Gilding The Mad Cow

It came to light earlier this week that the newly-elected president's wife has broken new cosmetological ground. She is apparently the first First Lady to travel with her own hair stylist and makeup artist.

Do tell!

According to one website,

"Michelle Obama is the nation’s first first lady to add a full-time makeup artist to her traveling entourage, according to stylists who have worked with presidential wives over the past 16 years.

Makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, helped create Obama’s signature look on her inaugural trip to Europe last week.

Grimes-Miles, who has been working with the first lady for six years, now splits her time between DC and Chicago, where she dolls up morning-news anchors for WGN TV.

"No other first ladies have consistently traveled with a makeup artist," said hairdresser Bernard Portelli, who styled Hillary Rodham Clinton’s blond mane in 1993 and tracks trends in first-lady style.

"It took Laura Bush four years to finally look good. It’s taken Michelle Obama two months. She wears fake eyelashes that are beautiful. She can’t do those herself."

Style watchers suspect that Grimes-Miles is behind Obama’s most prominent beauty reinvention: Her eyebrows. After the first lady drew criticism for looking angry, her high-arched eyebrows were reshaped with a softer arc that gave her a friendlier appearance.

Mrs. Obama can’t put on her own false eyelashes?

And why is she wearing them in the first place? We suspect she is the first First lady to ever tart herself up so."

Wow. This is going to get expensive.

But I sort of see Wondergirl's point. I've always thought she resembles a mad cow. The permanently-furrowed brows, grimaced mouth and overall angry body language.

You know, she's never been proud to be an American until her hubby's party nominated him for president.

Poor dear!

Since money is fungible, you can bet that taxpayers are going to eventually end up footing the bill for the hairstylist, makeup artist and false eyelashes that travel with the First Rookie's wife.

Why not go all the way and just have Michelle undergo plastic surgery? After all, the present value of the cash outflows to her bevy of beauticians for nearly four years would almost have to be greater than a quick nip and tuck now, wouldn't it? Or some botox?

Maybe she should do a guest spot on Greta Van Sustern, so she can get firsthand advice on the facelift thing.

Not to mention that she'd better get the facelift now, before her husband's health care rationing schemes make it prohibitively expensive, if even possible.

Yes, Wonderboy's administration certainly is proving to be post-many things.

Like common sensical and unpretentious. We now have the most primped-up, self-important First Lady in history.

Quite the accomplishment in less than 100 days.