BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A local artist is asking people to “Take Michelle to Work” by creating a series of young Michelle Obama dolls that aim to spark discussion of how women balance their careers and personal goals.
For $40, Bed-Stuy artist Aisha Cousins will give participants a handmade fabric doll of the first lady, along with a blank name tag, felt and foam craft paper to create a customized "career uniform" for her.
Cousins hopes participants will bring the doll to work and begin having conversations about what she believes are the sacrifices Michelle Obama made to become first lady. The initiative is part of Cousins' art series documenting black women's experiences during the Obama presidency.
“I wanted to talk about an important, overlooked aspect of the presidency,” Cousins said.
“Michelle was sort of placed in an awkward position where she may have felt like she needed to choose between her personal goals and goals of black America at large. She put her career to the side so we could have a chance at the first black president.”
Prior to her husband’s bid for the White House, Michelle Obama worked as a lawyer, assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall and associate dean of student services at the University of Chicago, among other positions.
“Take Michelle to Work” functions as a rewind in time, Cousins said, where people have the opportunity to set the young Michelle the “intern” on a career path and step in to ensure she stays the course of her ambitions.
“Especially in politics, spouses tend to put themselves on the back burner to be supportive,” Cousins said. “Hopefully this will help people think critically about the part we all play in enforcing stereotypes about females’ roles in society.”
In 2014, Cousins gave free Michelle Obama dolls to participating businesses and Brooklyn residents in collaboration with the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership’s Black Artstory Month.
The artist hopes to host additional doll-making workshops in March.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
