Kudos to my mom, who realized it wasn't 1961 anymore - the year that she turned 13. And in 1987, a respectable young lady certainly could lounge in shorts.

So in 2009 - quite some time after women burned their bras and started their climb up the corporate ladder - a first lady can be a first lady in shorts, too, don'tcha think?

The media blah-blah-blah about Michelle Obama's bare brown legs descending from Air Force One in comfortable shorts to hike in the Grand Canyon was, for lack of a better word, dumb. I didn't think it was possible, but this kerfuffle got louder than the uproar over Obama baring her arms on the House floor.

Some folks just like to fuss about what first ladies wear, and even the glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy wasn't immune.

In June 1961, Time magazine carried a story about an Italian designer criticizing Kennedy for wearing skirts that showed her knees. The unidentified designer grumbled that kneecaps just weren't pleasant to look at "even when - and this is not the case with Mrs. Kennedy - one has beautiful legs, such as those of Sophia Loren or Marlene Dietrich."

Several days later, Time reported, Loren herself defended the first lady, pronouncing her legs "marvelous."

The fashion police cited Laura Bush in 2006 for appearing at a White House reception in the same red Oscar de la Renta dress that three other women were wearing.

Get over it, people.

Don't let Michelle's fashion choices surprise you anymore.

The Obamas are redefining the First Family's lifestyle, and part of that means a much more casual fashion take. I like to think of it as being plain realistic. President Obama, for example, likes to go tieless in the Oval Office - his home office - and he wears jeans to baseball games.

Michelle likes J.Crew, Target's Mossimo brand, Isabel Toledo, and Lanvin sneakers. She wears leggings on weekends. When she doesn't feel like curling her hair, she pulls it back.

Like the rest of us, the Obamas sometimes dress down, and we armchair Project Runway critics just can't seem to handle it.

Even I sometimes fall into the trap. I wanted the first lady to get all gussied up on Easter Sunday. That simple skirt and cardigan combo she wore was boring. The shorts? So regular.

But I, like the rest of you, have to let go of silly fashion expectations.

Part of Michelle Obama's bright light is that she appears comfortable in her own skin - whether she's baring her legs or showing off her arms. It's natural to her.

She's OK with who she is. And that's the example we should praise, not pan.