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Michelle Obama served as the First Lady from 2009 to 2017 when her husband Barack Obama was elected as the US President for two terms. She recently opened up about her time at the White House and how she faced discrimination because of the hypocrisy of the general population. Michelle Obama was the first African-American woman to become First Lady, and despite creating such history, she was often mocked and trolled for choices that would not have raised eyebrows if done by someone not of color. Talking about the same to PEOPLE, Michelle recalled the time when she had faced backlash for getting her first White House portrait in a sleeveless dress. When asked if incidents like those affected her, Michelle said, “I took it for what it was, pure hypocrisy. I could pull up pictures of Jackie O in a second and see this fashion icon in sleeveless dresses as first lady. So at a point, you’re like, ‘Oh, this is politics. If you can’t beat them, make everybody scared of them.’” She also talked about how difficult it was to maintain all the required aspects of the role “knowing you’re supposed to be inspirational, yet accessible” and also be “uniquely yourself, authentic, but representational at the same time.” During the interview, Michelle also highlighted that even Barack Obama was subjected to severe criticism because of his tan suit that he wore at a press conference dealing with the US military response to ISIS. She also mentioned that they had to be careful about every word they said because they were scrutinized more critically than anyone else. Michelle said, “That was the motto. If it wasn’t the clothes, it was ‘that terrorist fist bump.’ It was every word that we said. It was my husband’s tan suit.” Talking to PEOPLE, she further added, “I loved that tan suit! When he had it on, I was like, “Oh, my God, you look so cute. “[Then] I was like, ‘Oh, you got clocked for that one. Welcome to my world.’ That was towards the end of his presidency, so we were used to all the crazy issues that people would take with us.” View this post on Instagram She also mentioned that she could never wear her hair in braids while she was at The White House because she felt that the general population was not ready for that. Explaining the same, Michelle said, “The Crown Act [which protects employees and students from race-based hair discrimination] hadn’t been passed yet, and just like fashion, I didn’t want my hair to become a distraction.” She further added, “But 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.’” The former First Lady’s words highlight the severity of racial discrimination that did not let a woman of such rank and power do as she pleased. Both Barack and Michelle had to think about their every move before they made it because of the intense scrutiny that followed them everywhere. Michele Obama’s interview hits harder with the rising racial tension in the US under the Trump administration. With her pointing out the difficulties she faced during her time as the First Lady it would be interesting to see if the MAGA or people from the running government have any insights to offer.
