Why Michelle Obama’s Braids Are Significant

Madam C.J. Walker. Katherine Johnson. Lauren Simmons. Serena Williams. There are countless Black women who have proven over again that anything is possible. During her time as the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama didn’t think she could wear her hair in braids — not only because it had never been done before, but also because, whether people choose to admit it or not, hair is political. On Aug. 20, she wore the protective style on the biggest world stage: at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

In her speech, Obama spoke of unity, change, and the hope that comes with a Kamala Harris presidency. She also touched on the fear and discrimination brought on by the Trump administration that undermines the success of an educated, hard-working Black woman (saying to the crowd, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”). Obama did this all while wearing sideswept microbraids and a long, braided ponytail. That, too, sent a message the world needs to hear.

It’s not the first time she shared it widely; in fact, while doing the press tour for her book, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times” ($13, originally $33), Obama mentioned that she wanted to wear her hair in braids during her time as first lady of the United States, but ultimately decided against it. “Yeah, we had to ease up on the people,” she said at the event.

Later, in a conversation with Revolt on Dec. 14, she elaborated: “To be honest, we were the first [Black president and first lady in the White House]. They gotta get used to us. Now I could show up in braids and now that’s all we talk about. When we did a fist bump with each other, they turned that into a terrorist act. It’s just, who needs the hassle? Let me just straighten my hair. I wore weaves, extensions, protective styles, because you get your hair done every day and sometimes twice a day. I would not have any hair on my head if I straightened it as much as I had to straighten it.”

Aside from the mental toll that thinking about appearances so intently for eight years probably took on her, Obama’s hesitation to wear her hair how she truly wanted to is also a jarring reminder that society still has a long way to go when it comes to true equity. The revelation put a glaring spotlight on the fact that no matter how wealthy, how educated, or how idolized Black women are, white European beauty standards still shape the way that people are expected to exist in Western civilization. The same is true when it comes to recent conversations around Kamala Harris’s choice in hairstyle.

According to the Dove 2019 CROWN Research Study For Women, Black women are 3.5 percent more likely to be perceived as “unprofessional” because of their hair, 30 percent more likely to be made aware of a formal workplace appearance policy, and 80 percent more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work. The fact that Michelle Obama, who is arguably one of the most powerful figures in the world, still felt the same pressure that everyday Black women do when it comes to styling our hair is both sadly unifying and simultaneously rage-inducing.

That’s why seeing her on stage at the 2024 DNC in braids felt like a middle finger to every person who has made her or any other Black woman second guess their hairstyle choices. From wearing them on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to her braided half-bun hairstyles for official press engagements, Obama’s new braided-hair era almost feels like permission to take up space — and it feels good to see, have modeled, and glorified silently.

It’s time that Black women feel safe and empowered to wear our hair however we’d like — without the accompanying think pieces and discourse. It is unfair for an entire group of people to have to weigh something as small as a beauty decision against potentially outsized reactions that can affect their livelihoods. Additionally, when you spend so much time on something that is seen as very trivial to the majority of the rest of the country, it takes away from the things that you can contribute to greater society. So while the feats that Black women continue to achieve are more than impressive, it’s time for us to just be — in whichever way (and hairstyle) we deem appropriate.

Ariel Baker is the former associate editor of PS Beauty. Her areas of expertise include celebrity news, beauty trends, and product reviews. She has additional bylines with Essence and Forbes Vetted.