Michelle Obama's Nails Are the Hit of the DNC

Closing out the first night of the Democratic National Convention with what everyone agrees was a “passionate” speech, first lady and noted fashion plate Michelle Obama set Twitter on fire over her greige nails, with people trying to guess what brand and shade she was wearing. Even political pundits and newsmen were getting in on the frenzy. This morning, U.S. News and World Report and The New Republic mentioned her manicure. It’s probably the first time that nail polish has mattered as much as who designed the dress (Tracy Reese, BTW). If it wasn’t already clear how significant nails have become in other arenas besides the runway and red carpet, now it’s solidified. (In fact, the Obama campaign is actually selling nail polish!)

Yes, we wouldn’t be talking about what a man wore or what his nails looked like after a big important speech and blah, blah, whine, complain, sexism. But that’s because men’s fashion is super boring and of little interest to most women. What’s fun about women’s fashion—particularly that of Michelle Obama, who tends to favor retail chains and the affordable ready-to-wear stuff that we, the little people, could actually own—is the sport of identifying what she’s wearing. With nail color, it’s even better, because it’s a little more challenging than figuring out where she got her shoes (J.Crew Everly pumps, BTW). The Frisky did some sleuthing and came up with six different options of what shade and brand the Mrs. Obama could’ve been wearing. In my professional opinion, I think that the first lady would not have risked a last minute chip for such a big event and would’ve probably opted for a long-lasting gel manicure.

Is all of this shallow? Kind of. Does it detract from what Mrs. Obama said last night? No. It’s possible for two things to be true at the same time: Women can be interested in politics and beauty products. You know, the same way that men can be interested in politics and sports. (How many sports analogies have been used to describe political speeches? People don’t seem to ever assign accusations of vapidity to those.) Whatever the case, a lot of fashion and beauty blogs today will undoubtedly be discussing Michelle Obama’s speech today. And it’s encouraging to know that politics has become that fashionable.

6 Things Michelle Obama Did Right [U.S. News]
Michelle Obama, ‘Mom-in-Chief’ [TNR]
Get The Look: Michelle Obama’s Awesome Blueish-Grey Nail Polish [The Frisky]