Michelle Obama, 61, Reveals How She Deals With Going Gray

Michelle Obama revealed details about how much life has changed since she and Barack said goodbye to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

On Oct. 28, the former first lady appeared on the cover of People in a portrait that features Michelle, 61, wearing a vibrant strapless top and acid-wash jeans with a voluminous lob, soft-glam makeup, and simple jewelry. The cover comes a week before the release of Michelle’s latest book, The Look, which was co-written with her longtime stylist Meredith Koop.

Speaking with writer Janine Rubenstein, the former first lady discussed her experiences with beauty and style while her husband was in office, and how her mindset, aesthetic, and routine have shifted since.

When aging came up, Michelle didn’t hold back. “I’m not wincing at my gray hairs, but I am coloring them!” she told the outlet, noting that her mother, Marian Robinson, did the same. “She dyed her hair until the day she died. I really don’t do much else,” she said, adding, “Fortunately, black don’t crack.”

Another major shift: Michelle finally feels comfortable experimenting with different hairstyles. “Braids allow me to get them done, and then that’s one less thing that I have to think about,” she told People. “When I’m out of the public eye, I am swimming, I am playing tennis and braids represent that kind of freedom for me.”

When Barack was president, Michelle recalls, she “wasn’t sure whether the country was ready for it,” adding that she did not want her “hair to become a distraction” at the time.

That said, she added that the importance of wearing braids to her official portrait unveiling wasn’t lost on her. “I wanted to send a message, add to the discourse of Black women in places of power, saying, ‘This, too, is an appropriate and beautiful way to wear your hair.’”

Michelle also opened up about the challenges of raising children in a high-profile environment. When their father was elected in 2008, Malia and Sasha were just 10 and 7 years old, respectively, meaning the pair spent many of their formative years in the public eye. This posed unique challenges for the girls’ style.

“What’s ‘in’ for a 13-year-old is not acceptable walking down the staircase of Air Force One,” Michelle told the outlet. To keep the peace, Michelle and Barack had the couple’s daughters, who are now 27 and 24, work with Koop to choose outfits for events during the family’s years in the White House.

When not in the public eye, though, Michelle let her girls find their own sense of style, often taking a more relaxed approach than her husband. “Barack would be like, ‘Those shorts seem really short,’” she recalled. “And I was like, ‘Don’t say anything. Let them cook.’”