First lady fashion: Winning the respect, affection and
approval of the American public
BY JANELLE HOWELL
STAFF WRITER
JLHS47O@PSU.EDU
In light of the 2008 presidential
election, people often focus
their attention to the candidates
(rightfully so), but what about
the prospective first ladies?
Sure, they may not be running
for office, but their presence
still matters. Ultimately, there
are three simple ingredients a
presidential candidate's wife
needs in order to make one fierce
first lady a twist of appeal,
a dash of fashion and three
fourths positive perception,
with extra sweetness. Sounds
simple, right? Well, winning the
respect, affection and approval
of the American public is not an
easy task, but through careful
planning and image sculpting it
can be achieved.
For our current presidential
election, two different women
with completely different
backgrounds have surfaced as
potential first ladies: Cindy
Ratemyprofessors.com: "Where the students do the grading"
By JOSSELINE CARBNARE
STAFF WRITER
JA4C73O@PSU.EDU
Older college students know a
college course is almost only as
good as the professor who teaches
it. With the spring semester course
registration underway, students
can get the 411 on that calculus
professor before stepping into a
classroom.
Ratemyprofessors.com is the
place to go for "brutally honest
and anonymous" student opinions.
Just choose your state, type in the
school you are currently attending
and choose a professor.
Ratemyprofessors.com has been
online since 1999 and has the
Internet's largest listing of college
professors. The site has more
than 6 million student-generated
ratings. Inquiring students can
find information on professors in
schools from the United States,
Canada, England, Scotland and
McCain and Michelle Obama.
Each woman encompasses unique
traits, talents and passions;
however, only one woman will
win the title. Not surprisingly,
there have been some tough
acts to follow, mainly one in
particular: Jackie Kennedy.
EversinceAmerica'sintroduction
penny-said.blogspotcom
Jackie Kennedy
Wales
The students have a choice to
rate the professor with "Good
Quality," "Average Quality" or
"Poor Quality."
Then on a scale from
one to five, students
rate the professor
on easmess,
helpfulness, clarity
and overall rating.
Lastly, to top off
the quality of the
teacher, there's the
burning question:
Are your teachers
hot or not? Those
deemed "hot"
receive the honor
of a chili pepper
icon.
Even more amusing
than ratings, are the
comments which
range from: "You
can't cheat in her
to Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy,
wife of former President John F.
Kennedy, women in the political
arena and around the world have
tried to imitate her classic style
and grace from her French and
European designer dresses right
down to the matching accessories.
Mrs. Kennedy carried herself
with an undeniable sense of poise
and femininity, complemented
by her charisma and an attitude
of selfless service. To this day,
her spirit and powerful legacy
lives on, serving as a positive
role model for women of future
generations. Even now, remnants
of Jackie's style and image live
on through Cindy McCain and
Michelle Obama, as they have
adopted pieces out of her classic
playbook.
In fact, much has been made
about both of their images and
fashion statements. First, there
is Michelle Obama, an African
American woman, graduate of
Harvard Law, devout mother
and philanthropist. She presents
herself as a confident and down-
class because no one knows the
answers" to "Not only is the book
a better teacher, but it also has a
better personality."
Photo courtesy of Ratemyprofessors.com
Michelle Obama on "The View
to-earth woman dedicated to
community service. Through
television interviews and
appearances, Obama shines as
a charming and humorous lady
who speaks with articulation
and grace. Her clothing is well
tailored, fashionable and appeals
to the everyday woman.
According to the New York
There's also, "Excellent teacher,
really knows his stuff and teaches
in an understandable way."
"I've personally never used the
site myself, but I've
heard about it," said
junior and engineer
major Amanda
Sullivan. "During a
class discussion one
day, a classmate of
mine described it
as a way a student
can take revenge on
a professor because
they either didn't
do well in the class
or they didn't like
the professor for
some reason."
Remarks such
as "worst teacher
ever" and "this
professor is a
disappointment"
may only be harsh
Daily News, the styli% boutique
White House/13Iack Market sold
out of the beautiful $l4B black
and white leaf dress she wore on
ABC's "The View" the moment
the episode ended.
On the other hand is Cindy
McCain, the blonde, bright-eyed
native of Arizona and heir to the
Anheuser-Bush empire. Like
Michelle Obama, she is an avid
philanthropist, devoted mother
and career woman.
However, her pristine pearls,
lavish outfits and designer
accessories hardly appeal to
the hardworking, middle class
woman. Instead Cindy's clothes
reaffirm her status as-a well-to
do fashionista with a taste for
the finer things in life. After all,
it's not every day "Vanity Fair"
gets to conduct a fashion audit
on a politician's wife sporting a
$300,000 wardrobe at a political
convention.
At the end of the day, image
Please see FASHION
on page 12
comments posted and provoked
by an angry student after failing
a test, but these comments have a
vast effect on the which professors
students choose to take.
"If I see a really terrible
remark, it will make me think
twice about taking a class taught
by that professor. If possible
when I schedule my classes, I
look for the best ratings and if
there is a teacher that has bad
comments, I don't take them
because RateMyProfessor.com is
coming directly from the students
and they know first hand how a
professor is in class," admitted
junior Renee Balliet.
Though these ratings appear to be
increasing in importance among
college students particularly, there
are a few influences to consider.
Online ratings may be useful
when choosing a professor for a
next class, but possible validity
will always be a question.