What Michelle Means to Us

Who and what is beautiful has long been a source of pain, anger and frustration in the African-American community. In too many cases, beauty for black women (and even black men) has meant fair skin, "good hair" and dainty facial features. Over the years, African-American icons like Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry and Beyoncé—while beautiful and talented—haven't exactly represented the diversity of complexions and features of most black women in this country.

That limited scope has had a profound effect on the self-esteem of many African-American women, including me. "When I see Michelle Obama on the cover of magazines and on TV shows, I think, Wow, look at her and her brown skin,'' said Charisse Hollands, a 30-year-old mail carrier from Inglewood, Calif., with flawless ebony skin. "And I don't mean any disrespect to my sisters who aren't dark brown, but gee, it's nice to see a brown girl get some attention and be called beautiful by the world. That just doesn't happen a lot, and our little girls need to see that—my little girl needs to see it.''

In Africa, skin-lightening creams are all the rage even though the chemical they contain, hydroquinone, has been shown to cause harm in high doses. Visit any beauty-supply shop in an American inner city and you'll find an entire aisle dedicated to less-potent forms of these products. "It's a truth that's long been with us,'' says comic and television host Whoopi Goldberg, who came to fame with a one-woman stage show featuring her longing for straight blond hair and blue eyes. "In society and in the black community, the lighter you are and the more European your features, the more you are desired. Now many of us want to deny that's true or say it's changed, but it hasn't. The darker you are makes you less than ideal. Plain and simple. And that messes with your mind something awful."

If you're an actress, it can also keep you from appearing in a hip-hop video or getting the juiciest movie role. But it affects regular girls and women too. On a recent episode of the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," the host asked listeners if the president-elect's choice of a wife and her look had in any way influenced their vote. The answer was a resounding yes, followed by comments like "She's a regular sister,'' and "I love the fact that she looks like the woman next door or like my cousin or niece.''

Michelle has accomplished so much even before moving into the White House. Imagine what she can do if she decides to tackle substantive problems—perhaps even just a single one she's mused about, like helping the local Washington, D.C., community. Now that's the kind of influence that could reach far beyond my friends at the brunch table.

Editor's Note: The initial version of this story stated Michelle Obama was to appear on the March cover of Vogue. No such appearance has been confirmed.

© 2008