Careless and Snarky

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Should Michelle cover up? asks Maureen Dowd in the New York Times.In a burqua? What are we, Iran? It's bad enough that so much media attention has been devoted to Michelle Obama's appearance (toned arms, sleeveless dresses). ......... But when a Sunday columnist in the New York Times asks if a woman should "cover up," something is very wrong.Susan Berkson, Jump the Snark, Mar 2009No. No. No. No. Yes. Yes.

No, Michelle Obama shouldn't cover up. No, Maureen Dowd didn't ask; it was David Brooks. No burqua. No Iran. Yes, too much attention to arms. Yes, wrong for a Sunday New York Times columnist to suggest a woman "cover up." Dowd was reporting on Brooks' suggestion in her rambling cocktail chatter and I misunderstood. Hat tip to Mo MoDo of the DowdReport for pointing this out and following Dowd so closely. Dowd's off the hook for this one, but Brooks? No. When a Sunday columnist in the New York Times asks if a woman should cover up, something is very wrong.

Cover Up NYTimes' Maureen Dowd

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Should Michelle cover up? asks Maureen Dowd in the New York Times.

In a burqua? What are we, Iran?

It's bad enough that so much media attention has been devoted to Michelle Obama's appearance (toned arms, sleeveless dresses). But now Maureen Dowd, the only woman with a regular OpEd column in the newspaper of record, devotes her Sunday platform to an analysis of these arms and their meaning. How absurd that she would even ask about whether Obama should "cover" her arms. Oh, for the days of Anna Quindlen, who went directly to the heart of matters with humor and heart. Mind you, women have the right to be shallow; in fact, I've always thought the triumph of mediocre women was a measure of success. But when a Sunday columnist in the New York Times asks if a woman should "cover up," something is very wrong.