Well, sure, the world economy is collapsing end everything, but one thing sure isn't:  the physiques of our first couple!  I spent some pixels on Barack's lean, athletic build in past posts, but where's the love for Michelle and her ripped pipes?  

This New York TImes Op-Ed piece by Maureen Dowd grabbed my attention:  

Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps...Michelle...looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh...

During the campaign, there was talk in the Obama ranks that Michelle should stop wearing sleeveless dresses, because her muscles, combined with her potent personality, made her daunting.

She ignored that talk, thank heavens...Combined with her workaday visits to soup kitchens, inner-city schools and meetings with military families, Michelle’s flair is our depression’s answer to Ginger Rogers gliding around in feathers and lamé.

Her arms, and her complete confidence in her skin, are a reminder that Americans can do anything if they put their minds to it...Michelle has soared every day, expanding the job to show us what can be accomplished by a generous spirit, a confident nature and a well-disciplined body.

A first lady's physique and glowing health as a symbol of strength, discipline, and inspiration in troubling times?  And how about the fact that she looks not merely slender and waifish but actually powerful and sensual at once?  One word:  awesome.  No surprise that, according to The Times, women are flocking to gyms looking to build themselves a pair of "Michelle Obama arms."  

I'd love to see numbers on gym memberships and hours spent exercising since the economy started to seriously sour a few months ago; I wouldn't be surprised if they've actually gone up.  That's a good thing, of course--and not just because it suggests that people are taking better care of themselves.  Now that the illusion of everlasting prosperity and never-ending growth has suffered some rather serious setbacks, people may be seeking a modicum of control and comfort in good old-fashioned sweat and physical effort.  

A Band-Aid measure?  Perhaps.  But I wonder if American fatness may not be just an unrelated condition, but indeed a symptom of the artificial bloating of our economy over the last few years.  We're all going to feel some fallout from this economic correction--but if part of that fallout is that a few more of us start looking a little more like Michelle Obama, maybe not all of it will be bad.  

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Couple of new FanPost options at right:  first, a "Bragging Rights" forum, where you are encouraged to post all the lifting/running/exercising/competing accomplishments that your most proud of, but can no longer casually bring up with friends and family without seeming like a total mook.  

Secondly, a "Wall of Shame" post where you can get absolved of your fitness sins:  did you eat an entire pizza on your own while watching some Nick Cage atrocity last night?  Do you never stretch?  Do you hate all things cardio?  Post it at right and we'll absolve you--or at least feel a little less guilty for our own fitness foibles.  

By the way, we will take note of whether more of your posts appear at "Bragging Rights" or "Wall of Shame."  

As host of this monkeyfarm, I'm throwing myself under the bus first, but I better see some follow-up posts there soon.