Michelle Obama talks fashion as first lady, the diversity that ‘makes America great’

Nearly a decade after leaving the White House, Michelle Obama is talking about her fashion choices during her eight years as first lady.

She sat down with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts to discuss her new book, The Look.

In the book, Obama explains for the first time the level of intention she placed on her fashion choices as first lady and the messages she wanted to send.

“I really thought about what I wanted to say with my fashion. I wanted to talk about inclusion, diversity, opening up opportunities, and fashion was one of those tools that allowed me to do that,” she said. “The designers that I chose — there were young designers; there were women designers; there were also immigrant American designers.”

Obama said that when she chose the styles she wore, she wanted to showcase the best designers and the diversity that “makes America great.”

“I was able to show the world the outstanding qualities of people who come from different places, with different backgrounds, with different skin colors, from different genders and sexual orientations,” Obama said. “Excellence is not measured that way, and it is true in fashion and in law and in journalism and in research. Let us not forget that. And that was the point — to find the best designers, to give them a stage to show the world how great they were. That’s what makes America great.”

While she used fashion to send a message in the White House, Obama said she hesitated to talk about it for fear her choices would “become a distraction.”

With each fashion choice she made, she said she thought of the people she wanted to “make proud.” 

The Look, a collaboration with her stylist, Meredith Koop, is available on Tuesday.

Michelle Obama: The Style, The Power, The Look: A Conversation With Robin Roberts is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

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