Michelle Obama holds a B.A. from Princeton and a J.D. from Harvard, but for eight years, the American media treated her resume like a footnote to her fashion. Despite being a mother, a wife and a legal powerhouse whose credentials could clear any room in D.C., Mrs. Obama found herself under a microscope that cared more about her hemlines than her accomplishments.
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In a recent interview on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the former first lady reflected on the exhausting reality of being a Black woman in the spotlight: No matter how many degrees you hold, the world is still laser-focused on whether your arms— or your outfits —are appropriate.
In the early days of former President Obama’s campaign, Obama recalled how she deliberately hit the trail without stylists or written speeches to better connect with skeptical voters. However, as the campaign’s momentum grew and her engagements shifted from informal gatherings to large auditoriums, the media’s attention also shifted, focusing increasingly on her appearance.
“The top of the article would be what she was wearing, not my education, not my professional career, but it started with appearance,” she said.
Obama said the attacks became more frequent and cruel as their campaign gained more traction, and critics began to use words like “angry,” “muscular” and even “misogynistic” to describe her.
“It got worse as we got better, so I understood it as campaign tactics,” she recalled. “I could separate it out and go, ‘This is politics.’ What better way to beat a moving engine is to try to slow it down?”
The former first lady said she tried not to take the attacks personally, as she saw other female politicians, including wives and celebrities, receive similar treatment in the press.
“No one ever in my face in any community was unwelcoming or rigid or close-minded, not in person,” she said. “It was all about what was being fed, so I didn’t want that to color my heart towards this country.”
As her shoes overshadowed her accomplishments, Obama said she chose to lean in to her role as a trendsetter, intentionally choosing designers and stylists who understood that she wanted to be equal parts style and substance. Although she handled all of the challenges with grace, Obama has a message for young women who have the power to break the cycle of obsession over a woman’s appearance.
“When you get the power, when you’re the boss, when you’re running your own thing, let’s just not become female versions of the thing that was broken,” she said. “Are you building the world that you told your little girl existed?”
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