Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    LIFE Michelle Obama
    LIFE Michelle Obama
    LIFE Michelle Obama
    Ebook187 pages1 hour

    LIFE Michelle Obama

    By The Editors of LIFE

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The Editors of LIFE Magazine present LIFE Michelle Obama.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLife
    Release dateNov 9, 2018
    ISBN9781547845880
    LIFE Michelle Obama

    Read more from The Editors Of Life

    Related to LIFE Michelle Obama

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Michelle Obama

      Apr 29, 2019

      Michelle Obama
      1 min read

    • Article

      Wrap Party!

      Mar 24, 2022

      Wrap Party!
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Power of Love

      Feb 1, 2024

      Last fall, I released my latest book, A Journey of Faith: A Mother’s Alzheimer’s, a Son’s Love and His Search for Answers. I must thank you for your response to my story. I worried that a book about my family’s experience with Alzheimer’s and my own

      1 min read

    • Article

      'Unity With Purpose'

      Feb 5, 2021

      'Unity With Purpose'
      8 min read

    • Article

      No Need for Thanks

      Mar 7, 2019

      No Need for Thanks
      3 min read

    • Article

      Tunnel Vision

      Apr 5, 2021

      WALKING THE STREETS OF New York can’t be described. It has to be felt. Punishing with pace, surrounded by so many on their own individual paths, moving at a ferocious speed to get to wherever they’re headed. It’s the place where you put in the work t

      7 min read

    • Article

      Shocking Celeb Crime Scenes

      Apr 6, 2020

      The closest that most celebrities come to a crime scene is playing a dead body on a fake blood-soaked movie set. But for some stars, a brush with the authorities can get real. Here, the NW-ettes pull on their detective hats and examine the most notor

      4 min read

    • Article

      Golden Years

      Oct 22, 2019

      Golden Years
      4 min read

    • Article

      Oscars After-parties: Spike Lee And Barbra Streisand's Sweet Encounter At Governors Ball

      Feb 25, 2019

      LOS ANGELES - Spike Lee didn't even try to hide it: He was upset that "Green Book" won best picture. As soon as Julia Roberts announced the Academy Award winner, Lee jumped from his seat and walked down the aisle toward the exit, gesticulating wildly

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Queen Of The World

      Sep 8, 2022

      The Queen Of The World
      14 min read

    • Article

      Naomi Campbell

      Apr 2, 2020

      Naomi Campbell
      5 min read

    • Article

      25 Top Shows

      Jun 29, 2023

      25 Top Shows
      1 min read

    • Article

      Kamala Ascent Of A Woman

      Nov 23, 2020

      Kamala Ascent Of A Woman
      6 min read

    • Article

      Birtherism Of A Nation

      May 13, 2020

      Birtherism Of A Nation
      6 min read

    • Article

      An Orator Like No Other

      Jun 5, 2020

      An Orator Like No Other
      3 min read

    • Article

      2000s

      Mar 6, 2020

      2000s
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for LIFE Michelle Obama

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      LIFE Michelle Obama - The Editors of LIFE

      Obama

      INTRODUCTION

      A CLASS OF HER OWN

      By Haley Sweetland Edwards

      PAUL SANCYA/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

      During the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, Michelle gives an emotional speech, touching on feminism, racisim, patriotism and partisanship. By all accounts, she steals the show.

      Michelle Obama rocketed into the American consciousness just 14 years ago, shortly after her husband’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention galvanized voters and launched his political career. In those early days, reporters grappled with how to describe the statuesque wife of Illinois state senator Barack Obama. Some, besotted by her flawless fashion choices, likened her to Jacqueline Kennedy, while others, noting her deep intelligence, invoked Eleanor Roosevelt. But neither description seemed quite right. And from the outset, Michelle evaded classification as a political plus-one, destined instead to become a force in her own right.

      She was, for starters, never just a senator’s wife. The towering 5-foot-11 Michelle was a Princeton- and Harvard-educated attorney in possession of a sharp wit, formidable ambition—and arms that would make a gladiator blush. If some political spouses such as Hillary Clinton embraced the limelight, and others, such as Barbara Bush, opted for domesticity, Michelle Obama fit neither mold. She told anyone who would listen that she hated politics, and yet she seemed also to chafe at expectations that she play a deferential role. It wasn’t always easy going.

      During her husband’s first presidential campaign, critics slammed Michelle for over sharing when she joked about his morning breath, and she regularly made headlines—both glowing and scathing—for her unguardedly expressive face. (In 2013, Buzzfeed compiled a list of Michelle’s 38 greatest facial expressions, many of which reappear in GIFs and jokes online today.) In one particularly memorable gaffe, Michelle told a campaign rally, For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. The comment drew fury from Republicans and sparked a national conversation about the complex patriotism often required of black Americans.

      But in emerging into the searing limelight, Michelle Obama also found her way, quietly becoming something of an idol for American women trying to make their way in a career-driven world. Michelle was not just a political wife and the mother of two beautiful girls. And she was not just an ambitious lawyer of her own. She was, unapologetically, both. In campaign speeches, and later, in countless addresses as First Lady, she celebrated her roles, inviting voters into the ups and downs of her family life, joking about her husband allowing the bread to go stale on the counter, and expertly articulating the complex challenges facing young Americans today.

      Michelle, who was raised of modest means on Chicago’s South Side, seemed to give credence to the possibilities that America offered—and to add urgency to efforts to equalize access to real opportunity. When she spoke about the Obama administration’s efforts to help students repay massive debt, voters had reason to believe her. You’re looking at a young couple that’s just a few years out of debt, Michelle told a crowd, referring to herself and her husband. See, because, we went to those good schools, and we didn’t have trust funds. I’m still waiting for Barack’s trust fund.

      If she was once reticent about politics, Michelle embraced her role as First Lady, using her podium at the White House to become a fitness leader, an advocate for healthy eating, and a persistent example of grace and poise. If her predecessor Laura Bush had been known for her flawless etiquette, Michelle’s charm was somewhat more earthy. Her language was often peppered with the jargon of pop-culture and references to TV shows, and she spoke openly and bluntly about the challenges of life. She had every right to be pretentious, but somehow, she was utterly without pretension.

      And she managed to do it all, as was said of Ginger Rogers, backwards and in heels. As the country’s first African American First Lady, Michelle carried the additional responsibility, fairly or not, of representing an often underrepresented community. In an essay on TheRoot.com, Kim McLarin described Michelle and Barack’s relationship as validation for dark-skinned women. He chose one of us, and I am thrilled, McLarin writes. She loves, respects, and adores Barack, but she is the prize and she damn well knows it. He better know it, too. In 2008, Ebony magazine named the Obamas to its 10 Hottest Couples list, alongside Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

      As her time in the White House drew to a close, and the venomous 2016 presidential campaign reached a crescendo, Michelle took on a new role—that of fiery orator. In a memorable speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, it was Michelle Obama who, this time, gave a speech that galvanized the crowd. Touching on race, partisanship, patriotism and feminism, her words united a divided arena and offered an upbeat version of how far America has come.

      The Democrats lost the election, but Michelle Obama’s approval ratings soared, and she found herself batting away the same question that her husband faced more than a dozen years earlier: Would she run for President? While she’s insisted elected office is not for her, Michelle’s legacy is clear. She has emerged as one of the most loved American icons representing grit, grace, humility—and the importance of fresh veggies.

      GALLERY

      MOMENTS IN A JOURNEY

      PETE SOUZA/THE WHITE HOUSE

      Before a White House reception celebrating African American History month, President Obama watches Michelle dance with 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin. Though in her lifetime McLaurin has seen 19 U.S. Presidents take office, she says Obama is the only one she has wanted to meet.

      JUGGLING CAREERS

      MARC POKEMPNER

      In 1996, Michelle Obama is spending days working as executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, a nonprofit that grooms young people for public service jobs. Whatever free time she has is spent helping with her husband’s first political campaign—a run, which will prove successful, for the Illinois Senate. Here, she strategizes at the Obama campaign headquarters.

      BUILDING A FAMILY

      CALLIE SHELL/AURORA

      In October 2006, Michelle, daughters Malia (left) and Sasha, and husband Barack relax on the front steps of the family’s Georgian Revival mansion in Chicago’s Kenwood district. At

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1