That’s what some folks are calling this look the first lady aimed in the direction of French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy:

But as a curmudgeon whose “tone” and facial expressions are regularly misinterpreted by people who see or hear me, I’m not convinced.

I certainly don’t buy into all of the body-language mumbo-jumbo embraced by the likes of Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly. Sometimes it’s plausible; sometimes it’s not.

In the case of Michelle Obama, she strikes me as the kind of person who tries to keep her emotions in check outwardly. That doesn’t mean her lack of a smile in any given circumstance, or the appearance of a scowl, is a sign that she’s generally unpleasant or hates people. She just isn’t big on smiling unless she has a reason to do so. I know because that’s me. (Notice that Bruni-Sarkozy isn’t smiling in the picture, either.)

I’m not saying that’s a good character trait for a first lady. Obama needs to be more aware of her public demeanor — and the fact that photographers and videographers are eager to capture moments like the one above just for the fun of it.

One of my favorite photos is a snapshot I took at the White House in 1988 as Ronald Reagan bade farewell to Margaret Thatcher. At one point during the ceremony, George H.W. Bush, who had been elected president a couple of weeks earlier, reached up to scratch his neck and made a hideous face. I happened to be looking through my viewfinder at the time and captured the scene.

I voted for Bush but still couldn’t resist taking the embarrassing picture. Although I never published it, my photography teacher at West Virginia University loved it so much he showed it to the whole class.

My point is that not every facial expression, especially not those captured by mischievous cameramen, is designed to send a message. I’m willing to give Obama the benefit of a doubt that she wasn’t trying to send one to the world about France’s first lady.