The former First Lady appeared on Call Her Daddy, hosted by Alex Cooper, on January 21, where she spoke openly about the intense scrutiny she faced over her appearance while living in the White House.
Michelle Obama, now 62, served as First Lady from 2009 to 2017 alongside her husband, Barack Obama. Over the years, she has been widely praised as one of the most admired First Ladies in U.S. history and made history as the first African-American woman to hold the role.
Despite these achievements, Michelle has since spoken frankly about the challenges she endured behind the scenes.
She has previously explained that public attention often focused on trivial matters—such as her clothing choices or even her arms—rather than the substance of her work and policies.
On the podcast, Michelle expanded on the harsh and often cruel criticism she experienced. Alex Cooper referenced a comment Michelle had made on her own IMO podcast in November 2025: “You said, ‘It is the habit of the culture of the world to put women in their place by attacking their physical being.’”
Michelle responded by explaining how media coverage prioritized her looks over her qualifications:
“It was clear that, oh, my God, you don’t know anything about what I did before I came here.”
Her frustration is understandable given her extensive academic and professional background. Michelle earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and later graduated from Harvard Law School.
Reflecting on this, she added: “I mean, I practised law,” before listing her past roles: “I was an assistant to the mayor in Chicago. I ran a nonprofit. That quickly. My shoes become the most important thing about me.”
Michelle emphasized the importance of awareness and responsibility, particularly for women in leadership: “We have to think a lot more, to strike that balance and to be thoughtful about what messages we’re sending, giving, receiving.
“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?”
Alex then quoted another past remark from Michelle regarding speculation about her running for president. The host recalled: “You said, ‘Don’t even look at me about running because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman, you’re not.’”
Michelle stood firmly by that statement, responding: “There are men out there that were not gonna vote for a woman. Let’s just be real about it, and let’s put that on the table and talk about, well, what’s that about? Let’s not be mad because I made the statement.”
Toward the end of the conversation, Michelle addressed young women directly, encouraging them to persevere despite setbacks.
“We need you and know that you may come up short, but keep going,” she said, urging them to continue striving and pushing forward.
