Michelle Obama turned 60 in January 2024, but her new hairstyle is giving off a distinct youthful energy. Her followers on Instagram couldn't get enough of it.
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00:00Michelle Obama turned 60 in January 2024, but her new hairstyle is giving off a distinct
00:06youthful energy. Her followers on Instagram couldn't get enough of it.
00:10Believe it or not, when she was first lady of the United States, Obama's hairstyle was
00:14at least somewhat a policy decision.
00:16This is my midlife crisis, the bangs.
00:19According to The Washington Post, she told an audience for her 2022 book tour that she
00:23straightened her hair because of pressure to conform to beauty standards and make sure
00:27key legislation got through. She said,
00:30"'Let me keep my hair straight. Let's get healthcare passed.'"
00:33And it worked. The Affordable Care Act has been the law of the land since 2010. Since
00:38leaving the White House in 2017, Obama has sported a wider variety of styles, playing
00:43with both the length and texture of her hair.
00:46In a departure from the pin-straight-long bobs and slicked-back updos she often wore
00:50as first lady, Obama has since rocked everything from box braids to high ponytails. These new
00:55looks have been a great experiment in personal style, but they have also added a touch of
01:00youthfulness to her appearance.
01:01In honor of National Book Lover's Day on August 9th, she posted a photo of herself on Instagram,
01:07casually showing off a hairstyle that just might be her most youthful-looking yet — a
01:11dramatic waist-length, fishtail braid flowing out from under a baseball cap.
01:16The braid adds a casual yet polished feel to her style, and many of her Instagram followers
01:20shared those feelings. Obama captioned her post,
01:23Are you reading anything right now that you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments below!
01:27Plenty of Obama's followers took the assignment and recommended their favorite books. Others,
01:31though, had to comment on the former first lady's style choices. One fan simply stated,
01:36"...that's a heck of a braid you've got going on, Michelle."
01:38Another gushed,
01:39"...it's so gorgeous. I always love her style but that braid is next level amazing."
01:44A long fishtail braid may not have fit into Obama's White House image back in the early
01:492010s, but the look suits her perfectly now. It's a fresh, fun style that makes her look
01:54far younger than her 60 years, and we could easily see her wearing this braid for dressier
01:59occasions.
02:00But even paired with her casual outfit and baseball cap, the former first lady has once
02:04again proven that she still has plenty of style tricks up her sleeve.
02:08The Obama family doesn't get near the media scrutiny it did during Barack Obama's presidency,
02:12but Michelle still makes her way into the public eye every now and again, often to advocate
02:16for causes close to her heart. For instance, she appeared on The Tonight Show in 2023 wearing
02:21a stunning high ponytail for an interview and a segment called Bookstore Surprise. She
02:26paired the hairstyle with large hoop earrings and a flattering all-denim outfit — a far
02:30more casual and trendy look than the more austere styles she opted for as first lady.
02:35"...we were good when it was time to go."
02:38The partially braided ponytail featured a metal part, which is the part of choice for
02:42much of Gen Z. This small, on-trend detail made a huge difference in how young Obama
02:47looked while rocking the hairstyle. Stylist Lori Heaps explained to PopSugar that hairstyle
02:51makes people look younger for another, more noticeable reason, too, saying,
02:55"...a high ponytail will give the feel of a mini-facelift."
02:58Michelle already has a youthful-looking face, but the lifting powers of a high ponytail
03:03were still noticeable in this television appearance.
03:06What's great about Obama's recent hairstyle experiments isn't that they make her look
03:09but that she is using them as a way to embrace the many facets of her personality.