Over at Contentions, Abe Greenwald notices a report from the Paris fashion runways.

His visage appears between the svelte curves of fashion models on Europe’s most prestigious runways. His speeches are remixed into thumping music tracks in underground dance clubs. His campaign slogans are the foundation for modern art hanging on trendy Parisian gallery walls.
In Europe, Barack Obama is much more than the Democratic presidential nominee. He’s the hip new thing.
[…]
Earlier this month at the Paris Fashion Week, at least four top European designers unveiled dresses, skirts and tops featuring images honoring Obama.

Also, I was thankful to note that this month’s Men’s Vogue – presumably the last one guaranteed to reach readers and newsstands before Election Day – features their second Obama cover. And he’s on the cover of Men’s Health, even though he still smokes. And this is after Men’s Fitness declared him one of the 25 fittest men in America.

I realize that it is inevitable that presidents become pop culture figures. I realize that Vanity Fair did it’s own Men-in-Black style portrait of the Bush administration’s top figures. I realize that we would have seen some of this for just about any lefty presidential candidate who followed Bush.

But if he wins, how long until the American people get really tired of hearing just how [insert exasperated modifier here, including the expletive of your choice] cool he is? He uses gestures from Jay-Z videos! He’s mentioned in the lyrics of Three 6 Mafia’s “Lolli Lolli”! He trades e-mails with Scarlett Johansson! Paris fashion designers love him!