “it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes.” Riiiiiiight.

I think most of us remember how the girls were:

• dragged in front of Access Hollywood

• put in an enumerable amount of magazine photo shoots

• we all followed the girls as they picked their new school

• we even saw daddy’s ridiculous “open letter” to the girls that was published in a magazine (Parade?) rather than given to the girls privately (which would have solved those privacy concerns, right?)

In short, Michelle has had no problem using “young private citizens” - her own daughters, no less - for “marketing purposes.” Just go look at the glowing comments on any of the links above: “Oh My God what a beautiful family! I could watch this all day. I wish my kids would be this smart and respectful. Good job Michelle.” Even the commenters recognize that the point is to accentuate the girls and the “family-ness” of it all. And, in looking at the comments, the “marketing” paid off. Glowing reviews!

Of course, you don’t expect liberals to take criticism of the Obamas lying down, do you? And how dare Ty make those dolls! You go, Michelle!

I’ve mentioned before that as a marketer, I have no general opposition to sales and entrepreneurship. Making things and selling things - it’s a large part of what makes the world go around. Michelle Obama’s anger irritation with the Ty toy company, though, is understandable - even warranted - in my opinion. I went back and reread the story, and Michelle’s own word for Ty’s actions was “inappropriate.”

Those who claim that Michelle and Barack used their daughters as part of their political campaign are misguided. How soon they forget Barack’s anger when the cameras followed him and Sasha through their Chicago neighborhood on Halloween… The two times we’ve seen them boldly and publicly were Election Night and at the Inauguration, as we should have.

If you want to talk about displaying kids for political gain, you need look back no further than Sarah Palin dragging her infant son around till all hours, only to have her youngest daughter care for him. And the pregnant daughter and fiance-by-force. And the son in the military. Give me a break, you folks who can’t/don’t/won’t see reality for what it is.

Obviously, Barack’s “anger” on Halloween was contrived. Even if not, one episode of anger up against dozens of episodes of exploitation just won’t cut it. As for the charge that the girls were only seen “boldly and publicly” on Election Night and the Inauguration, that is patently false. Watch the Access Hollywood interview. Read the People Magazine article. Check out the other links. It doesn’t get much more “public” than that (or did the author not think Access Hollywood, People and Parade counted as public fora?). Those girls have been front and center many times (in the Access Hollywood interview the girls are talking a lot of the time, and the parents are laughing and interacting with them, encouraging them).

As for the Palin reference, I’m pretty speechless. It must be hard to get over blaming everything on those Rethuglicans and Bush. As if Palin’s actions somehow prove or disprove whether or not the Obama children were used front and center by their parents during the campaign. As if Palin’s actions somehow determine whether nor not Michelle Obama is rightfully irritated or is being a hypocrite. Even if one were to submit that Palin over-exposed her child or children, that says nothing as to whether or not the Obama’s marketed their children to prop their image or whether Michelle Obama is being phony in her disgust. The Palin reference is about as pointless and irrelevant as those frequent Family Guy “cutaway gags” and jokes in the form of tangential vignettes and “flashbacks.” Except those are funny. And not in any way a desperate attempt to distract from the main point.

At JWF, too.

Update: Right after I wrote this post I see the Huffington Post has a slideshow of Sasha and Malia moments (How adorable!). Hard to do a slideshow with photographs of people that are kept out of the public eye.

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