Last week I did something I would normally NEVER consider.
As I was busily stacking my groceries on the conveyor belt I came to face with...Michelle and Barack, looking so happy and in love on the cover of US Weekly! And naturally, I bought the thing. Literally the first time I have ever, ever spent money on a celebrity magazine.
And, I wasn't the only one. Michelle's cover issue was apparently a big success!!
Putting Michele Obama on the cover of Us Weekly appears to be a gamble that’s paid off. Early sales numbers for the celeb glossy are trickling in, and according to sources that are familiar, the June 30 issue could sell more than 900,000 copies. (A spokesperson for Us declined comment, saying that whether good or bad, the magazine doesn’t comment on week-to-week sales.)
To put the numbers in perspective, sales for the prior three weeks’ covers averaged about 710,000 copies per week.
That's people folks like ME have never had a reason to buy this magazine before. The best part about this exchange is that Michelle gets exposed to the people who aren't tuned in to politics the way that we are and likely have never seen her speak or really know who she is.
AND folks like me who aren't ussually in the market for these kinds of publicantions will definitely shell out money for a magazine that has someone we actually respect on the cover.
More from the piece.
Us’ departure from its typical celebrity coverage was surprising, and also a bit disheartening to other magazines who might have had Michelle Obama interviews in the works. Anyone who read Us’ piece, "Why Barack Loves Her," knows that Michelle Obama wasn’t quoted directly.
Instead, friends of Obama’s went on the record. "Being the first celebrity magazine to put her on the cover was more important than getting her for the interview," said an editor at another magazine. "Unfortunately, it dilutes the impact another weekly will have when they do get Michelle on the record."
Regardless, the bump in sales is a huge boon for Us. The celeb weekly had been flagging somewhat since its July 2, 2007, cover that featured Jessica Simpson’s 20-pound weight loss (it sold more than a million copies, according to a source who was privy to the numbers), and it proves that Us can step outside the traditional celeb coverage.
So, we KNOW Michelle can sell dresses since the lovely number she wore to the view literally sold out of stores. And she is so interesting and beloved that she can also sell magazines.
Basically, as if we didn't already know, Michelle is awesome.
(And the fact she can sell dresses or magazines isn't why she's awesome. It's her wit and her intelligence and grace and commitment to her family that make her awesome. This other stuff is just the icing on the cake.)