The height of etiquette: Michelle Obama towers over Japanese emperor

DM ^

[traumer]

Michelle Obama has had an awkward start to her visit to Japan as she was pictured towering over Emperor Akihito and stumbling as she tried to bow, shake his hand and curtsey at once.

The First Lady, dressed in a florid combination of a blazer and skirt, dwarfed the Emperor in her silver stilettos, while he maintained his composure and smiled politely. She then squatted slightly while shaking his hand, seemingly trying to disguise the difference of height between them.

Mrs Obama, who is 5ft 9in tall, also caused embarrassment earlier in the day when she grabbed Akie Abe, wife of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a hug-and-handshake combination while the Japanese First Lady was trying to bow.

[bgill]

Goof grief, she stepped off the plane wearing granny’s 1950s kitchen curtains and now she’s wearing grandpa’s easy chair. Proper protocol would have told her to opt for flats to decrease her height. She should take notice everyone else is dressed in proper business apparel but that has escaped her for the past 6 years so why change now.

[skeeter]

The ugliest American (in the Constantino Arias sense) I’ve ever seen was an Arab from San Francisco in Venice.

[Bigg Red]

:)

[nascarnation]

After retiring, she can go back to being a housefrau, LOL

[bgill]

Why does she spread her legs wide apart like that?

[Batman11]

"Later that night the prime minister was speaking privately with his wife: "Dear Akie, I think you've been spending a little too much time with our American guest." First Lady replies: "Shinzō, why is you layin' such a f'in jive ass trip on me?" Bahaha! I also heard that prior to that he said to her: "Good evening darling." and she responded: "Waaaaaaaaaaas Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!!

[bgill]

Hey, look, she does own red flats in that Target pic.

[llevrok]

Godzee-ra

[llevrok]

I can’t imagine she could stand to be told what to do by the protocol officers,

These are the same clowns that put Jimmuh Carta in a rented tux. And then told him that it was OK to give the Queen Mum a kiss on the lips ("Even my dear, departed husband never kissed me on the lips...")

[mass55th]

The article appears to be wrong. I did a search, and it says she’s 5’11”. I think she gets a kick being able to look down on people. The Empress should have asked her to get a package of laundry soap down from a shelf for her.

[chris37]

Godzilla's feelings are hurt!

[Vendome]

[Vendome]

LOL!

STupid...

LOL

[Vendome]

Dress isn’t a problem but, might have been better to wear flats...

[Tax-chick]

Or even a different shade of gray. Maybe it was custom made in the palace’s own silk workshop.

[EDINVA]

“... dwarfed the Emperor in her silver stilettos,”

That’s where the problem arose. She wears flats all the time, to wear stilettos on this occasion was beyond a protocol breach; it was just ignorant idiocy. Since these people have no innate “class,” you’d hope the Protocol Office would save them (and the country) this type embarrassment.

[Patriot Babe]

OMG looks like Godzilla is ready to tackle the poor Japanese Emperor.

[Tax-chick]

They’re only about 2” heels; she still would have towered over the Emperor. And she’s just as ungraceful in flats.

[EDINVA]

I tend to think the height difference was no where near as important as the lack - complete lack - of grace.

[econjack]

Michelle, patterns don’t work nothing works for you in a formal setting.

There...fixed.