The “string” and “sleevegate”: When Michelle Obama was an “inappropriate” First Lady

“I and I were portrayed as black people who didn’t understand the ‘rules’ of the elite world we were in and where we weren’t entirely welcome.” he can now speak openly without having to smooth corners due to his position. The Obama years may be a big chapter in modern history, but for Michelle they boil down to “I was so happy when we left. I wanted our children to have the freedom to live as they want, without the eyes of the world on them.”

One of the most striking images of the first lady of the United States is her first official portrait. Published by the White House and housed in the National Archives, it commemorates the start of their tenure, but also captures their identity and style. Michelle Obama, 16 years after her appearance in a black sleeveless dress by the American designer Michael Kors, talks about the particular outrage caused by her bare arms.

For Michelle Obama, fashion was a tool for promotion and representation

In her new book, “The Look,” Michelle Obama explores how she harnessed beauty and fashion as First Lady and defines her personal style after the White House.

The book – which also includes the views of Obama’s stylist, Meredith Koop, as well as the designers who dressed her for various events – aims to provide insight into how Obama used fashion as a tool of promotion and representation.

American University scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin writes in the foreword that Michelle Obama’s choice of skirts and trousers, as well as her support of emerging black, Asian and Latino designers, “styled her essence, because she has always been a woman of substance – a woman of high education, ideas and opinions, a woman who reads, listens to music, dances and has a sense of what our country could be and how to help her get there.”

And he adds: “During the second term, we saw her take a step further and get out of the conventional safety zone. Added to her warmth and kindness was a more confident and comfortable sense of self-confidence.

In her post-White House life she has not only made bold stylistic choices but has also chosen to share her thoughts without being swayed by how it might affect a political campaign or whether it will offend those whose sensibilities cannot withstand the truth about our nation’s past.”

The bare hands of Michelle Obama, an “unfit” First Lady

Michelle Obama’s preference for sleeveless dresses was, in addition to her trademark, a field of attack “brilliant”. “Michelle Obama Wears a Sleeveless Dress Again,” read a New York Times article, noting that four of the seven dresses she wore in one week were sleeveless, including a pink dress she wore on the cover of Vogue and a blue dress she wore when she was photographed chatting with a chef in the White House kitchen.

However, it was the display of her biceps in front of Congress, as she accompanied her husband, Barack, to his first address to a joint session, that really angered her critics, who derided her as “excessively informal”, “inappropriate” and “out of date”. “In a rage,” read one headline. Another tried to coin the term “Sleevegate.”

Although previous first ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy, have worn sleeveless dresses, Michelle Obama notes that they have never caused what she calls “a stir.”

“Although I’m certainly not the only First Lady who has been criticized – Hillary was constantly criticized for her preference for pants, and Nancy Reagan was heavily criticized for her love of haute couture. This was different,” he writes.

In 2009, during a trip to the Grand Canyon to highlight the country’s national parks, he wore shorts, a T-shirt, an oversized shirt, and hiking sneakers, clothing he considered appropriate for both the rough terrain and the warm weather.

Washington Post fashion reporter Robin Givhan was scathing, calling her “ordinary” in an article that Obama says “I found especially painful.”

“I’ve come to expect these kinds of comments from men and political opponents, but I was disturbed by the fact that a black woman contributed to the attack. We were seven months into a brand new administration and I was the first black First Lady trying to find her way.”

“I was described as an angry curmudgeon and it put my husband down”

“As a black woman, I felt like I had to make sure people could see my feminine side,” she told People in an exclusive interview in October. “Especially at the beginning of the election campaign I was attacked by people who described me as an angry brat and this demeaned my husband. All of these labels were essentially trying to rob me of my femininity.

I understood it from the beginning. And I didn’t feel like it was hard to do, because above all I respected my position. I took the role of First Lady very seriously. I was a famous person, not a starlet. And that meant the clothes couldn’t overshadow anything I had to say.”

At one point on the campaign trail, Obama’s communications team suggested she modify her facial expressions.

She states in her book, “I had proven myself to be an effective speaker and, in some places, drew even larger audiences than Barack’s opponents. That’s why I was shocked when our communications team told me, rather sheepishly, that I needed to watch my tone and facial expressions because my passion and humor could be used against me.

I don’t remember the first time I was labeled “angry” by journalists, only that it happened often enough that articles and academic papers have since been written about the phenomenon. While I understood how the expression ‘angry black woman’ could be used against me in these situations, I was just speaking my truth.”

She wanted her clothes to reflect her attitude towards life

Despite the criticism she received, Obama was praised for many of her choices and for the opportunities she gave to up-and-coming designers. For the prom, she was expected to wear Oscar de la Renta, a designer with a long history of dressing first ladies.

However, Michelle Obama chose a dress by Jason Wu, an up-and-coming designer who was born in Taiwan, lives in New York and grew up in Vancouver.

“By wearing his dress I would be sending a message to the world that I was willing to stand up to the establishment ‘this is how it’s always been done’ in the White House,” she writes, adding: “We cannot change history with this attitude.” Images of Obama in Wu’s one-shoulder white silk chiffon dress are now in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

While Nancy Reagan was known for her love of haute couture and Kennedy favored Chanel, Obama became known for her “high-low” approach, a mix of fashion houses with more affordable brands.

“As First Lady, you are de facto placed on a pedestal because the role has historically held great ceremonial significance, representing the very concept of womanhood, femininity and the ideal spouse,” she writes.

“I knew I had to define my own fashion philosophy and I wasn’t interested in the ‘look, don’t touch’ approach. Instead, I wanted to invite people in: for a hug, or a meaningful conversation, even in the White House, which, from the day we moved in, I wanted to be as open and welcoming as possible (and as security allowed). My clothes had to reflect that desire of mine.”

Chapter: hairstyle

Almost all First Ladies in modern United States history have been the focus of criticism specifically for their hair. Michelle Obama quickly realized that no element of her appearance would be more politicized than her hair. She decided to keep them straight during her eight years in the White House.

“I knew I couldn’t give them anything else until the country got to know me. Others were trying to write our story before we could write it ourselves. So I thought: Let’s not create another distraction, let this country understand me as the first lady through my work and my actions.”

In “The Look,” Obama argues that black women’s personal style often moves in two directions: toward “dignity” or toward authenticity. For some, that means deciding whether to straighten their hair on a hot July day or leave their braids out before a job interview.

“We didn’t feel like we had the freedom to show up in the world as ourselves,” she said. “I was a lawyer before I was first lady: no black woman showed off her braids or her natural hair. Our mothers didn’t do that.”

“I don’t feel like I have to come to terms with my decision at the time. I mean, I understood why I had to do it then, and I would disagree with anyone who said I had the freedom to do something different. But I feel a deep sense of pride and warmth for this generation of young women who are doing things differently,” she said.

Now, the days of restrictions on her hairstyle are long gone. In recent appearances, including her official White House portrait unveiling in 2022, Michelle Obama has shown off her long braids. “I realized at some point I wanted to appear in public with my hair coming out of my head,” she said.

For her, that meant braids. “It was just a matter of time.” And, as she said, “braids are easier, they give me freedom.”

With information from The Guardian, The New York Times, Byrdie.