When it comes to her wardrobe, Michelle Obama isn't known for causing controversy. The fashionable First Lady glittered in a Naeem Khan design when she announced Argo had won the Academy Award for Best Picture during the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24.
The surprise presenter appeared on the ABC broadcast via satellite, as Obama was co-hosting the Governors Ball in Washington, D.C. The telecast was seen by 40.3 million viewers, according to Deadline.
Although she is an American style icon, Iran's Fars News added sleeves to Obama's dress. The network also raised the dress' neckline in an effort to comply with its local broadcasting guidelines. "We've persistently seen Iranian news agencies, whether they're partially or fully state-run, use fabrication and use other means to distort images," deputy State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell tells ABC News.
Fars News also criticized Obama's involvement with the program, saying, "In a rare occasion in Oscar history, the First Lady announced the winner for Best Picture for the anti-Iran film, Argo, which is produced by the Zionist company Warner Bros." MSNBC's Donny Deutsch said Obama's presence was "intrusive and not additive" when he appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight. "There was an elitist flavor to it."
Bill O'Reilly also slammed Obama's participation, describing it as "Hollywood left boosterism." The conservative pundit added, "Laura Bush would never at any time have introduced any award."
Obama paid no attention to the controversy during a Feb. 26 interview with SiriusXM host B. Smith. "It was really a privilege to be able to announce the award and to do it at the White House with all those wonderful military aides," said the 49-year-old mother of two, who recently got bangs. "They were more excited than I could have ever imagined. We always love the chance to highlight them."
