Michelle Obama says she now makes every choice for herself. In a new interview ahead of her book “The Look”, she shared why she avoided some styles as First Lady and what she’s doing differently now. “During my eight years in the White House … I made it a point to shy away from that conversation, because I was worried that it would become a distraction,” she told ABC News.
Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, fashion spoke to Michelle. She watched “Soul Train” and admired the women’s style. “That’s what cool is,” she reminisced in a recent People interview.
As First Lady, Michelle often wore sleek, straight hairstyles and classic dresses. She avoided more personal hairstyles or bold clothes because of how closely she was watched. Now she wears braids, which has become her signature look, and considers them a symbol of freedom.
In fact, Mrs. Obama told InStyle, “I understood the significance of wearing braids to our portrait unveiling… I wanted to send a message, add to the discourse of Black women in places of power, saying, ‘This, too, is an appropriate and beautiful way to wear your hair.'”
Her new book tells a story about Michelle’s identity and truth. “The Look” includes more than 2oo photos, never-before-seen pics from her time in the spotlight.
In her 60s now, Michelle says she’s “more confident about who I am.” She no longer worries about what others think.
For many Black women and girls, Michelle’s choices matter. She’s showing that power and professionalism don’t mean giving up heritage or authenticity. She says hair, fashion, skin tone can all be part of the story.
And Michelle isn’t just all talk and no action. It is clear that she has distilled these values into her children. This is clearly evident when it comes to her daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Malia Obama recently made headlines with a dramatic hair transformation. She dyed her hair a vibrant red and parades sleek blowouts when the mood strikes.
And Sasha Obama is also turning heads with her outfit choices. She recently had Hello! Magazine praising her unique style which she rocks so effortlessly.
Michelle has shared in interviews that raising her girls under public scrutiny taught her to model confidence and authenticity. This mother wants her daughters to express themselves while staying grounded.
It’s what she learned from her own mother, Marian Robinson. In a podcast episode of “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” the former First Lady revealed that it was the conversations around the kitchen table that was fundamental in the way she expressed herself.
“That’s where confidence began for me, sitting at my kitchen table, me and my brother with a mom who really, really loved our voices,” Michelle explained, via CNBC Make It. “She liked to hear our thoughts. She thought we were funny.”
Robinson seemed to instinctively know that children wanted to be heard. And what is fashion except for the ability to be accepted and admired for the outward expression of who you are?
In a world that often tells women how to look, Michelle Obama’s next chapter offers a different message. It says: you can be powerful and you can be you.
