In her new photo book, 'The Look,' Michelle Obama reveals how her fashion choices, especially her bare arms, were used to 'otherize' her, challenging norms and stereotypes during her time as First Lady.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama, in her new photo book 'The Look,' reflects on the intense scrutiny her fashion choices faced, particularly the 'outrage' caused by her bare arms. She describes how this 'fascination' was used to 'otherize' her, portraying her and Barack as not understanding the 'rules' of the White House. Obama recounts incidents like the criticism for wearing shorts at the Grand Canyon and the 'angry Black woman' stereotype she battled. Despite the criticism, she strategically used fashion as a tool for visibility and representation, choosing emerging designers like Jason Wu over traditional ones to 'buck the establishment' and adopting a 'high-low' approach with high street brands during a recession. The book, featuring insights from her stylist and designers, aims to show how her style lent substance to her identity as a highly educated woman of ideas, challenging conventional notions of a First Lady.
