Michelle Obama Makes the March Cover of Vogue

President Obama’s campaign focused heavily on change, and what’s the surest sign that change has come to the United States? A 45-year-old African-American woman is on the cover of Vogue! 

(All kidding aside, Oprah Winfrey was about the same age when she appeared on Vogue’s cover in 1998.)

An abridged version of André Leon Talley’s profile of the First Lady is already online. True to ALT form, it’s as much about him as it is about Michelle Obama. He went to a party at Oprah’s home in Santa Barbara and sat next to Tina Turner! He was in Chicago’s Grant Park on election night! Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi invited him to sit in the bleachers at the inauguration! Presumably, the content about Mrs. Obama appears in the print edition.

One of the criticisms I’ve read about the cover is that appearing in Vogue is beneath the first lady, who should ostensibly be focused on more pressing matters. But isn’t it unfair to assume that she can’t be as informed about style as she is about matters of state? Appearances count in politics as much as they do in the fashion industry—and, at least, the fashion world is upfront about it. If Michelle Obama is conversant about both Narciso Rodriguez and national service, I can’t see how that’s a negative.