Former first lady Michelle Obama is metaphorically stepping onto the runway to reflect on why she chose not to discuss the topic of fashion during her time in the White House.
While embracing the next stage of her journey, Obama stopped by a Tuesday taping of “TODAY with Jenna & Friends” to talk about her new book, “The Look,” which hit shelves the same day.
“I avoided talking about fashion for eight years because I thought it would be a distraction,” Obama revealed.
She went on to explain why she feels like now is the “perfect time” to invite the public into this side of her life.
“I think now is the time. People know me. They know who I am. They know my values,” she said.
Obama noted that the public has always been “curious” about her style, and though the story behind her fashion choices has always been “interesting,” she has “avoided it.”
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“It also gives me an opportunity to pay tribute to the people behind the scenes,” Obama said, referring to her team, who she says “worked tirelessly, without much fanfare.”
She added that this book also honors the many “diverse American designers” who dressed during her tenure in the White House.
“Fashion is a multibillion dollar business, and it happens because people from all walks of life — immigrants, and folks of color, and women — and the goal during my eight years was to showcase that diversity, ” she continued. “I think we’re at a time now where we need to be reminded of the importance of diversity.”
She concluded by stating that diversity “makes America great, and makes fashion what it is.”
Obama’s new book comes seven years after her best-selling memoir, “Becoming.”
