Someone needs to tell Michelle Obama that her kids are public figures.
Understand, I think it’s somewhat tacky that a toy manufacturer is producing a pair of dolls that share the name of her daughters. And if that’s what she wants to say–that it’s tacky–I’ve no problem with that. If she wants to say it’s mercenary, also fine. If she wants to say that she thinks a sizable percentage of the revenue generated should be donated to charity, that’s great.
The one thing she doesn’t get to say is that her daughters are private citizens. Amy Carter is a private citizen. The Bush twins just became private citizens. The Obama daughters just aren’t. It’s unfair, sure. They didn’t do anything to bring this on themselves. The spotlight is on them because of a decision made by their parents, one of whom is already an action figure and the other of whom will probably be a fashion doll before too long. But her parents DID make that decision, and if they didn’t want their daughters to become public citizens (so to speak) then they should have made a different decision.
I think as much privacy should be reserved for them as possible, particularly considering their age. I think the media circus that their first day in school became was ridiculous. But, well, they ARE the first family, and it’s not like the dolls are ugly. In four to eight years they’ll be private citizens. But now, well…they aren’t. And that was their parents’ call to make, and they made it, and you can’t unring that bell just because people can buy your kids and put them on shelves.
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