Did you know that Michelle Obama only agreed to support Barack Obama’s decision to run for president of the United States only if he gave up smoking? Well, Obama made a vow to quit, a deal was struck, and Michelle gave him her absolute support. And with that support, a spectacular change has come to America and world at large as history books in the West open a new chapter.
The First “Black” Lady of the US is as intriguing as her husband. According to Newsweek, Michelle Obama is not the ‘traditional’ first lady who smiles vacantly at her husband and sticks to a script of carefully plotted acts and scenes. Nor is she a surrogate campaign manager, ordering the staff around and micromanaging Obama’s every move. During her husband’s campaign, she traveled the country giving speeches and attending events — with the support of her mother who took care of her children while she was on the road.– She resisted staying away for more than one night at a stretch. Such was her commitment as a wife and as a mother. Michelle Obama wasn’t so much about being inspirational as she was being practical. She is one who always gets something specific done.
Born on January 17, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois to Fraser Robinson III, and Marian Shields Robinson, Michelle Obama was raised in a conventional two-parent home, nurtured into the strong and determined woman she has become. Observers say she is direct and plain-spoken, with an edgy sense of humor uncommon in political spouses. A historicity on Michelle Obama claims that while at University, she never ran for student government even though she was interested in social change. Close associates to her say, she can be tough, and even a little hard, an outlook that stems, partly from wanting to live up to the high expectations her father set for her. She was inspired by big brother Craig Robinson, a former college basketball star and scholar at Princeton University who is now the men’s basketball coach at Oregon State University. ‘Michelle had a more modest, quieter, lower profile in her schooling-days.’ says Charles Ogletree, one of her professors.
Her place in black America:
It will always be remembered, at least amongst African Americans that Michelle Obama while at university, spent her free time running a literacy program for children from the local neighborhoods. She put her energy into a less glamorous pursuit: recruiting black undergraduates to Harvard Law from other schools. She turned away from a lucrative law career to work in public service.
The Rock
On stage, Obama has introduced Michelle as “my rock”—the person who keeps him focused and grounded. In her words, she is just making sure he is “keeping it real.” She does this in part by keying him into the more everyday responsibilities of a husband and father. But if Michelle is Barack’s “rock”, those who know her invariably describe Michelle as poised, relaxed and confident. When she campaigned during her husband’s 2000 run for 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 rooms had given her some new decorating ideas. Michelle Obama has become a role model to many women’ teenage girls, wife’s, and mothers alike, at least for her immaculate aura of womanhood. Michelle Obama makes no excuses for her resposibilities as a woman.
Standing at 6 feet tall, both slender and shapely, Michele Obama is known to shift flawlessly between designer attire, including Chicago designers Maria Pinto, Thakoon and Narciso Rodriguez, and mass market brands such as H&M, J. Crew and Gap. Fashion experts say she harbors a modern, elegant style and does not hesitate to wear colors. ‘She can go from more classic looks to a little bit more avant-garde. She certainly has the stature and look for this.’ Designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix, all scramble to draw and sew her clothes.
