Strollerderby

Reading this post I was thinking "thank goodness they're not going to give undeserved credit to Obama for, again, just existing...then I got to the last paragraph.  Most little girls are color blind, however the gender thing is in their faces daily.  I don't know how elevating a less experienced, less proven, less feminist man increases a girls confidence.  I would imagine that it just punctuates how women have to work harder, longer and be more intelligent only to be cast into a position to support the less qualified man.  

Gotta disagree, g8grl, with your position.  Sure most little girls are color-blind; little kids, in general, are.  However, this study was of teenagers who are definitely not so innocent anymore.  When I was the ages of the girls studied (12-17) I was MUCH more concerned with the experience and opportunities I would have as an African-American person than I was about the ones I would have as a female, as were most of my black friends.  Identity politics is clearly an individual decision, and for you, being female, is obviously more important than your race.  Just please understand that that is not the case for everyone.

Also, Obama's story can be inspirational for anyone - regardless of race, age, gender, etc.  That aside, it could be that young girls see and identify with his daughters. If they see Malia and Sasha as relatable then Obama is merely a dad like anyone else's dad.  Maybe you are giving him too much credit yourself.