Shorts squabble

First Lady Michelle Obama is always in the news for her great fashion sense. But this week, she's been in the news for wearing shorts on her family vacation.

The First Family went to the Grand Canyon earlier this week and when Mrs. Obama emerged from Air Force One, the official plane for presidential travel, she was wearing shorts. Not short shorts, but shorts. And there are people who took offense at this.

The Huffington Post has a poll on its website asking if Mrs. Obama's shorts are inappropriate. Writers on the site pointed out that Mrs. Obama has received flack before for baring her arms in public. So far, 58.21 percent of the people who have taken the poll think it's modern for the First Lady to wear shorts in public; 16.8 think it's inappropriate and 25 percent said it's no big deal, but she should wear longer shorts next time.

Folks, her shorts weren't short.

Robin Givhan, a fashion editor and staff reporter for The Washington Post, said she was “ambivalent” about the First Lady’s shorts — mainly because stepping off Air Force One makes it an “official” photo and so should, perhaps, be considered a more formal moment.

“I think in many ways it’s symbolic,” Givhan explained. “We don’t see first ladies looking informal, and I think it’s a wonderful thing that she’s bringing informality to that position. But we’re still grappling with what the first lady is supposed to be all about.”

I am not ambivalent about the First Lady wearing shorts in public. First, Mrs. Obama wasn't on official business - she was on vacation with her family. And second, it was 106 degrees in Phoenix. What was she supposed to be wearing?

I'm blogging about this because it's been in the news all week, but there are far more important things in the news that we should be concerneced about, people.