Michelle Obama Shares Why She Chose the American People Over Wearing Braids in the White House
“Let’s pass this healthcare bill first.”
Before the CROWN Act passed, former FLOTUS Michelle Obama wanted to wear her hair a braided hairstyle but knew the American people weren’t ready for that conversation during her earlier years as First Lady.
While on tour promoting her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, the Washingon Post noted Obama told an audience that she decided to wear her hair straight so that the focus could be on President Obama and his political goals and less commentary and think pieces around her hair. She stated Americans were “getting adjusted” to having a Black President and family in the White House. She recanted, “Let me keep my hair straight. Let’s get this healthcare bill passed.” Many other Black women in the political space during that time were often seen wearing silk presses, blowouts and styles deemed “acceptable.” The same also went for President Obama, who adopted a specific “uniform,” aka the “tan suit,” so he unconsciously could be taken seriously and heard by his constituents and peers.
Since her departure from the White House, Mrs. Obama has been embracing more natural styles and has been seen rocking everything from braids to her natural curls and even going makeup free at times. The bitter aftermath is that her recent revelation still sets the definite tone of how far we still have to go when embracing Black women in their natural form in all spaces.
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