Since leaving the White House, Michelle Obama has spoken candidly about the different obstacles she and her family faced during their eight years as the first family. Through appearances on her podcast, IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, oand interviews with other outlets, the former First Lady has reflected on everything from the cost of living in the White House to how politics influenced her fashion choices. Now, a newly resurfaced interview is going viral as she reveals how she felt she “didn’t have the leeway” to wear her hair in braids. Keep reading for more information.
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Michelle Obama Faces Backlash For Resurfaced Interview
In November 2025, Michelle Obama released The Look, described as "a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time." Shortly after, she sat down with Tracee Ellis Ross at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a live taping of IMO: The Look, a six-part limited companion series to her hit podcast.
During one of the episodes, Obama explained that she gave just as much thought to her hairstyles as she did her outfits in terms of how they would impact her platform. "I didn’t feel like I had the leeway to wear braids as first lady," she explained.
"Look, anything different that we did—a fist bump, my arms out—y’all come on, you could pretend like I could wear braids, but this is where you just have to have sense," she continued. "I was trying to get people healthy and protect military families, I just didn’t have the time to explain braids to the world, so I just didn’t do it. That was one fight I wasn’t going to take on."
"My hairstylist said, ‘You’re not going to have your hair if we keep doing this,'" she added. "And that’s when he finally convinced me to start using extensions and wigs and things like that." She added that taking those precautions "saved my hair."
Social Media Reactions
After the interview resurfaced, social media users wasted no time weighing in—and many weren't particularly sympathetic to Obama's perspective. "What?? Who cards how anyone wears their hair?" one person responded on X.
"Number of times that I have ever in my life worried about how a black woman wears her hair: zero," commented another.
"Such a victim mentality," another person wrote.
"I have never - EVER - given a thought to anyone's hair," wrote another user. "I couldn't care less if she braids her hair or shaves her entire head. This woman's ego is ridiculous."
"Who is stopping anyone from wearing whatever?" asked another. "My lord, she continues to divide."
"The victim card is just worn out at this point," a final user posted.
