On Wednesday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House to unveil their official portraits. Fans of Michelle Obama were quick to praise her decision to wear braids to the event.
The former first lady appeared for the unveiling dressed in an elegant pleated silk gown, but it was her hair — braided and swept into a side bun — that stole the show.
The look quickly gained attention from users on Twitter, with many remarking that the look served as a signal of cultural progress.
“Something that will mean ALOT to Black people across the country: Former First Lady Michelle Obama wearing braids at the unveiling of her official White House portrait,” one Twitter user commented of her braids.
“Michelle Obama is at the White House for her portrait unveiling, and her hair is in box braids,” another user remarked. “You have no idea what seeing that means for Black women. Little Black girls. I’m emotional.”
Michelle Obama spoke about the significance of her portrait being displayed in the White House in her comments at the ceremony, the Associated Press reported.
“For me this day is not just about what has happened,” she said. “It’s also about what could happen, because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She wasn’t supposed to live in this house, and she wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.”
She added that the Obama portraits would serve as a “reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country.”
During her time as the country’s first Black first lady, Michelle Obama endured a constant onslaught of scrutiny for her appearance. Throughout her time in the White House, the former first lady kept her hair in short bobs, curled under or flipped. Always, she wore it straight.
It wasn’t until well after leaving the White House that the world had a chance to see Michelle Obama’s hair in its natural, curly state. In 2018, she appeared on the cover of Essence magazine, her hair styled in free-flowing curls.
In her 2018 autobiography "Becoming," the former first lady described the pressure of upholding a certain image as the Black wife of a Black American president.
“It was a thin line to walk,” she wrote. “I was supposed to stand out without overshadowing others, to blend in but not fade away. As a black woman, too, I knew I’d be criticized if I was perceived as being showy and high-end, and I’d also be criticized if I was too casual.”
It’s been five years since the Obamas left the White House. Traditionally, the sitting president invites his immediate predecessor back to the White House to unveil his portrait, but former President Donald Trump broke with that custom.
Instead, current President Joe Biden scheduled the ceremony. The Obamas' portraits will be the first added to the White House collection since 2012, when they oversaw the unveiling ceremony for the portraits of Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush.
Barack Obama’s portrait was painted by artist Robert McCurdy and shows the former president standing against a stark white background. It’s very realistic-looking, seemingly more like a large photograph than a painted oil portrait. The former first lady chose artist Sharon Sprung for her portrait, which shows her reclining on a sofa in the Red Room in a light blue gown.
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