The XX Factor: What women really think.

"She Definitely Has This Black Woman's Attitude"

Today the Washington Post published the results of a survey on Michelle Obama. Two months ago, people questioned her patriotism and said she looked angry a lot. Now, they love her. Her favorability ratings are at 76 percent, up 28 points since the summer. "The number of people who view her negatively has plummetted," Lois Romano writes. That's great, right? We like Michelle, and we're glad other people do too. And it should count as some species of miracle that America (not to mention the world) is in love with a strong black woman. So why is this survey making me uneasy? More specifically, why is it making me feel like I live in 1967? (the year Guess Who's Coming to Dinner came out?)  

Maybe it's these individual testimonies Romano pulls out of the survey. From a 34-year-old white woman:

She definitely has this black woman's attitude. ... White girls have more insecurities, which is why they care more about being ingratiating. I'm not saying this is a bad thing -- I like that about her -- but she's just a very strong woman and that can come off as condescending.

Or from a Colorado independent:

I don't see the angry Michelle anymore.  

Or is it the feeling I have that Michelle is putting on a show? Or that America can only handle one specific kind of black woman? Any ideas, ladies?