Sunny Hostin felt like she couldn’t get a word in edgewise on a recent episode of The View.
Decider reports that Hostin’s frustration started during the show’s Hot Topics segment, in which Joy Behar talked about a recent interview former First Lady Michelle Obama had with People.
In the interview, Obama said that she still experiences cringing at every "wrinkle" some mornings.
“These days I try to practice being kind. I try it becaue it is a practice, especially as women,” she told the outlet. “There are societal signals all around us telling us that there is something wrong with some part of us. We’re supposed to age gracefully. We’re supposed to be the same shape that we were when were in our 20s after giving birth to two, three kids. We’re not supposed to go gray. Our face isn’t supposed to wrinkle. I mean, it’s not in our heads. These messages are coming in. They’ve been coming in our whole lives. So that notion that we aren’t affected by it and that I am not affected by it, that’s laughable.”
Even though the conversation wasn't about politics per se, Hostin took it into that realm in a way by saying she felt Obama was "one of the most vilified First Ladies in history."
Behar disagreed, saying that she felt Eleanor Roosevelt was actually the most vilified, but Hostin said that Obama was vilified because of her looks. Behar countered again, saying that Roosevelt was also ridiculed for her looks and her political views.
Hostin said she didn't think the treatment of the two First Ladies was comparable.
Ana Navarro added that she felt there was a “racial component” to the negativity surrounding Obama that there wasn’t with Roosevelt, which actually helps Hostin’s point. But when the hosts began talking amongst each other, Hostin said, “Can I finish?”
That admonishment didn't work, with Hostin adding, "Can I chat? Can I chat on this show?"
When she was finally able to speak for herself, she agreed with Navarro, adding that people called Obama an “ape in heels,” among other racially incidiary remarks. She added that with someone like Obama, who is an Ivy League graduate and loved by many, the racist commentary “takes a hit on your self-esteem because who determines what Aemrican beauty is? I’m so sick of this so-called American beauty standard. She’s a beautiful woman.”
In her interview with People, Obama said that she does use her low moments to remind herself of her beauty.
“So today when I’m looking at the mirror, I still see what’s wrong, but I try to push those thoughts out and say, ‘Wow, you are healthy.'” she said. “‘Look at your skin. Look how happy you look, your smile.’ I try to find the things about me that I love and start my day a little more kind. And that’s just a small simple tool. It doesn’t require a gym membership. It doesn’t require anybody else.”
