Some considered it an affront to the presidency. Others were disappointed in the taste displayed by the leader of the free world.
Apparently, nobody failed to notice that this past week, at baseball's 80th all-star game, President Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch dressed in a White Sox jacket and... a baggy pair of pants—dubbed "mom jeans" by the fashion police. Search engines reported an immediate surge in searches for "obama's mom jeans" and "obama wears mom jeans"—according to a recent search volume report I've seen, 360,000 in Google alone.
(Why this is an issue of concern to Americans at a time when the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 26 years and fundamentalist nations are developing nuclear weapons is another topic of discussion.)
Obama's response to his critics was quick in coming. "Those jeans are comfortable," explained the Commander-in-Chief, and he was not about to sacrifice his comfort just to be a bit more in vogue.
Let's be honest, fashion also affords a certain measure of comfort. When you're dressed in style, you appear trendy and up-to-date and everyone sees that you have good taste. It feels good to look good. But at times it's just not worth it.
I guess it takes a frumpy pair of pants to remind me that finding grace in the eyes of the fashion police is not always worth the real discomfort it may cause me.
The Code of Jewish Law begins not with Judaism's Thirteen Principles of Faith, but with the following advice: "Don't be intimidated by mockers."
If you allow the laughs and jeers to demoralize you, you'll never have the courage to do that which you know "suits" you best. All the laws that follow in the Code then become kind of irrelevant.
Thank you, Mr. President, for pointing this out.
And, while we're at it, I hope that your administration's policies will echo this refreshing idea.
