← IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
IMO Presents: The Look Live with Tracee Ellis Ross
01:09:24
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- [00:00]
Michelle Obama
I knew immediately, and I knew this coming in as first lady, that I was in charge of my story, my narrative. I had to be smarter than them. I had to outsmart everyone. And that came to everything I did, including what I wore. This episode is brought to you by Alloy Women's Health for us all. Can people hear Mike's song? Mike sing.
- [00:32]
Tracy Clayton
Are the mics on?
- [00:33]
Michelle Obama
Mics on.
- [00:33]
Tracy Clayton
Are the mics on? The mics are on.
- [00:35]
Michelle Obama
It's about fashion, y'. All.
- [00:37]
Tracy Clayton
It's about fashion, y'.
- [00:38]
Michelle Obama
All.
- [00:38]
Tracy Clayton
And you are fashioning.
- [00:40]
Michelle Obama
We brought a little fashion along.
- [00:41]
Tracy Clayton
You look gorgeous.
- [00:43]
Michelle Obama
So do you, babe. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming out.
- [00:48]
Tracy Clayton
Thank you for being you. Thank you for being you. This is really a wonderful moment. Hello, everybody. Thank you for being here. That wonderful applause I really appreciated.
- [01:00]
Michelle Obama
It.
- [01:03]
Tracy Clayton
Wasn'T for me. Okay, so I have been lucky enough to have many conversations with you through the years, most of them personal, but some public. And one of the consistent things about our conversations and our connection is our curiosity about how to navigate life, no matter what kind of life it is, that you're living with care and joy while being fully yourself and how you connect yourself to a larger purpose. So coming together to talk about the look, your latest book that chronicles your style and your beauty journey feels particularly special for me because we get to have yet another conversation about your groundbreaking significance as First lady lady and the extraordinary woman that you are. But this time through a new lens, through the lens of fashion and hair. Fashion as a language that can facilitate purpose. I am a believer in the agency and opportunity that fashion can offer. How we express ourselves through what we wear can tell people how we want them to regard us. It's not always about the what. Sometimes it's just about the how. Our clothes can be a tool for creativity and joy and expression of freedom. They can connect us to our history and message the future. It can seem like an unimportant and frivolous topic. And for a black woman who is our first black first lady, it is certainly not. During your years, I swear.
- [02:49]
Michelle Obama
Where.
- [02:49]
Tracy Clayton
I'll get to a question. During your White House years, you used what you wore as a language. You used what you wore as an opportunity to tell the world who you are and what you believe in. And honestly, this book. This book could have just been a bunch of beautiful pictures and we would have eaten it up and we would have loved it. But in perfect Michelle Obama fashion, you did more. So up until this point, you've not spoken Publicly about fashion. You let your clothes do their own talking, and they've talked really well. But now you've decided to publish this book. So why this book and why now?
- [03:29]
Michelle Obama
Thank you, Tracy. Thank you all. Why this book? Why this book now? During the eight years that I was First Lady, I purposefully avoided talking about fashion because I. I thought it would be a distraction from everything else that I did. I realized very early on that as a woman in the public eye and I write about this, is that we are often reduced to what we look like. We are often attacked for what we look like. And I experienced that during the first campaign. I realized that I could give a passionate, substantive speech. Speech. And it would be covered well in person, but in the press, invariably, it would start out with, she was wearing a blank, as if I had said nothing at all. So that experience kind of shook me to think. I don't want to be solely defined by how I look, what I wear. I want my work to speak for itself. But now that we're almost 10 years out of the White House and I've written two books, I think, yes, y'.
- [04:48]
Sponsor Voice
All.
- [04:50]
Michelle Obama
It has been a while. We are. That former part is real. Former.
- [04:58]
Tracy Clayton
We don't want to believe it.
- [04:59]
Michelle Obama
It is true. It's been almost a decade that we have been in the White House, and I've written two books, and I really do feel like the world, the country, knows who I am. So now it's time to talk about the how of fashion, because I knew it was always important. I wanted to wait until it felt like it was time. And I think now is a good time. As you said, the book is a collection of beautiful photographs. It is a lovely walk down memory lane, But I want everybody who gets the book to read the essays as well. We have a wonderful forward by my dear friend Farrah Griffin, who I think is here. There she goes. And I take you through the journey, the process. I want you to meet the team. So this book is as much an homage to the people who helped me be me in that period of time. My trifecta. You're going to learn about them, their stories, their journeys, and you allow them.
- [06:05]
Tracy Clayton
To tell their own story, which is beautiful.
- [06:07]
Michelle Obama
Absolutely.
- [06:08]
Tracy Clayton
Through their own voices.
- [06:09]
Michelle Obama
Their stories are amazing. They were all kids when they started out. I mean, I'm literally talking Yanae, my hair stylist, was 19 years old when she came to the White House and was working under Johnny Wright. But this team is amazing.
- [06:26]
Tracy Clayton
One of the things. So I'm gonna brag and say Michelle and I are friends, and I can actually call her Michelle after all these years.
- [06:32]
Michelle Obama
Yeah.
- [06:33]
Tracy Clayton
It took me a really long time.
- [06:34]
Michelle Obama
Finally, it's like, Tracy, come on, girl.
- [06:36]
Tracy Clayton
It was weird. It was hard, though. Cause, you know, there's so much reverence.
- [06:39]
Michelle Obama
But.
- [06:41]
Tracy Clayton
It'S weird. You don't wanna curtsy when you see your friends for dinner.
- [06:44]
Michelle Obama
It's weird. No, no. Gets old. Like, get up, girl. Get up.
- [06:51]
Tracy Clayton
But one of the things that's really special about you and your husband is, is your teams have remained the same. Cause I campaigned early. It was 2007 when I met you guys. And the team is the same. So many of the same people. And it's a really beautiful testament to who you are. And even the fact that you would write a book and allow not just to talk about your team, but to allow them to use their own voice is such an expression of who you are and how you were first lady and how you are as a human being. And so it is wonderful to read in that sense, even though it is a picture. Picture book. It's wonderful to read. So thank you. Mine's all marked up.
- [07:28]
Michelle Obama
Yeah. And fashion is a. It's a. It's real business. It's a job.
- [07:33]
Tracy Clayton
Yes.
- [07:34]
Michelle Obama
You know, and that's what you learn, especially as a woman. I don't know about you men, you know, but it takes a lot of work to show up in a way that we're expected to show up. And my team has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with no fanfare, no acknowledgement, because that was important, because we didn't talk about fashion. And now I want to give them some shine. And I also want to give some shine to all of the incredible designers who supported me all throughout the years. I don't know if any one of them are here, but fashion is meaningful. And there are a lot of people who worked. They made dresses, they sewed buttons. They did all the things not even knowing whether I would put on the thing that they made.
- [08:21]
Tracy Clayton
And also, during the time that. That you were in the White House, you gave platform to so many designers that didn't have a voice or weren't. That's not true. Everyone has a voice that weren't in the light in that way. I can think of a whole bunch of different names. Tycoon. And they've left me now.
- [08:40]
Michelle Obama
Jason Wu. Jason Wu. Philip Lim and Tracy Reese. And on and on and on and on. Because when you go to Washington, there are a lot of. This is how we've always done it. That is thrown at you. The expectation. And when it came to fashion, there were a limited number of designers who had an expectation that they would be able to dress the first Lady. And some people got a little attitude about it. It was an expectation. But if you recall, our administration was about opening up opportunities for more people. It was always about expanding opportunities for who otherwise wouldn't have those opportunities. Talented, qualified, diverse people. And now is the time for us to be reminded of the power, the influence, the contribution of immigrants, of women, of minorities, of people of all races. And it is particularly true when it comes to the fashion community. So this book is a big, warm hug to that community as well.
- [09:55]
Tracy Clayton
So thank you for saying it that way and for reminding again, bringing it back to purpose. I have a friend who told me a story about ladies in the first pew at church and what she learned as a little girl, that the hats and the clothes she wore told her how they wanted to be regarded. And I remember how my mom got dressed for life and for stage and told me that. And it told me that how you clothe yourself is something that can give you agency. And one of the things my mom did that I noticed is that the clothes that she wore were not about, look at me. They were about, this is me, and it's something that.
- [10:38]
Michelle Obama
This is me.
- [10:39]
Tracy Clayton
Okay, so what was your relationship with fashion when you were growing up? What messages did you receive from the way the women in your life dressed when you were young?
- [10:51]
Michelle Obama
You know, I grew up poor, working class, because poor is a different kind of mindset. And we always had enough, but we lived with a certain amount of scarcity. And, you know, there was always the dreaming about fashion for me because I came from the kind of mother who made your clothes. And, you know, I got to the point where it's like, please, just let me have some glory. Vanderbilt jeans. My God, stop sewing for me. I just want what the other kids have. So there was a lot of looking around me that was part of that inspiration, and there was a lot to see. And I grew up on the south side of Chicago. There was nothing but style and grace and. And elegance all around me, even right in front of me. As a little girl, it was the teenage girls right in front of me, how they wore their hair and a number of bangles on their arms. And you sort of COVID that look when you see somebody older than you showing up looking. What I didn't realize was maybe a little sexy, but there was just something that said, I like that. And then it was just like Soul Train I mean, just watching all of that magic happening every single Saturday morning. So I knew what I wanted. I knew what beauty and grace and style was. I just couldn't afford it. So I think that made it even more special. When I started slowly developing my own agency, even having my own little babysitting money to go to the Evergreen Plaza or Water tower place where you could see the nice clothes. A lot of window shopping was going on.
- [12:35]
Tracy Clayton
Do you remember the first look? Like your first. Did you. By the way, did you lay your clothes out for school?
- [12:41]
Michelle Obama
Yeah, I did when I was really young. I write about my favorite dress when I was like, six. It was a Sears and Roebuck special, because that's where you got everything. And it was this plaid bottom. One dress, kind of like the typical Jan Brady dress with the plaid on the bottom and the brown on the top. And you just. Just zipped it up in one zip. It was polyester, so it didn't wrinkle. And I loved that dress. I mean, that dress I would lay out because it was probably one of the few things at that age that I could do on my own. It was very efficient. And I love that dress for that reason.
- [13:20]
Tracy Clayton
The efficiency of it.
- [13:21]
Michelle Obama
The efficiency of it, the practicality of it. It didn't wrinkle. I mean, I don't know what my little mind was thinking, but I also like the agency of doing it for myself. But I was also kind of a tomboy, you know, when I was little little, because my older brother, I was always following him around. So there was also that period where I thought I was going to be Jose Cardinal, the first baseman of the Cubs. And I would wear my fro puffed up like him with a baseball cap on, and I'd be ready to go. So there were all these different iterations of myself. And I think it wasn't until high school that I saw a broader influence than what was in my neighborhood. I saw kids from. Because I went to a magnet school, Whitney Young, Go Dolphins. And it attracted kids from all over the city, kids of all races. And it was really the first time that I saw black wealth. You know, I was like, dang, your hair is bouncing and behaving.
- [14:21]
Tracy Clayton
I was going to say, what did it look like?
- [14:23]
Michelle Obama
What did it look like? It was just. It was polo Izod. It was the. I grew up in the age of the preppy look with the. You know, and there was a difference between the jack leg sweater and the Ralph Lauren sweater. I started learning that. And there was the K Swiss shoes. That were pristine and white. The Stan Smith with the green and all of this stuff was so expensive, but the kids wearing it just looked cool. But I couldn't afford that stuff. And until I could, I never was able to afford that stuff. But I would look for the sales, and I would try to figure something out. And if I got one sweater, I'd be like, okay, I got the sweater. Now I got to get the polo. I get that in months. Remember layaway? Oh, layaway. Layaway was a thing we used. I was like, member layaway.
- [15:14]
Tracy Clayton
There's a version of that now.
- [15:16]
Michelle Obama
It's called credit. There's a version of that, which means you owe everybody.
- [15:27]
Tracy Clayton
I'm definitely not the one to ask on that. Okay. I was trying to really participate. I was like, yes.
- [15:33]
Michelle Obama
Yeah. Tracy doesn't know. Tracy was one of the girls. I'd be like, where'd you get those? You don't know nothing about my life, girl.
- [15:41]
Sponsor Voice
I was.
- [15:43]
Michelle Obama
I was literally like, you were trying to type. Yeah, I remember.
- [15:46]
Tracy Clayton
That's right.
- [15:47]
Michelle Obama
I remember.
- [15:48]
Tracy Clayton
I'm for that. Sorry. Embarrassing. Okay.
- [15:56]
Michelle Obama
All right. Well, you were. You. Yeah, well, you know, I wasn't. You know, my mother was not Diana Ross. I was definitely not modeling my style after. In fact, I love my mother, but my mother was the opposite of Diana Ross. My mother was dyeing her own hair. I was begging my mother, go to the hairdresser, lady. We know you love us. We know you're frugal. Just buy a new dress. That was my mother. So I learned from my mother what I didn't want to do. And I loved her, but when I got a hold of her when she was living in the White House, I was like, we are going to kill it for. For you, lady. So Meredith was styling her.
- [16:41]
Tracy Clayton
And in all honesty, I spent a lot of time with your mom.
- [16:45]
Michelle Obama
You sure did.
- [16:45]
Tracy Clayton
Whenever I would visit them at the White House, I was by myself, which is how I got close with the team, because I was always with Mom.
- [16:54]
Michelle Obama
Cause you didn't get a plus one? Nope. Okay, okay, okay. All right.
- [17:02]
Tracy Clayton
I remember when I realized that Claire clothing, my hair, and how I spoke could actually protect me from the microaggressions of racism. I was in my early teens. Do you remember when you realized that clothing could be a tool? Or when you began to understand the power of how to present yourself within the context of protection or armor?
- [17:22]
Michelle Obama
I think it was always there. I mean, because the truth is, you know, you're growing up in the city. The magnet high school that I went to was on the west side. And to get to it, we. We had to cut through downtown. So we were commuting with business people, with the folks downtown on North Michigan Avenue. And we would have a half day. We would go to the nice stores and go to the McDonald's and water tower place. I mean, so there was a level of exposure to the high end of Chicago. And to access those places and not be accused of stealing, you realized very early on that you better let them hear you talk or come in with the right LASAC case or else you would be watched. And so I think I learned then that how you show up, especially when it comes to white folks looking at young black kids, that how you present can sometimes save your life. So, yeah, I think I was learning that all throughout my youth.
- [18:23]
Tracy Clayton
That's an interesting thing, right? So my mom was Diana Ross, but I wasn't protected from that because of her. The color of my skin is the color of my skin.
- [18:30]
Michelle Obama
But you look just like a girl.
- [18:33]
Tracy Clayton
Not. Not what I. It'd be like, nah, nah, nah, nah, Michelle. Not with my glasses and my braces, girl.
- [18:40]
Michelle Obama
Yeah, you wore a little bit of. You went through that skinny little gray.
- [18:43]
Tracy Clayton
Was trying to talk really nice and steal my mom's clothes so I could walk and not. And nobody was looking at me.
- [18:49]
Michelle Obama
Oh, my goodness.
- [18:57]
Carl Ray
Hi, I'm Carl Ray, and I'm Michelle Obama's longtime makeup artist. I've been on many of these sets, but I'm so excited to be in front of the camera. My first client was my mom. I would always watch her apply her makeup. When I was around 14 years old, I asked her if I could do it for her because I thought I could do a better job. She obliged, and soon after, she started asking me to do her makeup lot. I never knew makeup was a career until I was an adult. Now my work has introduced me to so many interesting experiences. I've worked in film, tv, print, fashion, and beauty all around the world. I've also had the pleasure to work with many celebrities and dignitaries along the way. And I'd love to work with you. So the next time you're booking on Airbnb, click on the services tab. You'll find professionals like me and my team. We can help make your next special occasion even more memorable. Weddings, galas, birthdays, headshots, or anytime you just want to feel and look your very best, you can find me@airbnb.com services.
- [20:04]
Sponsor Voice
This episode of Imo is brought to you by Progressive Insurance, who help people move forward and live Fully. Owning a home can be one of the most powerful ways to build financial security. But for many, especially first generation buyers, it can feel out of reach. That's why I appreciate what Progressive is doing. In 2024, they contributed over $7 million to help individuals and families break the cycle of renting by providing support, offering educational resources, and developing tools to build long term financial stability through home ownership. Their work goes beyond just insurance. They're opening doors through their newly created Up Payment program. Progressive is helping first generation home buyers move closer to the dream of home ownership by offering eligible applicants a chance to receive a down payment assistance grant. You know, owning a home for me made me feel grounded and also set me up for the future. And as a coach, when your life is dependent on wins and losses, it's really important to have the comfort of a really nice home to come home to, especially for your family. Homeownership is one of the biggest investments you'll ever make and Progressive wants to help more people take that life changing step. Learn more today@progressive.com OpenTheHouse this episode of Imo is brought to you by Cologuard, a non invasive colon cancer screening test. The American Cancer Society now recommends that if you're at average risk, you should start screening for colon cancer at age 45. During my visit to the Cologuard Lab in Madison, Wisconsin, I learned that there are an estimated 60 million adults over 45 who aren't up to date with their current screening. That's way too many. And I got to see firsthand how Cologuard is committed to changing that. And what really stood out to me is how their commitment goes far beyond the lab. From hosting community events and local health fairs to educating on prevention, sharing screening options, and providing access to preventive care. The Cologuard test is designed to help you feel more in control of your health and your screening process. The test is delivered right to your door and you can collect your sample comfortably at home on your own schedule. Then you just ship it back to the lab and your results are ready in about eight to 10 days. Simple as that. And the best part? You can start screening for colon cancer without all the hassle of preparing for a colonoscopy. No fasting, no drinking that prep liquid, no requesting time off work. Most insured patients even find they pay nothing out of pocket. That's why 20 million cologuard tests have been used and hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers across the country prescribe it for their patients. There's no excuses. Get screened for colon cancer. So if you're 45 or older and at average risk, ask your healthcare provider about screening for colon cancer with the Cologuard test. You can also request a cologuard prescription today@cologuard.com podcast. The Cologuard test is intended to screen adults 45 and older at average risk for colorectal cancer. Do not use a Cologuard test if you have had adenomas, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. The Cologuard test is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard test performance in adults ages 45 to 49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. False positives and false negatives can occur. Cologuard is available by prescription only.
- [24:09]
Tracy Clayton
There is a quote in the foreword by Gwendolyn Brooks that reads Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirlwind. And then Farrah Jasmine said in the foreword that you and the nation blossomed in the whip of the whirlwind. And I think about what it must have been like for you with the whole world watching. I think about you being the first and the narrow subjective public expectation that had zero margin for error. And then I think about you as a person and a human being. How did you stay connected to yourself and your self worth while balancing lofty expectations on one side and being expected to fail on the other?
- [24:54]
Michelle Obama
Yeah, I think my motto has always been throughout my life because that is a battle as a black woman in the world, as women in the world that we always face in is surpassing other people's low expectations of us. So I was practiced in it. I was practiced in being doubted and underestimated. And so my approach was focus on the work, focus on getting the a focus on getting to college, focus on finishing the paper, focus on doing the job right in front of me well and let that speak for itself. Because as my mother told me and my brother, you can't control what other people think and say about you. You have to find that strength from within yourself. And I also benefited from having two parents who loved me and my brother deeply. I write about this in becoming. I talk about it in the light that the seeing that they did for us fortified us. You know, I always talk about the fact that every child is born with light. And I was too. I was born knowing that I was smart and capable, not just in my own sense but how I showed up in the world, I saw, you know, people who were smart and people who weren't, and I was among the smart people. But I also saw people expect me to be less so. You either fuel that light that's in a child or you snuff it out. And that is what happens to every child all over the world. And I was fortunate enough to have parents that fueled me, so I think that helped me stay focused, because my truth in my head was totally different from anything else anybody could say to me.
- [26:50]
Tracy Clayton
Were there times when it felt hard to hold that? Well, I mean, your mom was with you.
- [26:57]
Michelle Obama
Yeah.
- [26:58]
Tracy Clayton
Was it hard to hold that at certain times?
- [27:02]
Michelle Obama
You know, what is always hard for me is hypocrisy and ignorance. You know, I mean, that would just. I mean, it wouldn't hurt me. It would anger me. You know, when it was so obvious and so blatant that it's like, wow, these people. You know, there are a certain set of people who refuse to see the humanity in people who don't look like them. And it's just like, wow, I wasn't personal. It was like, oh, my goodness, you're so limited. You were so afraid. You were so small. And that wound up. I was the kind of kid who didn't get hurt. I got mad. And I had to find a way to direct that anger. And for me, when it was turned on me, which happened, as I said early on in the first campaign, it was very clear that when I got really effective on the campaign trail and started attracting huge crowds and big rallies, sometimes bigger than the candidates that we were battling, and this happened in the Democratic primary, Let me be clear. These were our people who were going after me. Because this started when we were running against our party. The beginning of turning me into an angry shrew who diminished her husband, who didn't love her country, who was unpatriotic. And it was like, there is absolutely no way that people who are actually seeing me in the world are seeing that these people are lying. They are making some stuff up because they're trying to win. So I understood that and knew that I had to quickly define myself. So quickly, I was like, if I let them define me, I won't even recognize myself. And I didn't even feel like I had the support of the campaign in that, because they were white folks, too, primarily. I don't think they even knew what.
- [29:10]
Tracy Clayton
To expect or to understand how to.
- [29:12]
Michelle Obama
Navigate or understand how to navigate that. So I knew immediately, and I knew this could coming in as first lady, that I was in charge of my story, my narrative. I had to be smarter than them. I had to outsmart everyone. And that came to everything I did and said, including what I wore. So I just controlled my narrative and did the work.
- [29:38]
Tracy Clayton
Yeah. I feel like what that applause is. And what I wanted to say is thank you. Thank you. Because your. I don't know if it's courage, but your sense of. Your embodied sense of self that continued with grace and dignity. I get chills to just keep being you. We all were mirrored back in that. It was. I mean, there's standing up. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was and is so important. And with you in that position, it was just like, all the time. It just felt like. And I feel like that's part of what I saw in looking at the book. It's like it became so much. That's just who you are that I almost forgot. And looking back, you're like page after page after page. And, yes, the dresses are beautiful. Yes, the clothes are appropriate and respectful and all of the things and brought in other designers. But we see you standing there with your heart open, hugging people, talking to people, and connecting with people in a way that was just so incredibly important for all of us. So thank you.
- [30:53]
Michelle Obama
Oh, thank you. Thank you. It was an honor. Let me say this. Let me just be clear. It was the honor of my life, and it was easy to do it for the bigger cause, and we were. Barack and I were built for it, and we were capable of handling it. Didn't know it. Didn't know it. But this is what I want everybody to know. You know, when you can do a thing, you know. You know, when you can handle some mess. And we had prayer and a lot of support. So through it all, you know, I felt people. I felt like we were all doing it together. I never felt alone in this process. So thank you all for being there for us.
- [31:47]
Tracy Clayton
You stepped into a role that carried a preconceived idea of femininity and wifedom that was founded on the landmines of racism and misogyny. What the first lady wears is one of the main ways which you've already said that a First lady has talked about. It comes with so much historical expectation. How do you feel about the fact that the first lady is an archetype for wifedom and femininity?
- [32:13]
Michelle Obama
Yeah, I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that. It is a completely throwback on. It's a definition that has no current. Current status in how Women actually show up in the world today.
- [32:35]
Tracy Clayton
Do you think that that impacts the room that we've made for a woman to be president?
- [32:40]
Michelle Obama
Well, as we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my. My time. You know, we got a lot of growing up to do, and there's still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman. And we saw it. What was the question.
- [33:11]
Tracy Clayton
I just said?
- [33:11]
Sponsor Voice
Mm.
- [33:14]
Tracy Clayton
We don't need to ask it again. You answered it. So femininity, wifedom.
- [33:20]
Michelle Obama
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think we still have growing today do in that regard. And, you know, we can see how progress can be made and things can be snatched back when it comes to us owning our power as women. But, yeah, I was Barack and I, our marriage to me feels more traditional, that we are partners, that we are equals. We have always been. That's how our relationship was defined at the very beginning. When we first met one another, we were both Harvard law students. He was my advisee. I was at the firm before he was. But I also recognize his brilliance and ambition and the things that he can do that I cannot. They're just an excellent intelligence in him that I just can't keep up with sometimes. But I think that helped me understand that I had to do the work with him to make it work. And he knew that. He knew that we would be doing this together or we wouldn't be doing it at all. But with that said, I felt like I worked and supported the Commander in chief. Yes, he was my husband. But when our team, whenever we did anything, my motto was, let us not block the work. Let us never do anything that's going to get in the way of getting things done. And that came to how I dressed and what I said. This is why it's like, you know, I was very cautious to make sure that we matched high end designers with low end designers because they would have dinged the heck out of me had I shown up in some Chanel and some Louboutin every day. You know, if I was trying to walk in the garden in some high heeled shoes, they would have come, they would have ate me alive as being disconnected and, you know, but I was also not that woman. I was a working woman, you know, with a strategic mind and ideas about what I needed to do. And I Didn't want the clothes to talk louder than the work that I did. So we were also working to balance that, and I had to have a team of people. And Meredith Koop, who was my stylist, who quickly understood the pitfalls of what we had to deal with. She had a steep learning curve, too. So all of that was a part of being a. A partner. You know, the first spouse is not elected. I did not try to become him. I tried to use the power that I had to support him and to elevate the issues that I cared about. And fashion, whether the West Wing understood it or not, as I used to tell them, it's like all the stuff we do on the East Wing, from the clothes I wear to Bo and Sonny and Malia and Sasha and Grandma, those are. Those were five approval points that he got, extra approval points that he got because we provided a balance. Right. I mean, you don't want to just see the Commander in Chief as this stodgy dude in the Oval Office. He needs to be humanized. Right. And we help to humanize him to show the light part of the. When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work, you know, and to denigrate it, to tear it down, to pretend like it doesn't matter, it is like it can just very representative of, you know, it is how you think about that role. I think that plays as much a part in being able to make that kind of decision when you're renovating. We didn't. We just didn't have that kind of relationship. And it starts at the top. And it starts because I'm married to a man who wanted an equal. You know, he wanted somebody who was his partner.
- [37:40]
Tracy Clayton
You know, as you're talking about that, I've never heard it expressed that way. But there's something I talk about also in Hollywood, in the industry around cultural currency, and there is. It's hard for all industry and people to understand the importance of it and the balance that. That it offers. And there's no dollar amount. There's no real box to check, but it is the heart of it. And so I'm glad you expressed that that way. I think it's incredibly important. You mentioned Meredith. So you wrote this book in collaboration with Meredith Koop. She started as an assistant stylist in 2008 and took over as your primary stylist in 2010. I do kind of want to read a little bit of what she can.
- [38:26]
Michelle Obama
Okay.
- [38:26]
Tracy Clayton
So one of the things that Meredith wrote, she said, I thoroughly educated Myself on the details of each event, absorbing information as though I was studying for a test. I kept abreast of current news and politics that would inform tone. What was the event generally and has it happened before? What is the historical significance? Has the first lady attended in the past? If so, so what did she wear? Who else is participating? Who is the audience? What time of day does it take place? And where is there an outdoor component? What are Michelle's movements exactly? Is she speaking? Is there a podium? On and on and on. Events abroad would amplify this research exponentially, requiring additional collaboration with state departments to navigate delicate cultural relationships. Once I understood. Once she understood the landscape of the upcoming events, then she would begin to strategize and envision a fashion narrative. People just thought you were looking for dresses.
- [39:27]
Michelle Obama
That's really. I mean, this is why I wrote the book, y'.
- [39:31]
Sponsor Voice
All.
- [39:31]
Tracy Clayton
Yeah.
- [39:31]
Michelle Obama
And it's like, you think, I'm just putting on some. Some dress. Oh, that's a nice dress.
- [39:36]
Tracy Clayton
Look at that.
- [39:37]
Michelle Obama
Purple or blue?
- [39:38]
Tracy Clayton
Should we go with pants or a skin skirt?
- [39:40]
Michelle Obama
You know, like.
- [39:41]
Tracy Clayton
But I think the reason I found that so wonderful and also staggering, number one, is in the culture that we're in now, so often, we don't understand the magnitude of process, the depth of process, what it actually takes to make something look effortless, to make something look exceptional. And the. What was so beautiful to me is the care to understand all of the context, so that not only could you go and show up and do what you do, but so that the narrative is on the right thing, and it takes all of that care. It's not something that happens. You're like, I don't know. And then as Meredith continued in the position with you and in that role, learning how to communicate with designers and say that that's not gonna work, there was one little tidbit that really was so beautiful. She was like, michelle was wearing a wrap dress, but she can't sit in a wrap dress. But it was a wrap dress. But she had the thing sewed up.
- [40:43]
Michelle Obama
She had Diane von Furstenberg redo the wrap dress for me so that there was a panel, because the wrap dresses were perfect. They were elegant, they were easy to wear. But y' all ladies, you know, the rap dress, you just sit down and it's just, woo, hello, looky here. You know? But to be that young and have the confidence to go to a designer and go, this is not gonna work. You're gonna have to cut that in half. That needs to become. That sleeve is coming Off. I'm sure she made. If you all are here, I know she made some of you mad, right? Because she, you know, she was like, I know what is going to work for Michelle, and it is. This is the interesting thing. The first lady is famous, but as I said, I am not a starlet. I'm not a celebrity in the traditional sense. I have to show up ready, but I still have to be connective. And the work was more important than that. And the fact that I had somebody as smart as Meredith, it allowed me any authenticity that, you see, meant that once I put something on, I was like, I can't even think about it. Just like back there in this dress, I was like, you know what? I don't know. I hope things lay well. But my team knows. Don't touch me. Because I am not here for the hair to be right in the right place. I want to be here for the person that I'm talking to. I want to be present in the moment. And if I can't trust that you guys have done that work, I will be self conscious. And I was never self conscious. I was always like, you know what? Meredith is going to make sure it's right that my, you know, nothing is hanging out, and I can do the work, you know? And it was also because I was a different kind of first lady. I was completely active. I mean, you didn't know. And this got Meredith. She'd be like, you know, oh, she's gonna get on the floor with those kids in that dress. And I'm like, yes, I am so. And I'm always game. It's like, okay, I have caught footballs. I mean, I have run relay races. I played with puppies on the south lawn. I mean, we have broken the jumping jack world record. I've jumped double Dutch. I have. Ah, Lord, if it was a thing to do, we were moving. Let's move. And you couldn't show sweat while you were doing it. And that gets the hair, because that meant, ooh, you know, Johnny Yanae, those people be like, lord, she's gonna sweat that out. And I'd say, yes, sir. Yes, I am. And you better have your flatiron ready to redo everything. So good segue.
- [43:34]
Sponsor Voice
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- [44:54]
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- [46:33]
Tracy Clayton
Let's talk about the hair. Okay, you wrote, in a way, being first lady. Being first lady was just another professional experience where I had to conform to a white environment of appropriateness. And you said that you kept your hair straight throughout The White House years, so it would not be a talking point. Your journey is much like that of many of us black women who have felt that we have had to conform to beauty standards that we didn't see ourselves in. How did you keep your hair healthy with all that heat? What day was wash day? Did you sleep in rollers or a bonnet? And how'd you keep your edges?
- [47:16]
Michelle Obama
All. All answered in the book.
- [47:21]
Tracy Clayton
All answered in the book.
- [47:23]
Michelle Obama
Growing up in Chicago, at the time that I did extensions, wigs, all of that, that wasn't a thing. You went to your hairdresser every week, and mine was Ronnie Flowers at Van Cleef. I had a relaxer like everybody else did because I was a professional, and so I wasn't in the world of hair and what celebrities were doing. So for the first couple of years, that was me wearing my hair, getting it done two, three times a day, and Johnny Wright, who is my style throughout the White House years, with Yanae as his assistant, you know, they knew, girl, you're not gonna keep. You're not gonna have your hair if we keep doing this. And I was like, well, what am I supposed to do? And that's when he finally convinced me to start using extensions and wigs and things like that. But I had to tell them, look, I cannot show up with my hair my length and then down my back the next day. You know, I said, we can't live in that world, so just settle down, partner. You know, because they wanted to. And I was like, I'm about to go into a school with children. I can't have all this, you know? So the deal was, okay, we'll do this, but it has to be exactly my hair. So that's was the plan, and that saved my hair, because you want to talk about. I wanted to come out of the White House with my sanity, my children intact, and my edges together. That was really the directive. So hair health was a big part of that. And then I realized, well, that's what everybody's doing in Hollywood and for women and black women and things. And you can talk about this, people. Because the hair journey for women in TV has changed significantly because there weren't people who knew how to do textured hair at all.
- [49:19]
Tracy Clayton
No, no, we all. I mean, we're not talking about me. I'm like, why are you looking at me?
- [49:24]
Michelle Obama
But it's also.
- [49:26]
Tracy Clayton
But yes, it is a journey for all black women, whatever industry you're in. And in Hollywood, it is a thing. And now they're finally having hairstylists that are trained to be able. But what that was is that you had to learn how to do your own hair.
- [49:40]
Michelle Obama
Exactly.
- [49:41]
Tracy Clayton
And that's part of where pattern was born from. Because the pattern beauty.
- [49:48]
Michelle Obama
Get it.
- [49:49]
Tracy Clayton
Get it. For Curly, Coily and Tight Texas.
- [49:52]
Michelle Obama
The drugstore near you.
- [49:53]
Tracy Clayton
Yes, we exceed the needs of the Curly, coily and Tight Texans.
- [49:56]
Michelle Obama
We gonna charge you for sponsorship.
- [50:00]
Tracy Clayton
Question number 11, so. But, yeah, I think. I can't imagine. I'm grateful that you were able to leave with your sanity, your family, and your edges intact.
- [50:14]
Michelle Obama
That's right.
- [50:15]
Tracy Clayton
And that you were able to find a solution that would allow you to continue doing what you do without that being a thing that was going to damage part of you.
- [50:24]
Michelle Obama
That's right. That's right. And I also grew my relaxer out, people. I mean, that was we. You that became. That was the thing. It's like, I don't even really need a relaxer. What are we doing, my girls? We had that little relaxer for a minute. I stopped relaxing their hair. So we learned about hair care. We learned about hair health because I had two technicians that cared. And the truth is, the bangs. You know why I wore bangs? I read about it to give my edges a break, y'. All. That was the one thing it was like to stop. Stop pulling my hair back. We put the bangs in. I mean, it was a practical. And I had no idea it would be all that, you know.
- [51:06]
Tracy Clayton
Well, bangs have a lot of connotation.
- [51:09]
Michelle Obama
What do.
- [51:10]
Tracy Clayton
What bangs are. You're going through a change.
- [51:12]
Michelle Obama
Like, is that what it is?
- [51:13]
Tracy Clayton
You've had a breakup when you. Oh, she cut bangs.
- [51:16]
Michelle Obama
Is that really.
- [51:17]
Tracy Clayton
I mean, I don't.
- [51:18]
Michelle Obama
I don't know. I don't know. Okay.
- [51:20]
Tracy Clayton
I mean, but that's. People saying.
- [51:22]
Michelle Obama
People thought that I was going through a breakup.
- [51:24]
Tracy Clayton
I just thought you looked great. I don't think anyone thought that. I think you looked great. That's what it was. They were like, oh, she looked great. I thought this was so interesting because I didn't realize again, you say it's 10 years since you guys have been out, which is like, what? The crown act was not introduced until after you left the White House. Fascinating. The natural hair movement began to take off during your White House years, but you stayed with strangers. It was two months after you left the White House that the world saw your natural hair and some pictures of you on vacation. Can you talk about the freedom that you've experienced post White House, both with your hair and in your style?
- [52:03]
Michelle Obama
I love having a team, but I have to learn how to live without a team, because that's the other thing that we become captive to our teams, to our hairstylists. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. There are people that won't pay the rent because they are gonna go get their hair done. Right? And I couldn't solely rely on having these young people fly around everywhere with me coming on vacation, it's like, we didn't have it like that. So I always had to be able. On vacation when they weren't gonna be around to be able to do my own hair. So that was. It was a. Those decisions were decisions of control for me. And I didn't. You know, I didn't grow up with a team, even though I had a team. I am a person that feels like you should do the stuff on your own, right? So I never wanted to feel captive. So I always. I learned how to do my own makeup. I learned how to put a lash on. I learned how to do my own hair in the same way that you said, because you can't have people with you all the time. And I knew that there was going to be life post White House. Even though my team still works with me, part of that was control. And the decision to get my hair braided was primarily a continuation of that freedom. You know, it's like, a lot of people want to know, what do braids mean? What does she mean? Look, y'.
- [53:26]
Sponsor Voice
All.
- [53:28]
Michelle Obama
Where does she mean? You know? I mean, that's what white folks are. It's like, what does that mean? What are you saying? We're saying nothing except I just don't want to have to do my hair every day, and I want to go swimming. I don't want to have to worry about it. Let me explain something to white people. Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern. So when we're straightening it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness. That's why so many of us can't swim, and we run away from the water. People won't go to the gym because we're trying to keep our hair straight for y'. All. It is exhausting, and it's so expensive, and it takes up so much time. Braids are for y', all, so we can work harder and focus on the work. So why do we need an act, an act of law to tell white folks to get out of our hair? Don't tell me how to wear my hair. Don't wonder about it. Don't Touch it. Just don't. It just is. So braids, for me, was part of the. The freedom of, like, I just. I want to. I want to work out and play tennis, and I don't want to have to have a team. And braids are beautiful, and they're versatile, and they protect your hair. They're a protective style, and I love them. I love wearing my hair in braids. So I knew I was always going to go back to braids, which I have done, and I knew it was important. Even though I couldn't. I didn't feel like I had the leeway to wear braids as first lady, because look anything different that we did a fist bump, my arms out. Y', all, come on. You could pretend like I could wear braids, but this is where you just have sense. It's like, I didn't have time to explain this to the world. It was just like, I'm trying to get people healthy and protect military families. I just didn't have the time to expl these braids, so I just didn't do it. I was like, that's just one fight I'm not going to take on. I'm doing a lot. So there was. It was a decision. But I knew that I wanted to make that statement at some point. And wearing my hair in braids when we unveiled our official White House portrait, to me was the chance, because that was really the first and only time we went back to the White House since we've left to unveil those portraits.
- [56:21]
Tracy Clayton
That was plenty.
- [56:25]
Michelle Obama
And so, as the first black First Lady, I thought it was important to be part of this growing movement to say for anybody who's wondering whether braids or locs or anything else, we do our natural hair, our short hair is appropriate. Stop asking. If we're wearing it and we're doing the job in it, it is appropriate. Trust me. Just worry about the product. So, yes, I wanted to make that statement in the White House.
- [56:58]
Tracy Clayton
Thank you for that.
- [56:59]
Michelle Obama
Yeah. Okay. Okay.
- [57:14]
Tracy Clayton
The DNC suit.
- [57:16]
Michelle Obama
Ah, yeah. The Muncie suit.
- [57:19]
Tracy Clayton
Well, and that was a braided look. That was exceptional. I remember, like, every angle of you was amazing.
- [57:29]
Michelle Obama
Yeah. Yeah.
- [57:31]
Tracy Clayton
So I personally, when you walked out.
- [57:35]
Michelle Obama
You know what?
- [57:36]
Tracy Clayton
Wait, before I do this, because this is shoes. Are you always in a flat? Is it comfort? Is it your preference? Not a flat, but a lower shoe?
- [57:46]
Michelle Obama
It depends on what I'm doing. That's a good question, because, you know, when I'm giving a speech, I want to be grounded, right? So I rarely wear a big Heel. Because there's just something about, like, if I'm trying to deliver, I don't want to be teetering, I don't want to be unstable. So I like a lower heel so I don't have to focus on the heel. You know, even just walking out on stage, you know what I'm thinking when I'm walking out on stage. Anytime.
- [58:16]
Tracy Clayton
Please tell us.
- [58:17]
Michelle Obama
Don't fall. Don't trip. Don't trip. Just don't trip. Don't fall. Watch your step. Take it slowly before anything walking down. That's why I've never fallen down the stairs of Air Force One. Because I'm thinking, don't fall, don't trip, girl. Do not become a meme. That's what I'm thinking right there. Don't fall, don't fall. So you know, the shoe that I wear, and so I often will do, especially for a live DNC speech, you get one chance. It's live. It's gotta be right? So I have a ritual. What I do with big speeches like that, I practice in the morning because I just want to get the speech. I want to know the speech by heart. Because you never know when a teleprompter is going to go down or something's not going to work. It's live tv. I do it in flat shoes behind. Because they usually have a teleprompter behind for all the speech givers to practice. I do it once and then I put on the shoe that I'm going to wear and I do the speech again so that by the time I come out, it's locked in. And then I can deliver it, right?
- [59:23]
Tracy Clayton
And locked in from your feet all the way up.
- [59:26]
Michelle Obama
And that's how the decision about clothes works, right? So that suit was Meredith. You know, we had a fitting for this event. She brought a bunch of suits. We put that on and it was clear. It was like, dag, this is a bad suit. You know, that's usually how I pick stuff. It's like, this is bad. You know, we weren't thinking about symbolism or Wakanda or nothing. I don't know what all that was about. It was just like, this is a clip suit. You know, it was modern and different and a little edgy, which is sort of what the path I was on anyway. And this is when I told Njeri, my braider, I wanted that long power braid because I didn't want a lot of hair. So it was things like that that I thought about. But once we pick the suit, it's about the work, you know, it's like this suit. I know I feel good in. I feel clean in. And now I can deliver, do what I'm here for, which is to deliver a message. Now, y' all didn't listen, but we won't go there. Okay? Some of y' all did. Some of y' all listen.
- [60:35]
Tracy Clayton
We hear everything you say.
- [60:37]
Michelle Obama
We. Some of y' all did.
- [60:39]
Tracy Clayton
You said. What's the expression that you use when you like the look? You said, oh, this is bad. You know what mine is?
- [60:45]
Michelle Obama
What's that?
- [60:45]
Tracy Clayton
Oh, my God. I like this girl.
- [60:47]
Michelle Obama
Oh, yes. So weird.
- [60:49]
Tracy Clayton
I say it all the time. I'm like, oh, I like this girl.
- [60:51]
Michelle Obama
I want to know her.
- [60:52]
Tracy Clayton
She's good. Okay. I want to be Versace dress.
- [60:57]
Michelle Obama
This.
- [60:57]
Tracy Clayton
Oh, yeah, Versace dress. Here it comes.
- [60:59]
Michelle Obama
Oh, this is. Now that.
- [61:05]
Tracy Clayton
I mean, I colored the whole thing. I just. I was like, oh, my God. Oh, my God.
- [61:11]
Michelle Obama
That was me, too. Oh, my God. It was so good. It was so good.
- [61:17]
Tracy Clayton
Was it cold? Cause chainmail can be cold.
- [61:19]
Michelle Obama
It wasn't that bad. It was heavy, which is a trip when you have three hours and a long photo line and all that. But luckily, I was healthy and in shape. But that was a beautiful dress. This was the last state dinner. Italy. So Versace in Italy, that's how Meredith was thinking. And she told me this story that this dress was shown in a different chain, metal. And this is her. She was like, huh, Rose gold would be beautiful. So she went to Versace and said, can you do this in a rose gold? Now, the process with a state dinner dress is that we do fittings, like, a month in advance, and we always have a few options, right? Because ladies, zippers break. Stuff doesn't work. You fit it once it comes back. And these dresses have to fit perfectly. And we never know until the night of whether something is going to happen. So we always have a backup. So I usually have three dresses ready, and then I don't decide until that night what I'm gonna do. And it's a surprise to my husband, too. So that became one of our rituals that I talk about in the book. That that was kind of like our only really cool date night that we could have, you know? And so we had a ritual where he wouldn't know what was going on. And the house was. Was a buzz because the music is playing, and the girls are in with us getting ready, and we got champagne and the hors d' oeuvres from downstairs, and mom is waiting, and they don't know what I'm gonna wear. And I walk out into the salon, into the Grosshau, where Barack is waiting. It's like prom. And then everybody follows. The butlers come out, and all of Trifecta. They come out, and they just wait to watch him, to see what he's gonna say. Especially Meredith. He was like, he better like this. She's usually looking at him like, don't ask, right? Because he's also a man. He was like, why is there all this? What is. What's this? And I'm usually like, it's fashion. Okay. You don't understand. So we did that with this dress, and so it was just beautiful. And when I put it on, it felt good. It fit like a glove. And we were being edgier the second term. It was the last state dinner. So this dress was always also like a bye. It's like, this was like, I don't even care what you think, because guess what? We don't need no more votes. You can like it. You cannot. I'm all be sexy as I don't know what. I don't care no more. That was this dress, too. That was the statement.
- [64:08]
Tracy Clayton
Yeah. Whose style do you admire?
- [64:16]
Michelle Obama
Whose style? Oh, so many. I admire your style. I do. I mean, I really do. Your mother's style. Style. I love the. I love the divas. You know, I did one of the other look episodes podcast that you'll hear. We do this beautiful conversation on aging in the public eye with me, Jenna Lyons, Jane Fonda, and Bethann Hardison. It is a conversation, y'. All. And Jane Fonda, oh, she's like, 87. She showed up in this white suit, just crisp, clean together. I was like, that's what 87 is, you know? So I like any. I really like a clean. Like, the clean, solid, timeless looks. And anyone who sports those looks, I admire their style.
- [65:16]
Tracy Clayton
We've talked a lot about wearing clothes to send the world a message. What do you wear to send yourself a message?
- [65:25]
Michelle Obama
Anything that makes me feel good. I mean, I do not pick something that doesn't make me feel good. I never wear something to follow a trend. I wear things that make me feel beautiful, and that is probably the first criterion. And then I wear things that allow me to forget about what I'm wearing and do the work. So I do want, like, I forgot about this dress and this cape, this. Whatever this is doing, you know, it was fun to walk out on, but I'm done. I'm not thinking about how it's folding. And I'm sure Meredith Is losing her mind because she was like, the angle is wrong. Move your foot. And I tend not to worry about that once I'm in it. A moment and to these days, the book takes my arc from childhood till today. So you see the variations. When I did the becoming tour, it was about pants. I didn't want to be in a dress. I had done enough little lady dresses during the eight years, and so they were glamorous. And then the light was the book that I wrote after Covid, and I wanted that to be more personal, smaller venue. I wanted to be more relaxed, and we went more urban. That's when I had my hair in braids. All of those iterations are me. You know, a cool jeans outfit, a funky barrel jean cut, a T shirt. You know, just anything that fits well. And that's one of my styling advices. One of the things I learned is that it's worth getting your stuff tailored. And that was like, if. If. If you're looking for any kind of hack, that's the biggest one is rarely does anybody, you know, fit the dress size. We are all too diverse in our sizes. And to make even affordable clothes look clean and sleek, getting them fitted to you, getting a T shirt tucked, a shirt pulled in, if you go to your local dry cleaners. And we did that with Target dresses and J. Crew. Everything was tailored so that it fit me the way it should. It would be the right length. It would be if we needed to cut a sleeve off or add fabric. The links work, and all of that stuff matters. So all of that makes all these different styles accessible to me because they're all parts of who I am, you know, So I don't think there's one way. I think I'm still exploring, discovering who I am playing. The beauty of playing in fashion is still part of it, you know, And I still love to play. So it. I'm. And I'm still evolving at 61 years old, y' all still figuring it out.
- [68:26]
Tracy Clayton
I've said it throughout this conversation, but I will say it again. Thank you. Thank you for how you have shared yourself with us through the eight years, through your books, through this new book, the look. Go get it. Christmas holidays coming up. Thank you for being you and thank you for this beautiful conversation.
- [68:49]
Michelle Obama
Oh, thank you, Tracy. Thank you for your friendship. You all, New York, you all. Thank you so much for coming out tonight and being a part of this live conversation. I love you all.
- [69:00]
Tracy Clayton
Thank you, everybody.
- [69:01]
Michelle Obama
Thank you, guys. Good night. Be safe. Sa.