Michelle Obama was both the First Lady and
the public's best gal pal.
She might be speaking to students, military
troops, or VIPs at a White House gala, but
somehow she appears to be talking specifically
to each of us every time she starts sharing
her pearls of wisdom.
Born into a middle-class family on the southside
of Chicago, Michelle carved out her extraordinary
success through hard work and relentless dedication,
boldly challenging the status quo throughout
her life.
As a former lawyer and Ivy-league graduate,
she's used her post as First Lady to advocate
for women's rights, education, equality, gun
control, and wellness.
As she prepares to move out of the White House
just after her 53rd birthday, we're celebrating
how far she's come.
Here's a look Michelle Obama's stunning transformation
over the years.
Humble beginnings
Michelle Obama might be a fashion icon now,
but long before she had Gucci on speed dial,
she grew up sharing a one-bedroom, one-bathroom
apartment with her parents and older brother.
Her dad was a city-pump operator, and her
mom was a homemaker, and their family of four
shared tight quarters within a bungalow with
other relatives.
Obama once said of her early life:
"Everything that I think about and do is shaped
around the life that I lived in that little
apartment in the bungalow my father worked
so hard to provide for us."
Though they weren't wealthy, her parents did
manage to keep things positive with some uplifting
traditions, like taking Sunday drives and
hosting family game nights.
Yes she can
Michelle's parents encouraged her and her
brother Craig to do well in school, and both
excelled immediately, even skipping the second
grade because of their smarts.
Michelle was chosen for her local gifted and
talented programs and was later admitted to
Chicago's first academic magnet school, which
she had to travel an hour on the bus to attend.
When she told her high school teachers she
wanted to go to Princeton, there were plenty
of doubters.
But not only did the National Honors Society
student get into Princeton University, she
also graduated cum laude in 1985 and then
went on to earn her law degree from Harvard
University in 1988.
The boss
Fresh out of Harvard, Michelle landed a job
at a Chicago law firm as a junior associate,
and soon after, she was put in charge of mentoring
a summer intern — a man who would later
become her husband, the then-26-year-old Barack
Obama.
The eventual President joked about his first
impression of Michelle to Oprah, saying:
"I remember being struck by how tall and beautiful
she was.
She, I have since learned, was pleasantly
surprised to see that my nose and ears weren't
quite as enormous as they looked in the photo
I'd submitted for the firm directory."
He asked multiple times, and eventually she
agreed to go out with him for ice cream, after
which they shared their first kiss, and the
rest, well, is history.
Breaking ground
After dating for three years, the Obamas wed
in 1992, holding their reception at the South
Shore Cultural Center in Chicago.
But back when the bride was growing up in
the same neighborhood 20 years prior, the
then-Country Club was segregated.
She later revealed in their vows:
"Barack didn't pledge riches, only a life
that would be interesting.
On that promise he delivered."
Mom first
Years before she moved into the White House,
while her husband was running for the U.S.
Senate, Obama made a point of negotiating
fair work flexibility for raising her two
young girls.
She shared her tough negotiating strategy
with Parade, saying that when she applied
for her last job before becoming the First
Lady, she brought her daughter Sasha to the
interview with her and said:
"'This is what I have: two small kids.
My husband is running for the U.S. Senate.
I will not work part time.
I need flexibility.
I need a good salary.
I need to be able to afford babysitting.
…. I will get the job done, I can work hard
on a flexible schedule.'
I was very clear.
And he said yes to everything."
Making history
When Barack Obama became President, he and
Michelle both made history, as she also became
the first black First Lady.
She also opened the doors of the White House
to others as well, saying that she and Barack
felt they had a responsibility to make their
home "feel like the people's house."
She also established the first White House
garden since Eleanor Roosevelt's during World
War II, complete with beehives that house
the "First Bees."
As an outspoken advocate for nutrition awareness
and exercise, Obama thought the garden would
be a good teaching tool to promote healthy
eating and food source education.
Salary sacrifice
Michelle Obama made a pretty penny in her
career as a hospital executive before her
husband won the Presidency, and while her
husband takes a presidential salary, Obama
receives no such stipend for her work.
Experts have estimated, though, that for all
she does in her role, a fair salary would
be right around what she was earning before.
"What I've come to find out is you don't sweat
the small stuff."
Fashionista
Michelle Obama's legacy for championing healthy
food choices and fitness will live on, to
be sure, but she'll also likely be remembered
for her stunning fashion choices throughout
the years.
Her ability to make even the most simple items
look ravishing has not gone unnoticed by the
public, and her swanky dress styles have become
legendary.
She's also helped shine a spotlight on some
up-and-coming designers like Jason Wu and
Tracy Reese, and her willingness to show off
those toned arms of hers in these gowns has
made her a supreme bit of fit-spiration for
all.
Madame President?
After her inspiring speeches on the campaign
trail for Hillary Clinton's Presidential run
in 2016, there have been many who've expressed
an interest in Michelle Obama herself making
a move for the President spot.
She's consistently denied any interest in
the job, but the crowd's passion for the possibility
only confirms her ability to reach the hearts
— and souls — of a great many diverse
people, worldwide.
And as the Obama administration comes to a
close, Michelle's fierce feminism, consistent
wisdom, timeless grace, and great sense of
humor have left a lasting impression that
will be hard to replicate by any incoming
First Lady.
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