Michelle Obama’s presence in London this week caused more than a small stir. Newspapers the world over covered the First Lady’s every move, especially her meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.

All this attention has Tina Brown wondering whether Mrs. Obama has now become "the new Oprah." It isn’t simply that everyone in the world has their eyes on the First Lady; she’s also coming across as completely authentic. Though no one’s saying Oprah’s a phony — not by a long shot — Brown suggests the talk-show host’s success has impaired her impact.

Writes Brown at The Daily Beast:

Oprah’s stock in trade has always been her powerful, unmediated connection. She could feel your pain and empower you to talk about it. In doing so (as long as it was Oprah you chose to talk to), you were redeemed.

But when you become a juggernaut business franchise, authenticity can’t help transmuting into something manufactured. It’s the need to feed the beast, to raise the stakes, to keep the act fresh, to maintain the monster ratings. Slowly but surely, you become a brand, not a person. You might as well have a little R in a circle next to your name.

Brown goes on to explain that Mrs. Obama has the unique ability, like Princess Diana before her, to "create a circle of intimacy in the middle of a crowd." And that power has long-lasting impact on the international scene. So, reader, do you agree? Could Michelle Obama in fact be the nation’s new "iconic female African American role model," as Brown suggests?