Michelle Obama was both the First Lady and the public's best gal pal.
She might be speaking to students, military troops, or VIPs at a White House gala, but
somehow she appears to be talking specifically to each of us every time she starts sharing
her pearls of wisdom.
Born into a middle-class family on the southside of Chicago, Michelle carved out her extraordinary
success through hard work and relentless dedication, boldly challenging the status quo throughout
her life.
As a former lawyer and Ivy-league graduate, she's used her post as First Lady to advocate
for women's rights, education, equality, gun control, and wellness.
As she prepares to move out of the White House just after her 53rd birthday, we're celebrating
how far she's come.
Here's a look Michelle Obama's stunning transformation over the years.
Humble beginnings
Michelle Obama might be a fashion icon now, but long before she had Gucci on speed dial,
she grew up sharing a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with her parents and older brother.
Her dad was a city-pump operator, and her mom was a homemaker, and their family of four
shared tight quarters within a bungalow with other relatives.
Obama once said of her early life:
"Everything that I think about and do is shaped around the life that I lived in that little
apartment in the bungalow my father worked so hard to provide for us."
Though they weren't wealthy, her parents did manage to keep things positive with some uplifting
traditions, like taking Sunday drives and hosting family game nights.
Yes she can
Michelle's parents encouraged her and her brother Craig to do well in school, and both
excelled immediately, even skipping the second grade because of their smarts.
Michelle was chosen for her local gifted and talented programs and was later admitted to
Chicago's first academic magnet school, which she had to travel an hour on the bus to attend.
When she told her high school teachers she wanted to go to Princeton, there were plenty
of doubters.
But not only did the National Honors Society student get into Princeton University, she
also graduated cum laude in 1985 and then went on to earn her law degree from Harvard
University in 1988.
The boss
Fresh out of Harvard, Michelle landed a job at a Chicago law firm as a junior associate,
and soon after, she was put in charge of mentoring a summer intern — a man who would later
become her husband, the then-26-year-old Barack Obama.
The eventual President joked about his first impression of Michelle to Oprah, saying:
"I remember being struck by how tall and beautiful she was.
She, I have since learned, was pleasantly surprised to see that my nose and ears weren't
quite as enormous as they looked in the photo I'd submitted for the firm directory."
He asked multiple times, and eventually she agreed to go out with him for ice cream, after
which they shared their first kiss, and the rest, well, is history.
Breaking ground
After dating for three years, the Obamas wed in 1992, holding their reception at the South
Shore Cultural Center in Chicago.
But back when the bride was growing up in the same neighborhood 20 years prior, the
then-Country Club was segregated.
She later revealed in their vows:
"Barack didn't pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting.
On that promise he delivered."
Mom first
Years before she moved into the White House, while her husband was running for the U.S.
Senate, Obama made a point of negotiating fair work flexibility for raising her two
young girls.
She shared her tough negotiating strategy with Parade, saying that when she applied
for her last job before becoming the First Lady, she brought her daughter Sasha to the
interview with her and said:
"'This is what I have: two small kids.
My husband is running for the U.S. Senate.
I will not work part time.
I need flexibility.
I need a good salary.
I need to be able to afford babysitting.
…. I will get the job done, I can work hard on a flexible schedule.'
I was very clear.
And he said yes to everything."
Making history
When Barack Obama became President, he and Michelle both made history, as she also became
the first black First Lady.
She also opened the doors of the White House to others as well, saying that she and Barack
felt they had a responsibility to make their home "feel like the people's house."
She also established the first White House garden since Eleanor Roosevelt's during World
War II, complete with beehives that house the "First Bees."
As an outspoken advocate for nutrition awareness and exercise, Obama thought the garden would
be a good teaching tool to promote healthy eating and food source education.
Salary sacrifice
Michelle Obama made a pretty penny in her career as a hospital executive before her
husband won the Presidency, and while her husband takes a presidential salary, Obama
receives no such stipend for her work.
Experts have estimated, though, that for all she does in her role, a fair salary would
be right around what she was earning before.
"What I've come to find out is you don't sweat the small stuff."
Fashionista
Michelle Obama's legacy for championing healthy food choices and fitness will live on, to
be sure, but she'll also likely be remembered for her stunning fashion choices throughout
the years.
Her ability to make even the most simple items look ravishing has not gone unnoticed by the
public, and her swanky dress styles have become legendary.
She's also helped shine a spotlight on some up-and-coming designers like Jason Wu and
Tracy Reese, and her willingness to show off those toned arms of hers in these gowns has
made her a supreme bit of fit-spiration for all.
Madame President?
After her inspiring speeches on the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton's Presidential run
in 2016, there have been many who've expressed an interest in Michelle Obama herself making
a move for the President spot.
She's consistently denied any interest in the job, but the crowd's passion for the possibility
only confirms her ability to reach the hearts — and souls — of a great many diverse
people, worldwide.
And as the Obama administration comes to a close, Michelle's fierce feminism, consistent
wisdom, timeless grace, and great sense of humor have left a lasting impression that
will be hard to replicate by any incoming First Lady.
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