Gloss Angeles – “A Hair Journey” (Preview from The Look on IMO with Michelle Obama)

Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson & Sara Tan
Special Preview Moderated By: Julie Wilson (Beauty Editor-at-Large, Cosmopolitan)
Guests: Michelle Obama, Yene Damtu (hairstylist, owner of Aesthetics Salon), Marsai Martin (actor, producer)

Episode Overview

This special Gloss Angeles episode features an exclusive preview of "The Look" from IMO, hosted by Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson. The featured episode centers on Black hair as a centerpiece of identity, community, and cultural expression. Moderated by Julie Wilson, this conversation dives into the personal hair journeys of Michelle Obama, her longtime stylist Yene Damtu, and actress Marsai Martin. Together, they unpack the complexities of Black hair care—from childhood memories to the politics and pressures of image, especially in public life—while celebrating growth, freedom, and the sisterhood found through hair.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Childhood Hair Memories

[04:22 – 06:56]

• Michelle Obama describes hair care as a childhood battleground between her and her mother, marked by challenging wash days over the kitchen sink and a lack of products suited for Black hair.
  • “I felt imprisoned by my hair when I was a little girl because we didn’t have the facilities … you got your hair washed on the cold Formica kitchen sink.” —Michelle Obama [04:22]
  • Lack of appropriate products (like “Wella Balsam”) led to dry, hard-to-manage hair.
• Marsai Martin and others recall similar stories: painful detangling, at-home hair pressing with a hot comb, and trying to emulate classmates despite fundamentally different hair textures.
  • “When I got it pressed with the hot comb in the kitchen, I used to think I was like the little white girls in my class with her hair straight.” —Marsai Martin [07:27]
• The group laughs about hair mishaps, burns on the forehead and neck, and the universal rite of passage for Black girls—sitting between someone’s knees for hours.

2. The Communal and Cultural Role of the Salon

[09:36 – 14:16]

• Yene Damtu and Julie Wilson emphasize salons as hubs of connection, culture, and support—especially for Black women. Damtu stresses her effort to build community for women of color at her salon.
  • “It’s a place where we organize. It’s a place where we build community.” —Yene Damtu [13:09]
• Marsai Martin's experience on set (Black-ish) became her salon, exposing her to a new world of hair possibilities.
  • “That was my first time really getting to explore the amount of styles that can be for my hair … I needed that person to help me figure out what was for me so I didn’t constantly have to question if my hair even told a story.” —Marsai Martin [14:16]

3. Representation, Role Models, and Beauty Standards

[16:47 – 20:50]

• Michelle Obama discusses the lack of representation for Black hair and beauty during her childhood and the impact of pop culture icons (or the lack thereof).
  • “When we were growing up, we had no images … Not to pay, give respect and to show examples of our beauty and that we are beautiful.” —Michelle Obama [17:29]
• Growing up, she saw few Black characters, especially girls, with natural hair on TV.

4. Defining Beauty in the Household

[18:26 – 21:02]

• Michelle and Marsai reflect on their upbringings where intelligence and character were valued over looks. In Marsai's intergenerational home, beauty was less discussed directly but affirmed through demonstration, affection, and self-care rituals.
  • “We didn’t talk about beauty in my household. My parents were more focused on how smart you were and grades.” —Michelle Obama [18:26]
  • “We didn’t talk about beauty too much. But it was more like if I’d come home from school and I’d be like, ‘This person said this to me,’ my mom would be like, ‘F them. You’re gorgeous.’” —Marsai Martin [23:19]

5. High School, College & Self-Discovery

[20:50 – 29:30]

• Exposure to more diversity in high school gave Michelle a chance to experiment and claim her beauty and hair identity.
  • “I started going to him in my senior year and he did my hair from senior year in high school until I went to the White House. Wow. That relationship was that close.” —Michelle Obama [20:50]
• At Princeton, she describes the transition from relaxers and the logistical challenge of hair care, eventually discovering the freedom of braids.
  • “That was the first time I felt not only beautiful in the braids, but free.” —Michelle Obama [29:30]

6. Hair Mistakes & Experimentation

[29:50 – 33:08]

• Yene Damtu and Marsai Martin reflect on color mishaps, haircuts gone wrong, and the learning curves in managing hair independently.
  • “I had pink hair, I had blue hair ... and then it fell out. I just blame myself, I know better now.” —Yene Damtu [29:50]
  • Marsai's first experiment dying her hair honey blonde drew comments—so she posted a playful video “addressing the haters.”

7. Hair, Microaggressions & Boundaries

[33:39 – 36:43]

• The panel addresses unsolicited touching and microaggressions in public and in the workplace.
  • “Never touch a Black woman’s hair, period ... Solange wrote a whole song about it.” —Julie Wilson [34:08]
• Michelle recalls feeling compelled to conform to white beauty standards entering professional spaces and later, as First Lady, choosing to wait until after her time in office to be fully expressive with her hair.
  • "As First Lady... at least until people knew me, which took eight years, I needed to not make hair a part of the conversation." —Michelle Obama [36:45]

8. Evolving Freedom & Collaboration

[39:20 – 54:43]

• Freedom to experiment with hair has grown across generations, but pressures persist, especially in public or high-profile roles.
  • “We feel like a slave to our hair ... and the beauty industry. Freedom isn’t really free.” —Yene Damtu [47:03]
• Damtu details the care taken in collaborating with Michelle's glam team, always prioritizing health, versatility, and autonomy for Michelle.
• Michelle describes her desire for consistency and authenticity vs. performative "celebrity" hair: “I always had to look like me. I am not a celebrity ... I am famous, I'm in the public eye. But I’m not Beyonce.” [52:25]

9. Healthy Hair Practices & White House Routines

[53:43 – 55:55]

• Transitioning away from relaxers, leaning on protective styles and extensions, using regular steaming for moisture and health—these were non-negotiable elements of Michelle’s healthy hair routine in the White House.
  • “She steamed every appointment ... moisture was non-negotiable.” —Yene Damtu [54:51]

10. Motherhood, Generational Change, and the Crown

[55:57 – 62:51]

• Michelle wanted her daughters to see their natural hair as beautiful and had the resources to make sure they never felt pressured to relax their hair.
  • "They never have had relaxers. ... She [Malia] and Sasha both have different hair textures." —Michelle Obama [56:50]
• The special family moment of Barack seeing Michelle for the first time before White House state dinners—“It’s like the first look in a wedding or something.” [60:43]

11. Storytelling & Progress

[64:15 – 68:33]

• Hair is positioned as history, artistry, storytelling, and connection to ancestry—referencing public figures, music, and pop culture as ongoing sources of inspiration.
• Julie Wilson underscores progress since Michelle’s childhood—Black women now have the power to curate their stories, both in magazines and social media:
  • “We are magical. Whether I’m giving 23 inch bust down or if I have a sky high afro ... we are the creators of our own narrative and story.” —Julie Wilson [66:48]

12. The Crown Act, Ongoing Challenges, and The Need for Change

[71:21 – 73:54]

• The panel discusses the significance of the Crown Act, current as of July 2025 in only 28 states, and the ongoing necessity to fight hair-based discrimination in schools, the workplace, and even the military.
  • “Crown Act protects women of color with textured hair against hair-based discrimination in the workplace, in the school place ... It’s passed in only 28 states as of July of this year, 2025.” —Yene Damtu [71:27]
• A call to action for greater education in cosmetology schools and for passing the law federally.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:22] Michelle Obama: “I felt imprisoned by my hair when I was a little girl...”
• [07:27] Marsai Martin: “I used to think I was like the little white girls in my class with her hair straight.”
• [13:09] Yene Damtu: “It’s a place where we organize. It’s a place where we build community.”
• [16:47] Michelle Obama: “We don’t see a lot of inspiration for our type of hair on television.”
• [29:30] Michelle Obama: “[Braids were] the first time I felt not only beautiful in the braids, but free.”
• [34:08] Julie Wilson: “Never touch a Black woman’s hair, period.”
• [36:45] Michelle Obama: “At least until people knew me ... I needed to not make hair a part of the conversation.”
• [47:03] Yene Damtu: “We feel like a slave to our hair ... and the beauty industry. Freedom isn’t really free.”
• [52:25] Michelle Obama: “I always had to look like me. ... I am not Beyonce.”
• [54:51] Yene Damtu: “She steamed every appointment ... moisture was non-negotiable.”
• [66:48] Julie Wilson: “We are magical. Whether I’m giving 23 inch bust down or if I have a sky high afro ... we are the creators of our own narrative and story.”
• [71:27] Yene Damtu: “Crown Act protects women of color with textured hair against hair-based discrimination...”

Timestamps for Essential Segments

• 04:22–06:56: Michelle Obama’s challenging childhood hair care memories
• 09:36–14:16: Salons as community hubs for Black women
• 16:47–20:50: The absence of Black hair and beauty representation in pop culture
• 18:26–21:02: On not discussing beauty—and learning to define it for themselves
• 29:30: Michelle on the liberating power of braids
• 33:39–36:43: Navigating microaggressions and workplace hair politics
• 47:03: Discussion of the lifelong "slavery" to hair routines and breaking free
• 54:51: Key hair health tip: steaming was "non-negotiable"
• 71:27–72:39: The necessity of the CROWN Act to prevent hair-based discrimination

Tone & Notable Atmosphere

The conversation is candid, warm, intergenerational, and at times humorous—grounded in vulnerability about painful, funny, and triumphant hair moments. Speakers echo a strong sense of pride, resilience, and mutual support, even when discussing enduring challenges. Michelle Obama’s trademark honesty and optimism shines: the discussion is both practical (sharing real hair care lessons) and visionary (championing social change and representation).

Closing Takeaway

This episode is both an intimate memoir and a political call to action, chronicling the journey of Black women’s hair as a mirror for community, self-love, resistance, and power. The panel champions the beauty, freedom, and importance of embracing one’s authentic self, while underscoring the work still to be done—both for individuals and for society at large.

“Our beauty is so powerful and so unique that it is worthy of the conversation, and it’s worthy of demanding the respect we’re owed for who we are and what we offer to the world.”
—Michelle Obama [40:12]

For the full, nuanced conversation, listen to “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson: The Look” wherever you get your podcasts.