It appears Joe ain't the only one with a six pack.
President-elect Barack Obama recently revealed his chiseled chest in shirtless shots snapped during his Hawaii vacation. Media outlets immediately gobbled them up -- The Huffington Post devoted its homepage to the photos last Monday, and blogs like Gawker and Just Jared quickly followed suit.
America drools over Obama
"Comments have been 95 percent positive, everything from 'helllooo president' to a 65-year-old lady who said she had to wait this long to find a president who she finds attractive," said Frank Griffin, owner of the agency that took the shots.
Other Obamaphiles are a little more forward. On TMZ, comments ranged from the appreciative ("Finally a president that takes care of his mind AND body") to the completely unhinged ("Obama is HOT!!!! woo hoo!!! love the hairless look. yummy.").
Lemondrop reader Megan B. agrees that the pics are cause for appreciation. "How great is it that we have a president-elect who is brilliant and hot? Seriously, looks do matter. I think the picture of a buff Obama is what America needs right now -- someone we can depend on, someone ready to tackle a challenge."
The negative side of sexyTo some, though, the photos (and ensuing media frenzy) are more of a cause for trepidation than admiration. A columnist at the Chico Enterprise Record, worried about the celebritization of Obama, has put out a general plea to "
love Obama for his mind."
Reader Colleen B. has similar concerns. "I think it's great that Obama is getting this kind of exposure, and it's the first time I've ever seen this kind of excitement over a president," she says. "That said, I think people may be inclined to take him less seriously if they see the shirtless pics. He's the president-elect, not a model/actor, and regardless of how good-looking a president is, I don't think it's appropriate."
Steamy leaders in historyWhile there's certainly a
historical precedent for steamy presidential pictures -- JFK, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan are just a few of the top dogs who've been snapped shirtless -- today's online culture makes things a little different. David Greenberg, a journalism professor at Rutgers University, doesn't think the photos and public reaction will necessarily
hurt Obama's serious, presidential image. "In some ways we're entering a more casual international environment," he says. "But if he's sitting down with Putin, he has to project gravitas."
We're a little mixed over the national salivation over our country's next leader. On one hand, it's certainly getting more people interested in politics. (Or at least, our president.) On the other, will the rest of the world take seriously a heartthrob who is as much a celebrity as Brangelina or Madonna?
Tell us: Are the shirtless pics and public infatuation good or bad for Obama and our country?