When The Guardian’s Nabila Ramdani watches the public performances of First Ladies Michelle Obama and Valérie Trierweiler, she sees two women subjected to carry out the functions of a “feeble, sexist and outdated job.” While Trierweiler suffers the public humiliation of her husband President Francois Hollande’s affair with an actress, Michelle is forced to forego her career as a lawyer as she dances, sings, and “cries in appropriate situations.”

The relative attractiveness of any job is best measured when times are bad, and right now times are very bad indeed for Trierweiler. As Michelle Obama enjoys fluffy tributes from the great and good of American society for her support of Barack Obama, her French counterpart is effectively pleading to stay with Hollande.

Either way, the two first ladies are victims of a degrading and retrograde position as directionless "consorts" of their male counterparts.

Beyond Hollande's capacity for cruelty, the crisis in the French presidency says everything about the abject feebleness of the first lady concept. At a time when a glowing media image has never been more important for world leaders, many of their unelected consorts still knock about the corridors of power, and indeed the international stage, with an alarming lack of direction.

While Trierweiler plays the public spectacle subject to her husband’s indiscretions, Michelle Obama, supposedly at the top of the first lady game, plays “hostess of the White House.”

Even Michelle Obama, who trained as a lawyer, had no hope of practising on taking up the role. Now her main job is as "hostess of the White House", allowing her to invite stars such as Beyoncé to her bashes, as she did last Saturday. Yes, Flotus has an office and a press secretary, but she has no salary and the majority of her tasks are decidedly shallow. As throughout history, first ladies around the world are largely required to be presentable escorts when called upon, and to make their husbands look good.

Ramdani argues that though Michelle “tried to make a difference” through her campaigns addressing obesity and social issues, she’s ultimately just a glorified performer on the world stage as she fulfills the “sexist and trite” role:

In this sense, popular perceptions of what a modern first lady does are sexist and trite. Michelle dances, she sings, she cries in appropriate situations and she is a close confidante of Oprah Winfrey. Thus highly educated, talented women such as her are effectively told to suspend their careers to become state-sponsored ladies who lunch.