Jenice Armstrong: Michelle's dating tips

FIRST LADY Michelle Obama graces the cover of the December issue of Glamour.

What's even more interesting is that in the accompanying article, she gives dating advice. Given that all the single women I know who are searching for their own version of Barack Obama, her advice is worth paying attention to.

"Cute's good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it's, 'Who are you as a person?' Don't look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul," Obama says. "When you're dating a man, you should always feel good . . . You shouldn't be in a relationship with somebody who doesn't make you completely happy and make you feel whole."

And once you're in a relationship, the first lady also warns against ignoring your own needs as so many of us tend to do. "I have always tried to put my kids first, and then . . . put myself a really close second, as opposed to fifth or seventh. One thing that I've learned from male role models is that they don't hesitate to invest in themselves."

By the way, the first lady looks exceptionally glamorous on the cover with her hair pinned up. I guess this makes her an official Glamour fashion do as opposed to a fashion don't.

Speaking of relationships, news that Ivanka Trump converted to Judaism before marrying Sunday was the subject of much watercooler conversation as second-guessers debated whether converting to your husband's religion is a wise move for a prospective bride.

It makes things easier. But getting married is life-altering enough, and then to add the adoption of a new religion to the mix has to be a huge adjustment.

I was curious what marriage experts have to say on this touchy subject so I sent out some feelers earlier this week. Edmund C. Case, founder of InterfaithFamily.com, e-mailed me in return, pointing out, "We don't think conversion should be 'pushed' by one partner and we don't think a person should convert just for the purpose of having the same religion as his or her mate."

Through a spokesperson, family law attorney Lynne Z. Gold-Bikin said she has seen women convert to their husband's religion and become even more serious about it than their husbands. But the reverse happens, too.

In the end, though, the only smart thing to do is to follow your heart: "Religion is a very personal thing and you shouldn't convert for someone else's reasons; you should convert for your own reasons," Gold-Bikin says."

A single friend of mine used to buy entire birthday cakes to eat by herself in her apartment.

When I asked her about it, she admitted to me that she wasn't cutting off a slice to nibble on every now and then, but consuming massive quantities in one sitting. She was a classic binge-eater, someone who ate compulsively and afterward regretted it. She'd try to make up for what she'd eaten by dieting, only to fail and binge again.

Women of all races are guilty of this kind of disordered eating. It turns out, though, that more white female college students exhibit binge behavior than black undergraduates, according to a new study funded by Temple University. Somewhere along the way, though, black women catch up and start binge- eating in similar numbers.

"We are trying to figure out when the diet trajectory changes, and when it is that African-Americans start to exhibit these behaviors," said Melissa Napolitano, lead researcher on the study and a psychologist at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education.

It may turn out that the differences in reporting binge-eating may be due to perceived portion sizes, as well as cultural factors.

"These women could be binge-

eating, but they may have less anxiety and distress surrounding their eating habits, so they don't recognize it as an issue," Napolitano said.

Given the soaring obesity rates among women, particularly black women, this is an area in which much more research is needed.

Send e-mail to heyjen@phillynews.com. My blog: http://go.philly.com/heyjen.