Michelle Obama’s book details how the media’s focus on her arms was used to make her another Michelle Obama

HeyOne of the most powerful images of the First Lady of the United States is her first official portrait. Launched by the White House based in National ArchivesIt celebrates the beginning of their time in office but also highlights a sense of their identity and style.

Now, 16 years after Michelle Obama appeared in a sleeveless black dress by American designer Michael Kors, the former First Lady has spoken out about the outrage caused by her bare arms.

In The Look, a new photo book released 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.

The book – which also includes insights from Obama’s stylist Meredith Cobb, as well as the designers who dressed her for the events – aims to provide insight into how Obama used fashion as a tool for visibility and representation. Obama’s choice of skirts and trousers, and her support of emerging black, Asian, and Latinx designers, “brought elegance to her essence, because she had always been a woman of substance — a highly educated woman with ideas and opinions, a woman who reads, listens to music, dances, and has a sense of what our country can be and how we help it get there,” American academic Farrah Jasmine Griffin wrote in her introduction.

Obama’s preference for a sleeveless silhouette has been well documented. “Michelle Obama goes sleeveless again,” read a story in the New York Times that highlighted that four out of seven of her looks in one week were sleeveless, including a pink dress on the cover of Vogue and a blue one in which she was photographed chatting with chefs in the White House kitchen.

However, it was the display of her biceps before Congress as she accompanied husband Barack on his first speech to a joint session that really upset her critics, who derided her as everything from “too casual” to “inappropriate” and “out of season.” “Take arms,” read one headline. And another tried to mint the coin.”how much“.

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

“While I’m certainly not the only First Lady under scrutiny — Hillary was constantly criticized for her preference for feminine suits, and Nancy Reagan was criticized for her love of high fashion — this felt different,” she wrote.

“Barack and I were portrayed as black people who did not understand the ‘rules’ of the rarefied world we found ourselves in and were not unequivocally welcomed.”

It was one of several incidents in which her style choices were deemed “un-First Lady-like,” Obama wrote. In 2009, while on a trip to the Grand Canyon to highlight the country’s national parks, she wore short shorts, a tank top, an oversized T-shirt, and hiking boots, clothing that she felt was appropriate for both the rugged terrain and hot weather.

The Washington Post’s fashion correspondent, Robin Givhan, was scathing, calling it “common” in an article that Obama said “I found particularly distressing.”

“I expected these kinds of comments from men and political opponents, but it was disturbing to me that a black woman would contribute to this crowd. It was seven months into a brand new administration, and I was the first black first lady trying to find my way.”

Obama also reveals conflicts within her team over the stereotype of the “angry black woman.” At one point during the campaign, Obama’s communications team suggested that she modify her facial expressions.

“I have proven to be an effective solo speaker and, in some places, attract larger crowds than Barack’s opponents. So I was shocked when our communications team shared remarks, somewhat sheepishly, that I should be careful of my tone and facial expressions, because my passion and sense of humor could be used as a weapon against me.”

“I can’t remember the first time the press called me ‘angry,’ but it was often enough to write articles and academic papers about the phenomenon. While I intellectually understood how the ‘angry black woman’ trope could be used against me — and, frankly, why black women should be angry — in these cases, I was simply telling the truth.”

Despite her critics, Obama has been praised for many of her choices and for creating opportunities for emerging designer names. She was expected to wear Oscar de la Renta, a designer with a long history of designing clothes for first ladies, to the opening ceremony. However, Obama instead chose a dress from Jason Wu, an up-and-coming Taiwanese-born, New York-based designer who grew up in Vancouver.

“Wearing his robes would signal to the world that I am willing to buck the establishment by silently standing up to the edict that ‘this is how it’s always been done’ in the White House,” she wrote, adding: “We cannot change history with this attitude.” Photographs of Obama wearing Wu’s one-shoulder white silk gown are now in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and they instantly amplified his career.

Obama also writes about how serving at the height of the US recession led her to make different choices. While Nancy Reagan was known for her love of high fashion and Kennedy favored Chanel, Obama became known for her “high and low” approach. Along with designer brands, she has worn high-end fashion brands including H&M, Target and J Crew. “As First Lady, you are placed on a de facto pedestal because the role has historically carried so much ceremonial significance, representing the idea of ​​femininity itself, femininity and the marital ideal,” she writes. “I knew I had to define my own fashion philosophy, and I wasn’t interested in a ‘look, don’t touch’ approach. If anything, I wanted to invite people in: for a hug, for a meaningful conversation, even into the White House, which, from the day we moved in, I wanted to be as open and welcoming as possible (and as much as security would allow). My clothes had to reflect that.”