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{{Infobox First Lady
|name = Michelle Obama
|image name = Michelle Obama official portrait headshot.jpg<!-- PLEASE DISCUSS ON THE TALK PAGE BEFORE CHANGING PHOTO -->
|imagesize = 225px
|office = [[First Lady of the United States]]
|term_start = January 20, 2009
|term_end =
|president =
|predecessor = [[Laura Bush]]
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1964|1|17}}
|birth_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
|birthname = Michelle LaVaughn Robinson
|death_date =
|death_place =
|nationality = [[United States|American]]
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse = [[Barack Obama]] (m. 1992)
|relations =
|children = [[Malia and Sasha Obama]]
|residence = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois|IL]] (private)<br />[[White House]], [[Washington, D.C.]] (official)
|alma_mater = [[Princeton University]], (A.B.)<br />[[Harvard Law School]], (J.D.)
|profession = [[Lawyer]]
|net worth =
|religion = [[Protestant]] [[Christian]]
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
'''Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama''' (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the forty-fourth [[President of the United States]], [[Barack Obama]], and is the first [[African-American]] [[First Lady of the United States]].

Michelle Robinson was born and grew up on the [[South Side (Chicago)|South Side]] of Chicago and graduated from [[Princeton University]] and [[Harvard Law School]]. After completing her formal education, she returned to Chicago and accepted a position with the law firm [[Sidley Austin]], where she met her future husband. Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago [[Mayor of Chicago|mayor]] [[Richard M. Daley]], and for the [[University of Chicago Medical Center]]. Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]]. She is the mother of two daughters, Sasha and Malia, and is the sister of [[Craig Robinson (basketball coach)|Craig Robinson]], men's basketball coach at [[Oregon State University]].

==Family and education==
:''See also: [[Family of Barack Obama#Michelle Robinson Obama's family tree|Michelle Robinson's family tree]]''
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, [[Illinois]] to [[Family of Barack Obama#Fraser Robinson III|Fraser Robinson III]],<ref name=MOMtBOD2008C>{{cite web | accessdate=2008-01-22
|url=http://usliberals.about.com/od/2008presidentialracehub/ig/2008-Candidates--Spouses/Profile-of-Michelle-Obama.htm |title=Michelle Obama, Married to President Barack Obama
| publisher=About.com
| work=U.S. liberal politics
| author=White, Deborah
}}</ref> a city water plant employee and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[precinct captain]], and [[Marian Shields Robinson]], a secretary at [[Spiegel (catalog)|Spiegel's catalog store]].<ref name="womanbehind">{{cite news|accessdate=2008-01-22
|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/221458,CST-NWS-mich21.article |title=The woman behind Obama |author=Rossi, Rosalind |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=January 20, 2007}}</ref> Her mother stayed at home until Michelle entered high school.<ref name="PAW2009">{{cite journal |title=Mrs. Obama goes to Washington |author=Slevin, Peter |date=March 18, 2009
|journal=[[Princeton Alumni Weekly]] |volume=109 |number=10 |pages=18–22}}</ref>

The Robinson family can trace their roots to pre-[[American Civil War|Civil War]] African Americans in the [[Southern United States|American South]]; her paternal great-great grandfather, Jim Robinson, was an American [[Slavery in the United States|slave]] <!-- please do not change this - discuss on talk -->in the state of [[South Carolina]],<ref name="soil">{{cite news |author=Murray, Shailagh |title=A Family Tree Rooted In American Soil: Michelle Obama Learns About Her Slave Ancestors, Herself and Her Country |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100103169.html |work=[[The Washington Post]] |page=C01 |date=October 2, 2008 |accessdate=2008-10-09}}</ref><ref name="cabin">{{cite news | title=From slave cabin to White House, a family rooted in black America | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5092944.ece | author=Bone, James | work=[[The Times]] | location=London | date=November 6, 2008 | accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref> where some of her family still reside.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|accessdate=|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7470764.stm|work=BBC News |title=Michelle: Barack's bitter or better half?|author=Levinson, Molly|date=June 4, 2008|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref><ref name=NPR>{{cite news | accessdate=2009-04-03 | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11831859 |title=Spouses on the Campaign Trail: Michelle Obama Sees Election as Test for America |author=Norris, Michele|work=All Things Considered|date=July 9, 2007| publisher=NPR}}</ref> She grew up on Euclid Avenue in the [[South Shore, Chicago|South Shore]] [[Community areas of Chicago|community area]] of Chicago.<ref name="womanbehind"/><ref name=NY052404>{{cite news | accessdate=2008-01-22 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/31/040531fa_fact1 |author=Finnegan, William|title=The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman |work=[[The New Yorker]]||date=May 31, 2004}}</ref><ref name=MOAL>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1849421,00.html|title=Michelle Obama, A Life | accessdate=2009-01-08 | date=October 13, 2008 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Pickert, Kate}}</ref> <ref name=FLIW/> The family ate meals together and also entertained together as a family by playing games such as [[Monopoly (board game)|Monopoly]] and by reading.<ref name=MOSS/> She and her brother, [[Craig Robinson (basketball coach)|Craig]] (who is 21 months older), skipped the second grade. By sixth grade, Michelle joined a gifted class at Bryn Mawr Elementary School (later renamed Bouchet Academy).<ref>{{cite news | first=Rosalind| last=Ross | title=Kids at Michelle Obama's old school see reflection | date=November 10, 2008 | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1270055,CST-NWS-kids10.article | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | accessdate=2008-11-17}}</ref> She attended [[Whitney Young High School]], Chicago's first [[magnet school|magnet high school]], where she was on the honor roll four years, took advanced placement classes, was a member of the [[National Honor Society]] and served as [[student council]] treasurer.<ref name="womanbehind"/> The round trip commute from her South Side home to the [[Near West Side, Chicago|Near West Side]] took three hours.<ref name=tn/> She was a high school classmate of Santita Jackson, the daughter of [[Jesse Jackson]] and sister of [[Jesse Jackson, Jr.]]<ref name=MOSS>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1835686,00.html|title=Michelle Obama's Savvy Sacrifice|accessdate=2008-10-12|date=August 25, 2008 | work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Newton-Small, Jay}}</ref> She graduated from high school in 1981 as [[salutatorian]],<ref name=tn/><ref name=West>{{cite news |accessdate=|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/women/chi-0408310383sep01,1,6548880.story?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl |title=Her Plan Went Awry, but Michelle Obama Doesn't Mind|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=September 1, 2004}}{{Dead link|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/women/chi-0408310383sep01,1,6548880.story?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl|date=November 2008}}</ref> and went on to major in [[sociology]] and minor in [[African American studies]] at Princeton University, where she graduated ''[[latin honors|cum laude]]'' with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1985.<ref name="womanbehind"/><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-05-18 |url=http://www.princeton.edu/main/academics/departments/|title=Academic Departments & Programs |publisher=The Trustees of Princeton University |year=2008}}</ref>

She was inspired to follow her brother to Princeton because he had shown her it was possible;<ref name="PAW2009"/> he graduated in 1983. At Princeton, she challenged the teaching methodology for French because she felt that it should be more conversational.<ref name=FWtWMO/> As part of her requirements for graduation, she wrote a thesis entitled, "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8642.html
|title=Michelle Obama thesis was on racial divide|accessdate=2008-04-19|date=February 22, 2008|work=[[Politico.com]]
|author=Ressner, Jeffrey}}</ref> "I remember being shocked," she says, "by college students who drove [[BMW]]s. I didn't even know parents who drove BMWs."<ref name=tn/> She obtained her [[Juris Doctor]] (J.D.) degree from [[Harvard Law School]] in 1988.<ref name=Princetonian>{{cite news|author=Brown, Sarah|url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2005/12/07/news/14049.shtml
|title= Obama '85 Masters Balancing Act|work=[[Daily Princetonian]]|date=December 7, 2005|accessdate=2009-04-03}}</ref> While at Harvard, she participated in political demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who are members of minorities.<ref name=Newsweek20080225>{{cite news|accessdate=2009-04-03|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/112849 |title= Barack's Rock | |last=Wolffe |first=Richard |work=[[Newsweek]]|date=February 25, 2008}}</ref> She is the third First Lady with a [[Postgraduate education|postgraduate degree]], following [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] and [[Laura Bush]].<ref name=VLiCBTO/> In July 2008, Obama accepted the invitation to become an honorary member of the 100-year-old black sorority [[Alpha Kappa Alpha]], which had no active undergraduate chapter at Princeton when she attended.<ref name="celebrate">{{cite news | url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/sorority-celebrates-michelle-obamas-acceptance/ | title=Sorority Celebrates Michelle Obama’s Acceptance | author= Bogues, Austin | work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-09}}</ref>

[[Image:Barack Michelle.jpg|thumb|left|[[Barack Obama|Barack]] and Michelle Obama.]]
She met Barack Obama when they were among very few African Americans at their law firm, Sidley Austin, (she has sometimes said only two, although others have pointed out there were others in different departments)<ref name="WMMB">{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092602856.html|title=When Michelle Met Barack|last=Mundy|first=Liza|date= October 5, 2008|work=The Washington Post Magazine|accessdate=2008-10-25}}</ref> and she was assigned to mentor him while he was a [[summer associate]].<ref name=MOCT>{{cite news |accessdate=2008-02-12
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002573_2.html|title=Michelle Obama's Career Timeout
|author=Kornblut, Anne E.|date=May 11, 2007|work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Their relationship started with a business lunch and then a [[community organization]] meeting where he first impressed her.<ref name=MOHSMOMF/> The couple's first date was to the [[Spike Lee]] movie ''[[Do the Right Thing]]''.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2009-04-05|date=2009-01-22
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/michelle-obama/4317226/50-things-you-didnt-know-about-Michelle-Obama.html|title=50 things you didn't know about Michelle Obama |publisher=IMDb.com, Inc.}}</ref> The couple married in October 1992,<ref name=MOHSMOMF>{{cite news |first=Scott | last=Fornek |title=Michelle Obama: 'He Swept Me Off My Feet' | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=October 3, 2007|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/585261,CST-NWS-wedding03.stng
| accessdate=2007-12-02}}</ref> and they have two daughters, Malia Ann (born 1998) and Natasha (known as Sasha) (born 2001).<ref name=Newsweek2007>{{cite news|accessdate=2009-04-03|title=Ground Support|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/70165?tid=relatedcl | author=Springen, Karen and Darman, Jonathan |work=[[Newsweek]]|date=January 29, 2007}}</ref> After his election to the U.S. Senate, the Obama family continued to live on Chicago's South Side, choosing to remain there rather than moving to [[Washington, D.C.]] Throughout [[Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008|her husband's 2008 campaign]] for [[President of the United States]], she made a "commitment to be away overnight only once a week—to campaign only two days a week and be home by the end of the second day" for their two children.<ref name=PasadenaWeekly>{{cite news | title=Mother, wife, superstar| url=http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/mother_wife_superstar/6037/| author=Piasecki, Joe |date=June 5, 2008|work=[[Pasadena Weekly]] | accessdate=2009-04-03}}</ref> She is the sister of [[Craig Robinson (basketball coach)|Craig Robinson]], men's basketball coach at [[Oregon State University]]. She is the first cousin, once removed, of Rabbi [[Capers C. Funnye Jr.]], one of the country’s most prominent black rabbis.

She once requested that Barack, who was then her [[engagement|fiancé]], meet her prospective boss, [[Valerie Jarrett]], when considering her first career move.<ref name=FLIW/> Now, Jarrett is one of her husband’s closest advisors.<ref name=MOIGaLM/><ref name=MOSHR>{{cite news | url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120269904120358135.html | title=Michelle Obama Solidifies Her Role | accessdate=2008-02-12 | date=February 11, 2008 | author=Langley, Monica | work=[[Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref> The marital relationship has had its ebbs and flows. The combination of an evolving family life and beginning political career led to many arguments about balancing work and family. Barack wrote in his second book, ''[[The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream]]'', that "Tired and stressed, we had little time for conversation, much less romance".<ref>{{cite news |title= Fame puts squeeze on family life: Many hurdles as Obamas seek balance | date=October 19, 2006 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|author=Herrmann, Andrew}}</ref> However, despite their family obligations and careers, they continue to attempt to schedule date nights.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/11/21/whispers-poll-president-elect-obama-and-michelle-obamas-date-night.html|title=Whispers Poll: President-Elect Obama and Michelle Obama's Date Night|accessdate=2009-01-10|date=November 21, 2008 |work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Bedard, Paul}}</ref>

The Obamas' daughters attended the [[University of Chicago Laboratory Schools]], a private school.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/the-rantings-of-a-pta-mom/|title=The Rantings of a P.T.A. Mom|accessdate=2008-10-13|date=September 9, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Loh, Sandra Tsing}}</ref> As a member of the school's board, Michelle fought to maintain diversity in the school when other board members connected with the University of Chicago tried to reserve more slots for children of the university faculty. This resulted in a plan to expand the school.<ref name="PAW2009"/> The Obamas' daughters now attend [[Sidwell Friends School]] in Washington after also considering [[Georgetown Day School]].<ref name="Sidwell">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/21/AR2008112103248.html | title=Obama Girls Will Go To Sidwell Friends: Elite Private School Is 'Best Fit' for Next First Family | author=Leiby, Richard L | work=[[The Washington Post]] | date=November 22, 2008 | accessdate=2008-12-09}}</ref><ref name=JOMF>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/170360|title=Just One More Frame!: How do you raise kids in the White House and 'keep them normal,' too?|accessdate=2009-01-09|date=November 22, 2008 |work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Smalley, Suzanne}}</ref> She stated in an interview on the ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'' that the couple does not intend to have any more children.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/michelle-im-done/?|title=Michelle Obama: 'I'm Done'|accessdate=2008-10-13| date=September 4, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Zeleny, Jeff}}</ref> They have received advice from past first ladies [[Laura Bush]], [[Rosalyn Carter]] and [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] about raising children in the [[White House]].<ref name=JOMF/> Marian Robinson has moved into the White House to assist with child care.<ref name=MOSWW>{{cite news|url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2008/11/07/michelle-obama-slights-working-women.html|title=Michelle Obama Slights Working Women|accessdate=2009-01-10| date=November 7, 2008 |work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Erbe, Bonnie}}</ref>

==Career==
Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm [[Sidley Austin]], where she first met her future husband. At the firm, she worked on [[marketing]] and [[intellectual property]].<ref name="womanbehind" /> Subsequently, she held [[public sector]] positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the [[Mayor of Chicago|Mayor]], and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a [[non-profit organization]] encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies.<ref name=West /> She worked there nearly four years and set [[fundraising]] records for the organization that still stood a dozen years after she left.<ref name=MOSS/>

In 1996, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the [[University of Chicago]], where she developed the University's Community Service Center.<ref name=UCChron96>{{cite journal |journal=University of Chicago Chronicle
|url=http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/960606/obama.shtml |title=Obama named first Associate Dean of Student Services
|date=June 6, 1996 |volume=15|issue=19|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.<ref name=UChicago2005>{{cite press release|url=http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2005/20050509-obama.html|publisher=University of Chicago Medical Center|title=Michelle Obama appointed vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals|date=May 9, 2005|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband's election;<ref name=ABCNews20080124>{{cite news | url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4179656&page=1 |work=ABC News |title=Michelle Obama: Mom First, Politics Second |author=Snow, Kate|date=January 24, 2008|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> she subsequently took a leave of absence from her job.<ref name="blaze">{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-michelle_obama_first_ladynov09,0,7595775.story | title=Michelle Obama blazes a new trail | author= St. Clair, Stacy | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=November 8, 2008 | accessdate=2008-11-20}}</ref> According to the couple’s 2006 [[Tax return (United States)|income tax return]], Michelle's salary was $273,618 from the University of Chicago Hospitals, while her husband had a salary of $157,082 from the [[United States Senate]]. The total Obama income, however, was $991,296 which included $51,200 she earned as a member of the [[board of directors]] of TreeHouse Foods, and investments and royalties from his books.<ref name=MOChw>{{cite news |accessdate=2008-02-12|url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-05-10-michelle-obama_N.htm|title= Michelle Obama: Campaigning her way|date=May 12, 2007|work=[[USA Today]]|author=Keen, Judy}}</ref>

She served as a salaried board member of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. ({{nyse2|THS}}),<ref name=TreeHouse>{{cite web | accessdate=2009-04-04 | url=http://www.treehousefoods.com/bio_michelle_obama.html | title=Board of Directors: Michelle Obama| publisher=TreeHouse Foods}}</ref> a major [[Wal-Mart]] supplier with whom she cut ties immediately after her husband made comments critical of Wal-Mart at an [[AFL-CIO]] forum in {{city-state|Trenton|New Jersey}}, on May 14, 2007.<ref name=SunTimesBlog200705>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/05/sweet_column_michelle_obama_qu.html | title=Sweet Column: Michelle Obama Quits Board of Wal-Mart Supplier| author=Sweet, Lynn | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=May 22, 2007|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> She serves on the board of directors of the [[Chicago Council on Global Affairs]].<ref name=ChicagoCouncil>{{cite web | url=http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/chicago_council_board_directors.php | title=Directors | publisher=Chicago Council on Global Affairs | accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref>

==2008 Presidential election==
[[Image:Michelle,_Oprah_Winfrey_and_Barack_Obama.jpg|thumb|right|[[Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama|Winfrey joins the Obamas]] on the campaign trail, December 10, 2007]]
[[Image:20080603 Victory Fist Pound.jpg|thumb|right|The Obamas [[fist bump]] upon his winning the Democratic nomination.]]
Although Obama has campaigned on her husband's behalf since early in his political career by handshaking and fund-raising, she did not relish the activity at first. When she campaigned during [[Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama#Campaign for Bobby Rush's congressional seat|her husband's 2000 run]] for [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], her boss at the University of Chicago asked if there was any single thing about campaigning that she enjoyed; after some thought, she replied visiting so many [[living room]]s had given her some new [[Interior decoration|decorating]] ideas.<ref name="NYT0825">{{cite news | author=Kantor, Jodi | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/politics/26michelle.html?scp=2&sq=Michelle%20Obama&st=cse |title=Michelle Obama, reluctant no more | work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 25, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref>

At first, Obama had reservations about her husband's presidential campaign due to fears about a possible negative effect on their daughters.<ref name=MONYT>{{cite web|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/o/michelle_obama/index.html|title=Michelle Obama|accessdate=2009-04-08|date=2009-03-05|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> She says that she negotiated an agreement in which her husband gave up smoking in exchange for her support of his decision to run.<ref name=MOoCF>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120248883340754123.html|title=Michelle Obama on Campaign, Family|accessdate=2008-02-12|date=February 11, 2008 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]]| author=Langley, Monica}}</ref> About her role in her husband's presidential campaign she has said: "My job is not a senior adviser."<ref name=MOIGaLM>{{cite news |url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3199620 | title=Michelle Obama: 'I've Got a Loud Mouth'| accessdate=2008-02-12 | date=May 22, 2007 | publisher=[[ABC News]] | author=[[Robin Roberts (newscaster)|Roberts, Robin]]}}</ref><ref name=MOpuric/><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/05/22/news/iowa/819e27c77eaa19fc862572e30012e0d4.txt | title=Michelle Obama: I'm his wife, not adviser | accessdate=2008-04-03|date=May 22, 2007 | work=[[Sioux City Journal]]}}</ref> During the campaign, she has discussed race and education by using motherhood as a framework.<ref name=FWtWMO>{{cite news|title=Focus: Women to Watch: Michelle Obama|author=Klein, Sarah A.|date=May 5, 2008 | publisher=[[Crain Communications, Inc.]] | work=ChicagoBusiness | page=29}}</ref>

In May 2007, three months after her husband declared his presidential candidacy, she reduced her professional responsibilities by eighty percent to support his presidential campaign.<ref name=FLIW>{{cite news| url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/12/michelle_obama200712 | title=First Lady in waiting | work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | accessdate=2008-02-12 | date=December 27, 2007 | author=Bennetts, Leslie}}</ref> Early in the campaign, she had limited involvement in which she traveled to political events only two days a week and traveled overnight only if their daughters could come along;<ref name=MOMtBOD2008C/> by early February 2008 her participation had increased significantly, attending thirty-three events in eight days.<ref name=MOSHR/> She made several campaign appearances with [[Oprah Winfrey]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/07/MNC8UT9LM.DTL|title=Millions of cell calls for Clinton Big effort to contact list of likely backers gave her the state | work=[[The San Francisco Chronicle]] | accessdate=2008-02-15 | date=February 7, 2008 | author=Marinucci, Carla; Wildermuth, John; Chronicle Political Writers}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title='I'm Tired of Politics as Usual'; Oprah Winfrey Makes Her Case for Sen. Obama's Presidential Candidacy | work=[[The Washington Post]] | accessdate=2009-04-04 | date=December 19, 2007 | author=Kornblut, Anne E. & Murray, Shailagh | page=A1}}</ref> She wrote her own [[stump speech (politics)|stump speeches]] for her husband's presidential campaign and generally spoke without notes.<ref name=tn>{{cite news | url=http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2007_Sept_Michelle_Obama/ | title=The natural | accessdate=2009-01-08 | year=2007 | month=September | work=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]|author=Johnson, Rebecca}}</ref>

Throughout the campaign, the media often labeled her as an "angry black woman,"<ref name=AAMOLfaNI>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/us/politics/18michelle.html? | title=After Attacks, Michelle Obama Looks for a New Introduction | accessdate=2008-10-13 | date=June 18, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]] | author=Powell, Michael and Jodi Kantor}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/23/mann.michelle.obama/ | title=A First Lady of a different kind | author=Mann, Jonathan | publisher=[[CNN]] | date=May 23, 2008 | accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,367601,00.html | title=Transcript: 'FOX News Watch', June 14, 2008 | date=June 16, 2008 | accessdate=2009-04-04 | publisher=[[Fox News]]}}</ref> and some websites attempted to propagate this perception,<ref name=MUM>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/opinion/11dowd.html? | title=Mincing Up Michelle | accessdate=2008-10-13 | date=June 11, 2008 | work=[[The New York Times]] | author=Dowd, Maureen}}</ref> causing her to respond: "Barack and I have been in the public eye for many years now, and we've developed a thick skin along the way. When you’re out campaigning, there will always be criticism. I just take it in stride, and at the end of the day, I know that it comes with the territory."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.momlogic.com/html_pages/michelle_obama/2.php | title=20 Questions with Michelle Obama | publisher=momlogic.com | date=July 31, 2008 | accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> By the time of the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]] in August, media outlets observed that her presence on the campaign trail had grown softer than at the start of the race, focusing on soliciting concerns and empathizing with the audience rather than throwing down challenges to them, and giving interviews to shows like ''[[The View]]'' and publications like ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]'' rather than appearing on news programs. The change was even reflected in her fashion choices, wearing more informal clothes in place of her previous designer pieces.<ref name="NYT0825"/> The ''View'' appearance was partly intended to help soften the perception of her,<ref name=AAMOLfaNI/> and it was widely-covered in the press.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/us/politics/19watch.html? | title=Michelle Obama Shows Her Warmer Side on ‘The View’ | accessdate=2008-10-13 | date=June 19, 2008 | work=[[The New York Times]] | author=Stanley, Alessandra}}</ref>

The presidential campaign was her first exposure to the national political scene and even before the field of [[United States Democratic presidential candidates, 2008|Democratic candidates]] was narrowed to two she was considered the least famous of the candidates' spouses.<ref name=MOpuric>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20041755/|title=Michelle Obama plays unique role in campaign|accessdate=2008-02-12|date=July 30, 2007 | publisher=[[MSNBC]] |author=Zakin, Carly}}</ref> Early in the campaign, she told anecdotes about the Obama family life; however, as the press began to emphasize her sarcasm, she toned it down.<ref name=MOChw /><ref name=MOoCF/> ''New York Times'' [[editorial|op-ed]] columnist [[Maureen Dowd]] wrote: <blockquote>I wince a bit when Michelle Obama chides her husband as a mere mortal—comic routine that rests on the presumption that we see him as a god ... But it may not be smart politics to mock him in a way that turns him from the glam [[John F. Kennedy|JFK]] into the mundane [[Gerald Ford]], toasting his own English muffin. If all Senator Obama is peddling is the [[Camelot]] mystique, why debunk this mystique?<ref name=MOpuric/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://select.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/opinion/25dowd.html?scp=7&sq=Michelle+Obama+Dowd&st=nyt | title=She’s Not Buttering Him Up | accessdate=2008-02-12|date=April 25, 2007 |author=Dowd, Maureen | work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref></blockquote>

On February 18, 2008, she commented in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] that "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." Later that evening she reworded her stump speech in [[Madison, Wisconsin]], saying "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."<ref name="abcnews.com">{{cite news | url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/michelle-obam-1.html | title=Michelle Obama: "For the First Time in My Adult Lifetime, I'm Really Proud of My Country" | author=Tapper, Jake | work=Political Punch| publisher=[[ABC News]] | date=February 18, 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-18}}</ref> Several commentators criticized her remarks,<ref name="Chicago Sun Times">{{cite news | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/805430,michelle21.article | title=Michelle Obama Explains Pride Remark | author=Associated Press | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=February 2, 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref> and the campaign issued a statement that "anyone who heard her remarks ... would understand that she was commenting on our politics."<ref name="The Page">{{cite news | author=Halperin, Mark | work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url=http://thepage.time.com/obama%E2%80%99s-chief-strategist-david-axelrod-on-michelle-obama%E2%80%99s-remarks/| title=Obama's Chief Strategist David Axelrod on Michelle Obama's Remarks | date=February 20, 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref> In June 2008, First Lady [[Laura Bush]] commented on the controversial words: "I think she probably meant I'm 'more proud,' you know, is what she really meant," adding, "I mean, I know that, and that's one of the things you learn and that's one of the really difficult parts both of running for president and for being the spouse of the president, and that is, everything you say is looked at and in many cases misconstrued."<ref name="08junehuffpost">{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/09/laura-bush-defends-michel_n_106019.html |title=Laura Bush Defends Michelle Obama Against Patriotism Attack | work=[[The Huffington Post]] | date=June 9, 2008 | accessdate=2008-06-09}}</ref>

[[Image:Obamas and Bidens.jpg|thumb|The Obamas, with [[Joe Biden|Joe]] and [[Jill Biden]] at the August 23, 2008 Vice Presidential announcement in {{city-state|Springfield|Illinois}}.]]
Asked in February 2008 whether she could see herself "working to support" Hillary Rodham Clinton if she got the nomination, she said "I'd have to think about that. I'd have to think about policies, her approach, her tone." But when questioned about this by the interviewer, she stated "You know, everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee is."<ref name="Salon">{{cite news | url=http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/02/04/michelle_obama/ | title=War Room: If Clinton gets the nomination, would Michelle Obama support her? | author=Koppelman, Alex | publisher=Salon.com | date=February 4, 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref> Despite her criticisms of Clinton during the 2008 campaign, when asked in 2004 which political spouse she admired, she had cited Hillary Clinton, stating, "She is smart and gracious and everything she appears to be in public—someone who's managed to raise what appears to be a solid, grounded child."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2004/First-Lady-in-Waiting/ | title=First Lady in waiting | author=Springen, Karen | work=[[Chicago Magazine]] | date=October 2004 | accessdate=2008-02-17}}</ref>

[[Image:Michelle Obama DNC 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Obama speaks at the 2008 Democratic convention]]
On the first night of the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]], Craig Robinson introduced his younger sister.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1836039_1836038_1836032,00.html| title=Scorecard: First-Night Speeches: Craig Robinson: Grade: B+| work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate=2009-04-04| date=August 2008|author=Halperin, Mark}}</ref> She delivered the her speech, during which she sought to portray herself and her family as the embodiment of the [[American Dream]].<ref name="NYT0826" /> Obama said both she and her husband believed "that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, and you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them."<ref name="NPR0826">{{cite web | author=Naylor, Brian | url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93981261 | title=Interpreting Michelle Obama's speech | publisher=''[[National Public Radio]]'' | date=August 26, 2008 | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref> She also emphasized loving her country, in response to criticism for her previous statements about feeling proud of her country for the first time.<ref name="NYT0826">{{cite news | author=Nagourney, Adam | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/politics/26dems.html?scp=6&sq=Michelle%20Obama&st=cse | title=Appeals evoking American Dream rally Democrats | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=August 26, 2008 | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref><ref name="CST0826">{{cite news | author=Pallasch, Abdon M. | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1126753,CST-NWS-dem26.article | title=Michelle Obama celebrates Chicago roots | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=August 26, 2008 | accessdate=2008-08-26}}</ref><ref name="BG0826">{{cite news | author=Helman, Scott | url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/26/reaching_back_to_her_chicago_roots_obama_tells_an_american_story/ | title=Reaching back to her Chicago roots, Obama tells an American story | work=[[Boston Globe]] | date=August 26, 2008 | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref>

That keynote address was largely well received and drew mostly positive reviews.<ref>{{cite news | author=Suellentrop, Chris | url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/michelle-obamas-high-note/?scp=7&sq=Michelle%20Obama&st=cse | title=Michelle Obama's high note | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=August 25, 2008 | accessdate=2008-08-27}}</ref> A [[Rasmussen Reports]] poll found that her favorability among Americans reached 55%.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/michelle_obama_favorable_rating_reaches_highest_level_ever | title=Michelle Obama Favorable Rating Reaches Highest Level Ever | work=[[Rasmussen Reports]] | date=August 29, 2008 | accessdate=2008-11-12}}</ref> [[Political commentator]] [[Andrew Sullivan]] described the speech as "one of the best, most moving, intimate, rousing, humble, and beautiful speeches I've heard from a convention platform."<ref name="AndrewSullivan">{{cite news | author=[[Andrew Sullivan|Sullivan, Andrew]] | title=Wow | url=http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/wow.html | work=The Daily Dish | publisher=''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]'' | date=August 25, 2008 | accessdate=008-08-27}}</ref> The speech made [[Juan Williams]] tear up over the thought of the significance of her presentation as a representative of Black America.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/26/juan-williams-tears-up-after-michelle-obama-speech-its-unbelievable/|title=Juan Williams tears up after Michelle Obama speech: 'It’s unbelievable'|accessdate=2009-01-10|date=August 26, 2008 | publisher=Center for American Progress Action Fund |work=ThinkProgress.org|author=Khanna, Satyam}}</ref> A pair of articles in the ''National Review'', including one by [[Byron York]], however, noted that although the speech presented America as the land of opportunity, it conflicted with her campaign trail speeches that described dark aspects of the country.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OWVkYWVhMWUwODIwZGRmZGQyZGQ1MTE0NTA4MDAwYjI= | title=Michelle Obama's Two Americas | accessdate=2009-01-10 | date=August 26, 2008 | work=[[National Review]] | author=York, Byron}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2FjMDgxZTZhYTQ3OTM4YTUyMzE4NDI0NWJlYWFhNDA= | title=Last Night, the Obama Campaign Conceded Michelle's Old Rhetoric Won't Sell | accessdate=2009-01-10 | date=August 26, 2008 | work=[[National Review]]}}</ref>

On an October 6, 2008 broadcast, [[Larry King]] asked her if the American electorate was past the [[Bradley effect]]. She stated that Barack's achievement of the nomination was a fairly strong indicator that it was.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blow.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/are-we-past-the-bradley-effect/? | title=Are We Past The ‘Bradley Effect’? | accessdate=2008-10-13 | date=October 9, 2008 | author=Blow, Charles M. | work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The same night she also was interviewed by [[Jon Stewart]] on the ''[[Daily Show]]'' where she deflected criticism of her husband and his campaign.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/michelle-obama-dismisses-criticisms/?|title=Michelle Obama Dismisses Criticisms|accessdate=2008-10-13|date=October 9, 2008 | author=Seelye, Katharine Q.|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

On [[E. D. Hill]]'s Fox News show ''[[America's Pulse]]'', Hill referred to the [[fist bump]] shared by the Obamas on the night that he clinched the [[Barack Obama presidential primary campaign, 2008|Democratic presidential nomination]] as a "terrorist fist jab."<ref name=FrtMOabm>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25129598/|title=Fox refers to Michelle Obama as 'baby mama': TV graphic read: 'Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama'|accessdate=2008-10-13|date=June 12, 2008 |publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> In June 2008, Hill was removed from her duties on the specific show, which was then canceled.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/2118953/Fox-News-presenter-taken-off-air-after-Barack-Obama-%27terrorist-fist-jab%27-remark.html | title=Fox News presenter taken off air after Barack Obama 'terrorist fist jab' remark | accessdate=2008-10-13 | date=June 13, 2008 | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | location=U.K. |author=Spillius, Alex}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1864100_1864104,00.html|title=4. Fist bump | accessdate=2009-01-08|date=2008 | work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Cloud, John}}</ref>

==First Lady of the United States==
===Style and fashion sense===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| header_align = left/right/center
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| image1 = Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.jpg
| width1 = 188
| caption1 = Then-First Lady [[Laura Bush]] sits with Obama in the private residence of the [[White House]].
| image2 = Obamas walk down PA Ave. 1-20-09 hires 090120-N-0696M-546a.jpg
| width2 = 175
| caption2 = Obama wore Isabel Toledo clothes made of [[St. Gallen Embroidery|St.&nbsp;Gallen Embroidery]] in the [[Inauguration of Barack Obama|2009 presidential inauguration]].
}}

With the ascent of her husband as a prominent national politician, Michelle Obama, like all other first ladies, has become a part of [[popular culture]]. In May 2006, ''[[Essence (magazine)|Essence]]'' magazine listed her among "25 of the World's Most Inspiring Women."<ref name="biogtv">{{cite web | url=http://www.biography.com/featured-biography/michelle-obama/index.jsp | title=Michelle Obama | accessdate=2009-04-05 | work=[[Biography (TV series)|Biography.com]] | publisher=[[A&E Network]]}}</ref><ref name=FLS>{{cite news | url=http://style.uk.msn.com/fashion/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=10730465|title=First Lady style: Michelle Obama| publisher=U.K. [[MSN]] | accessdate=2009-04-05 | month=April|year=2009 | author=O'Neil, Nicole}}</ref> In July 2007, ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine listed her among "10 of the World's Best Dressed People." She was an honorary guest at [[Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball]] as an "young'un" paying tribute to the 'Legends,' which helped pave the way for African American Women. In September 2007, ''[[02138]]'' magazine listed her 58th of 'The Harvard 100'; a list of the prior year's most influential [[:Category:Harvard University alumni|Harvard alumni]]. Her husband was ranked fourth.<ref name="biogtv" /><ref name=Top100>{{cite news |title= The Harvard 100|work=[[02138]]|month=September | year=2007}}</ref> In July 2008, she made a repeat appearance on the ''Vanity Fair'' international best dressed list.<ref name=MOmraotVFibdl>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25939033/|title=Michelle Obama makes best-dressed list: For the second year in a row, Obama's style puts her on Vanity Fair's list|accessdate=2008-10-13|date=July 30, 2008 | publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> She also appeared on the 2008 ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' list of best-dressed women and was praised by the magazine for her "classic and confident" look.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Michelle_Obama_Best_dressed_women/articleshow/3496244.cms|title=Michelle Obama among 10 best dressed women: People magazine|accessdate=2009-04-04|date=September 18, 2008 | work=[[The Economic Times]] | location=India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/style/michelle-obama-rihanna-named-to-peoples-best-dressed-list_article_11297|title=Michelle Obama, Rihanna Named To People’s Best Dressed List | accessdate=2009-04-04 | date=September 17, 2008 | publisher=[[Access Hollywood]]}}</ref>

As a high-profile darker-[[complexion|complected]] woman in a stable marriage, it is anticipated that she will be a positive role model who will influence the view the world has of African-Americans.<ref name=WMMtU>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/170383/page/1|title=What Michelle Means to Us: We've never had a First Lady quite like Michelle Obama. How she'll change the world's image of African-American women—and the way we see ourselves.|accessdate=2009-01-09| date=November 22, 2008 | work=[[Newsweek]] | author=Samuels, Allison}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Fiori, Pamela | date=February 2009 | title=She's Got It! | work=[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]] | pages=78–83|url=http://img147.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=92323_Obama1_122_905lo.jpg|accessdate=2009-04-04}}</ref> Her fashion choices were part of [[Fashion week]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/186989|title=The New Black|accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-03-09|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Von Glinow, Kiki}}</ref> but Obama's influence in the field has not impacted the paucity of African-American models who participate, as some thought it might.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/archive/2009/02/18/is-michelle-obama-diversifying-model-portfolios-not-so-much.aspx|title=Is Michelle Obama Diversifying Model Portfolios? Not So Much|accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-02-18|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Soller, Kurt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/fashion/13diary.html|title=Has the ‘Obama Effect’ Come to Runway Castings? |accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-02-13|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Trebay, Guy}}</ref> However, [[fitness trainer]]s are noting that many women now aspire to have [[bicep]]s and [[tricep]]s like Obama.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/fashion/19fitness.html|title=She’s Pumped. Your Turn|accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-03-18|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Robbins, Liz}}</ref>

[[File:Barack and Michelle Obama at the Home States Ball.jpg|left|thumb|The Obamas dancing at an [[Inauguration of Barack Obama|inaugural ball]].]]

She has been compared to [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] due to her sleek but not overdone style,<ref name=MOmraotVFibdl/> and also to [[Barbara Bush]] for her discipline and decorum.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/fashion/08michelle.html? | title=She Dresses to Win |accessdate=2008-10-13|date=June 8, 2008 | work=[[The New York Times]]| author=Trebay, Guy}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/70165|title=Ground Support: Michelle Obama Has Seemed Ambivalent About Barack's'08 Run. But She's Provided The Entree For Him To Give It A Go.|accessdate=2008-11-16|date=January 29, 2007 | work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Springen, Karen and Jonathan Darman}}</ref> Her white, one-shoulder [[Jason Wu]] 2009 inaugural gown was said to be "an unlikely combination of [[Nancy Reagan]] and Jackie Kennedy".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01212009/news/politics/michelle_in_a_hue_turn_151202.htm |title--=Michelle in a 'Hue-Turn'|accessdate=2009-01-22|date=January 21, 2009 | work=[[The New York Post]]}}</ref><ref name=FFFL>{{cite news |url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/readback/archive/2008/12/02/feedback-fashion-first-ladies.aspx | title=Feedback: Fashion First Ladies | accessdate=2009-01-09 | date=December 2, 2008 |work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Soller, Kurt}}</ref> Obama's style is described as [[populism|populist]].<ref name=VLiCBTO>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/171275|title=Very Little in Common But That ‘O’ | accessdate=2009-01-09 |date=November 29, 2008 | work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Connolly, Katie}}</ref> She often wears clothes by designers [[Calvin Klein]], [[Oscar de la Renta]], [[Isabel Toledo]], [[Narciso Rodriguez]], [[Donna Ricco]] and Maria Pinto,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20214895_20238771_20549587,00.html | title=Michelle Obama's Winning Style | accessdate=2008-11-17|date=November 2008 |work=[[In Style]]}}</ref> and has become a fashion trendsetter,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1863061_1863070,00.html | title=6. Michelle Obama's $148 Dress|accessdate=2009-01-08 | date=December 2008 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Kroll, Betsy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1855343,00.html | title=Purple Reign|accessdate=2009-01-08|date=October 31, 2008 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Zimbalist, Kristina}}</ref> despite the country's economic woes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/171246|title=Luxury Shame: Why even the very rich are cutting back on conspicuous consumption.|accessdate=2009-01-09|date=November 29, 2008|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Roberts, Johnnie L.}}</ref>

She appeared on the cover and in a photo spread in the March 2009 issue of ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]''.<ref name=MOgcoVm/><ref name=MOmVc>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7883253.stm|title=Michelle Obama makes Vogue cover |accessdate=2009-02-14|date=February 11, 2009 | publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> Every First Lady since [[Lou Hoover]] (except [[Bess Truman]]) has been in ''Vogue'',<ref name=MOgcoVm>{{cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE51A86320090211|title=Michelle Obama graces cover of Vogue magazine|accessdate=2009-02-14|date=February 11, 2009 |agency=[[Thompson Reuters]]}}</ref> but only Hillary Clinton had previously appeared on the cover.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2009/02/first-look-mich.html|title=All the Rage: The Image Staff Muses On The Culture of Keeping Up Appearance in Hollywood and Beyond|accessdate=2009-02-14|date=February 11, 2009 | work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|author=Tschorn, Adam}}</ref>

A desire has arisen among some{{Who|date=April 2009}} that the media should focus more on the first lady's serious contributions rather than her fashion sense.<ref name=VLiCBTO/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/morgan-felchner/2008/11/14/for-mom-in-chief-michelle-obama-and-women-everywhere-its-about-choice.html|title=For Mom-in-Chief Michelle Obama and Women Everywhere, It’s About Choice | accessdate=2009-01-10 | date=November 14, 2008 | work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Felchner, Morgan E.}}</ref> She has stated that she would like to focus attention as First Lady on issues of concern to military families and working families.<ref name=WMMtU/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/10/17/michelle-obama-as-baracks-first-lady-i-would-work-to-help-working-families-and-military-families.html|title=Michelle Obama: As Barack’s First Lady, I Would Work to Help Working Families and Military Families|accessdate=2009-01-10|date=October 17, 2008 | work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Obama, Michelle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/170435|title=The Editor’s Desk | accessdate=2009-01-09|date=November 22, 2008 |work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Klaidman, Daniel}}</ref> However, ''[[U.S.News & World Report]]'' blogger, PBS host and [[Scripps Howard]] columnist [[Bonnie Erbe]] has pointed out that her own publicists seem to be feeding the emphasis on style over substance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2008/11/13/michelle-obama-is-making-herself-a-stay-at-home-mom-not-the-media-2.html|title=Michelle Obama Is Making Herself a Stay-at-Home Mom, Not the Media | accessdate=2009-01-10 | date=November 13, 2008 | work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|author=Erbe, Bonnie}}</ref> Erbe has noted on several occasions that she is miscasting herself by overemphasizing style.<ref name=MOSWW/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2008/11/06/barack-and-michelle-obama-sound-tone-deaf-on-womens-issues.html|title=Barack and Michelle Obama Sound Tone-Deaf on Women's Issues | accessdate=2009-01-10|date=November 6, 2008 |work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Erbe, Bonnie}}</ref>

===Work undertaken and causes promoted===
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During her early months as First Lady, she has frequently visited [[homeless shelter]]s and [[soup kitchen]]s.<ref name=MIFOTS/> She has also sent representatives to schools and advocated public service.<ref name=MIFOTS/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/188270|title=An Army Of Changemakers|accessdate=2009-04-06|date=2009-03-07|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Alter, Jonathan}}</ref> On her first trip abroad in April 2009, she toured a cancer ward with [[Sarah Brown (spouse)|Sarah Brown]], wife of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Gordon Brown]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1889307,00.html|title=Michelle Obama Finds Her Role on the World Stage|accessdate=2009-04-06|date=April 2, 2009|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Scherer, Michael}}</ref> She has began advocating on behalf of military families.<ref name=MOMMFHM/> Like her predecessors Clinton and Bush, who supported the [[organic movement]] by instructing the White House kitchens to buy [[organic food]], Obama has received attention by planting an organic garden and installing bee hives on the South Lawn of the White House, which will supply organic produce and honey to the First Family and for state dinners and other official gatherings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/3/28/michelle-obama-goes-organic-and-brings-in-the-bees.html|title=Michelle Obama Goes Organic and Brings in the Bees|accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-03-28|work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Bedard, Paul}}</ref><ref name="garden">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031902886.html|title=Shovel-Ready Project: A White House Garden|last=Black|first=Jane|date=2009-03-20|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=2009-05-03}}</ref>

Obama has become an advocate of her husband's policy priorities by promoting bills that support it. Following the enactment of the [[Pay equity]] law, Obama hosted a White House reception for women's rights advocates in celebration. She has pronounced her support for the economic stimulus bill in visits to the [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]] and [[United States Department of Education]]. Some observers have looked favorably upon Mrs. Obama's legislative activities, while others feel that she should be less involved in the intense politics. According to her representatives, she intends to visit all [[United States Cabinet]]-level agencies in order to get acquainted with Washington.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/us/politics/08michelle.html|title=‘Mom in Chief’ Touches on Policy; Tongues Wag|accessdate=2009-04-08|date=2009-02-07|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Swarns, Rachel L.}}</ref>

She has gained growing public support in her early months as first lady.<ref name=MIFOTS/><ref name=MR/> She is notable for her support from military families and some [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]].<ref name=MIFOTS/><ref name=MOMMFHM>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2009/03/26/michelle-obama-makes-military-families-her-mission.html|title=Michelle Obama Makes Military Families Her Mission: The first lady is often moved by accounts of personal sacrifice by service families|accessdate=2009-04-07|date=2009-03-26|work=[[U.S.News & World Report]]|author=Walsh, Kenneth T.}}</ref> As the public is growing accustomed to her, she is becoming more accepted as a [[role model]].<ref name=MIFOTS>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033003332.html | title=Michelle's Image: From Off-Putting To Spot-On | accessdate=2009-04-04|date=March 31, 2009 | work=[[The Washington Post]] | author=Romano, Lois}}</ref> ''[[Newsweek]]'' described her first trip abroad as an exhibition of her so-called "star power"<ref name=MR>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/192394|title=Mixed Review|accessdate=2009-04-04|date=April 3, 2009 | work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Stone, Daniel}}</ref> and [[MSN]] described it as an display of sartorial elegance.<ref name=FLS/> There were questions raised in the American and British media regarding [[protocol]] when the Obamas met [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]],<ref name=TQaMO>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888962,00.html| title=The Queen and Mrs. Obama: A Breach in Protocol|accessdate=2009-04-06| date=April 1, 2009 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Chua-Eoan, Howard}}</ref> and Michelle reciprocated a touch on her back by the Queen during a reception, against traditional royal etiquette.<ref name=TQaMO/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/04/02/touch-her-if-you-dare.aspx|title=Touch Her... If You Dare|accessdate=2009-04-06|date=April 2, 2009|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Bailey, Holly}}</ref> Palace sources denied that any breach in etiquette had occurred.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/04/01/g-20-gossip-no-touching-please.aspx|title=G-20 Gossip: No Touching, Please |accessdate=2009-04-06|date=April 1, 2009|work=[[Newsweek]]|author=Bailey, Holly}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Michelle Obama, An American Story | author=David Colbert | date=December 2008 | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | isbn=0547247702}}
*{{cite book | title=Michelle Obama: First Lady of Hope | author=Elizabeth Lightfoot | date=December 2008 | publisher=The Lyons Press | isbn=1599215217}}
*{{cite book|title=Michelle Obama, A Life | author=Liza Mundy | date=October 2008 | publisher=Simon & Schuster | isbn=1416599436}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Michelle Obama}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/michelle_obama/ First Lady Michelle Obama], Whitehouse.gov
*[http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet.php "Meet Michelle"], biographical entry at BarackObama.com
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/15/eveningnews/main3838886.shtml "Michelle Obama On Love, Family & Politics"], interview with [[Katie Couric]] of CBS News.
*[http://www.newsweek.com/id/170260 Photoessay] in ''[[Newsweek]]''
*[http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/o/michelle_obama/index.html Archive] at [[The New York Times]]
*[http://www.usnews.com/Topics/tag/People/o/michelle_obama/index.html Archive] at [[U.S.News & World Report]]

{{start box}}
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef|rows=2 | before=[[Laura Bush]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Lady of the United States]]|years=January 20, 2009 – ''present''}}
{{s-aft|rows=2 | after=Incumbent}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities|Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities]]<br><small>Serving with [[Chairwoman]] [[Adair Wakefield Margo]]</small>|years=2009 - ''present''}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=First}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence]]'''<br>''First Lady of the United States''<br>With [[Barack Obama]]<br><small>''President of the United States''}}
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{{US First Ladies}}
{{Barack Obama}}
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|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
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[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African American history]]
[[Category:African American lawyers]]
[[Category:Female lawyers]]
[[Category:First Ladies of the United States]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Illinois Democrats]]
[[Category:Women in Illinois politics]]
[[Category:Illinois lawyers]]
[[Category:Obama family]]
[[Category:People from Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:Princeton University alumni]]
[[Category:Spouses of United States Senators]]
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Revision as of 17:46, 9 May 2009

She's black yo!

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