When Michelle Obama ceased to be the First Lady of the United States, the fashion press, which had been watching her closely for eight years, began to notice two new phenomena: she no longer straightened her hair and her dress style became increasingly relaxed. Although she continued to convey a message of aspirational power, she no longer shied away from daring fashion choices that she would never have dared to make before.
COVID-19 pandemic, workwear has relaxed, and the playbook for dressing for success has changed. It's caused a lot of uncertainty-but former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama shared her styling tips on how to dress for the job. "I do not pick something that doesn't make me feel good," Obama recently said in conversation with Tracee Ellis Ross about her new book, The Look. "I never wear something to follow a trend. I wear things that make me feel beautiful. That is probably the first criterion."
Now, 16 years since Michelle Obama appeared in hers wearing a black sleeveless shift dress from the American designer Michael Kors, the former first lady has spoken about the particular outrage caused by her bare arms. Writing in The Look, a new photo book released on Tuesday that documents her style throughout her time in the White House, Obama describes how the media and public's fascination with her bare arms was used as a tool to otherize her.
"These groups are changing the way girls see themselves in their own communities and in our world, helping create the leaders we need for the brighter future we all deserve,"
