Michelle Obama is more than just the wife to the POTUS. In the span of the last eight years, she has managed to develop an image and legacy all her own. She has demonstrated what it means to be a spouse, mother, gardening enthusiast, style icon and proud American in a way that no other first lady ever has. She has shown herself to be a supporter and critic to her husband, a devoted mother, and a source of empowerment for people all across the globe.
Whether or not you agree with her husband's politics, it's hard to deny Michelle is a force to be reckoned with. In 2010, she launched the “Let’s Move!” initiative as a way to bridge the gap between community leaders, teachers and parents to educate and address the childhood obesity epidemic. She influenced schools to provide healthier lunches and urged companies to market healthier foods to children. Being in high school at this time, I personally experienced the fall of the soft serve ice cream machine and the whines of my peers that followed. However, I applaud you, Michelle Obama. Sometimes I wish that program applied to college dining courts as well. Maybe we could minimize the casualties of the Freshman 15.
In 2011, Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden launched a program to bring together veterans and their communities. Support for service members and their families include education, employment opportunities, and medical assistance. 2014 brought about the Reach Higher initiative to help students reach their maximum potential after leaving high school, regardless of whether students decide to attend a trade school, a community college or a four-year university.
In 2015, POTUS and FLOTUS joined together to launch Let Girls Learn, a government initiative to help the 62 million young women around the world that are not receiving schooling. The hope is to empower girls on home soil and around the world to seek out and continue their education.
We have a tendency to place the Presidential family on a pedestal, but Michelle has shown that they’re just a typical family living in a big white house. They don’t let their position of authority take away from their humanity. You can find Michelle on Ellen, participating in carpool karaoke (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln3wAdRAim4) , and always cracking jokes about her husband. She has made herself easily accessible and relatable to the modern American woman, thus setting the bar high for all future First Ladies to come.
Melania Trump, you may be a supermodel, but you have some pretty fashionable shoes to fill.
