Women of Courage
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 3:05 PM 
Photos by Luis Alvarez / AP Images; Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Mrs.O participated in the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony held at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC earlier today. The awards were given to 10 women recognized for their "courage and leadership as they fight for social justice, human rights and the advancement of women." Included was Marvi Rural Development Organization Founder and CEO Ghulam Sughra of Pakistan, pictured with the First Lady and Secretary of State above.
"These women are amazing. They are trail-blazing leaders,” Mrs Obama said. “Each in her own way decided to act. They decided to speak up, to publish an article, to file a lawsuit, to run for office, to open a school. And they have done these things at great, tremendous risk to themselves and to their families. They've received death threats. They have been beaten, kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured. So these women have accepted these risks. They have worked for change. And time and again, these women have discovered a very simple truth: that courage can actually be contagious,” the First Lady added.
On the fashion front, Mrs. O turned to an inventive dress, featuring an asymmetrical collar with zip shoulder detail. A jeweled cuff completed the look. Reader BeeGee has provided a great tip. Do you think Mrs. O wears this Lanvin Fall 2010 dress?
"First Lady, Secretary of State Clinton Present International Women of Courage Awards" [ABC News]
Lanvin
Reader Comments (57)
@Jestina. Very well put. I agree.
......"don't these people have handlers?" Are you serious! Do you have an edit button? We don't have to like what "these people" are wearing, nor like what others think about their choices, but resorting to labeling everyone who disagree with your opinion as nuts is a unfair and just wrong. A little civility and manners goes a long, long way. Calling another woman fat and frumpy is so not cool. You should be ashamed of yourself!
@ poiret: I don't think she should cover up. what this day stands for is to celebrate women's accomplishment without making them fit into a mold. The other side of her changing her dress is to ask those Muslim women take off their hejab to be respectful to the first lady of the United States which is wrong. She is dressed nicely and respectfully according to her culture and I think that sends the right message.
Lanvin hit another one out of the park with this one. Yep, I'm fawning over how gorgeous this dress looks on our Michelle. It reminds me of the one she wore when our Presisdent got his Nobel Peace Prize. This is such a great design, but I'm not sure about the color. On my screen it seems slate grey, yet on another site this dress appears eggplant, while on some it looks black. No matter, I love the dress, color and fit.
THAT'S OUR GIRL!
I don't really care for this dress. Something about it looks "unfinished." But, wow, what a terrific bracelet!
Have to agree with several of you. I think this is a better cocktail/visiting an art gallerywedding reception type of dress.
Mrs. Obama looks beautiful as usual...Thank god she's confident and knows who she is.
Mrs. Obama is very aware of the many cultures and it does reflect in the way she dresses when she's abroad ( when she was in India, visit to the Pope and Indonesia). when she receives guests in the White House she does the same too. On the day when women across the world are being celebrated I don't see why women can't show their individuality and celebrate their differences at the same, after all "out of many we are one".
I love the fact in that room are women of different persuasions and beliefs, yet they can come together and celebrate womanhood...I don't see how Mrs. Obama's dress is an affront to other women, who are celebrating who they are and their cultures...And honestly, it has nothing to do with freedom, but culture. I admire all women who can affirm who they are regardless of their outfits; at the end of the day, it is what's inside that counts...