Michelle Obama recounts how, in the early days, her braids gave her the freedom to move, run, swim, and play without worrying about her appearance or messing up her hairstyle. "When I'm away from the spotlight, I love to swim and play tennis, and my braids give me that kind of freedom I'm looking for," she says. These feelings, she says, are linked to her first memories of growing up in the neighborhoods of South Chicago, where her natural hair was a symbol of comfort and self-confidence. In her new book, Michelle sheds light on her journey with her natural hair, through photos and stories that document the stages of this relationship spanning her childhood. She adds, explaining: "Braids give me great comfort, they make my hair styling an easy task and reduce my daily worries." The book features an affecting old photo of her, confidently posing with her hair styled in cornrows, when she was a young college student at Princeton University. The former First Lady of America admits that during her years in the White House, she did not feel that adopting a braided hairstyle was a viable option at that time. Obama points out that the time had not yet seen the passing of the "Crown Act," a law that protects employees and students from racial discrimination based on natural hair. In an interview with People, the 61-year-old former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, returns to her roots deeply and comprehensively, revealing a new personal side of her life in her upcoming book "The Look," set to be released on November 4th. The book covers her distinctive style in fashion and appearances, and also reveals her personal secrets in a way she has never spoken of before, as she revealed in an interview with People for the cover of this week's issue. Michelle tells the magazine: "This is the first time in my life that I'm making all of my own decisions," in reference to her complete sense of independence and freedom in her personal choices after years of being in the public eye. Nearly a decade after her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama, left office, Michelle talks about her experience in the world of fashion and her return to the natural and protective hairstyles she has loved since childhood. Michelle describes her swinging braids with a single word: "Freedom," insisting that it is the hairstyle closest to her heart and most expressive of her personality.
