Michelle Obama Recalls The Media Erasing Her Identity During Run As First Lady

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is speaking out about the intense scrutiny she faced while in the White House.

During her appearance on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the "IMO" podcast host and "Becoming" author recalled being criticized for a myriad of things, including her clothing.

However, the relentless commentary about Michelle Obama didn't end there. The Harvard graduate also shared how it felt to have parts of her identity erased as she assumed her new position.

Speaking with Cooper on her chart-topping podcast, Michelle shared how it felt to be subjected to the media's portrayal of her during her tenure in the White House from 2009 to 2017. Discussing different pieces of media, Michelle recalled being frustrated by the articles and other press coverage that focused solely on her appearance rather than on the work she'd done or was doing.

"The top of the article would be she was wearing, not my education, not my professional career, but it started with appearance," she said. "It was clear that, oh, my God, you don't know anything about what I did before I came here."

Michelle highlighted that she was a two-time graduate of two prestigious Ivy League institutions and also had a flourishing career as a lawyer. Despite that, "The Light We Carry" author said all of that seemed to evaporate when she became the week's trending topic as First Lady.

"That quickly. My shoes become the most important thing about me. We have to think a lot more, to strike that balance and to be thoughtful about what messages we're sending, giving, receiving," she said. "When you get the power, when you're the boss, when you're running your own thing, let's just not become female versions of the thing that was broken. Are you building the world that you told your little girl existed?"

Michelle's transparency with Cooper marks the latest instance in which the public figure has spoken openly about the struggles she faced while serving as FLOTUS.

In a previous interview with Robin Roberts for 20/20, the mother of two admitted to feeling immense pressure while in the limelight because one wrong move could exacerbate the situation tenfold.

"You can’t afford to get anything wrong because – at least until the country came to know us – we didn’t get the grace that I think some other families have gotten," she recalled.

Michelle later acknowledged that "every First Lady" has faced or will face scrutiny. "I mean, we live in a culture, sadly, where if somebody wants to go after a woman, the first thing they do is go after our looks, our size, our physical being, as a way to make us feel small, to keep us in place," she said.

Even then, Michelle continued to show up as herself and to navigate the role of First Lady as she saw fit. "And as a black woman, I was dressing for all the mothers and grandmothers out there, [who] I knew would be shaking their head if I didn’t show up right," she said.

"I really thought about what I wanted to say with my fashion," Michelle added before stating that making a statement about "inclusion" and "diversity" was always at the top of her mind.

Since departing the White House, Michelle and her husband, Barack, have mostly stayed out of the headlines, emerging periodically to promote a project or endorse a political campaign.

In 2025, Michelle was once again the center of attention when she skipped President Donald Trump's inauguration, igniting concern and a whirlwind of rumors.

Michelle addressed the matter during an episode of her "IMO" podcast, sharing that she decided to forego the political event for her well-being, according to The Blast.

"My decision to skip the inauguration—or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me—were met with such ridicule and criticism," she said. "People couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart."

Now that Michelle's two daughters, Sasha and Malia, are adults, and she doesn't have the responsibilities of the presidency weighing on her, Michelle said she's being intentional about doing things that make her feel her best.

"I'm here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me," she explained. "And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that ‘was right,’ or was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me."

Later, Michelle said that after nearly a decade in the nation's capital, she took her power back and has chosen to "define my life on my terms for the first time."