The Beauty Legacy Michelle Obama Will Leave Behind as First Lady
Michelle Obama’s achievements as first lady of the United States are frankly too many for me to compile into one all-encompassing list. From tackling childhood obesity in a creative way with the Let’s Move! campaign to cheering young girls on around the world through the Let Girls Learn initiative, Obama hasn’t sat idly while in the White House.
As a black woman and beauty editor, I have found it especially inspiring to see her do amazing work with impeccable style.
In my book, Jackie Kennedy was the pinnacle of first lady flair. But Obama rewrote those pages when she took the stage at Grant Park in Chicago on election night 2008. My ability to clearly see the TV screen through my tears was a bit hampered, but I couldn’t help but marvel at her flowy blowout, bronzed cheeks, nude lips, and ebullient glow.
In Mrs. Obama’s understated glamour, I saw my mother, my aunts, my cousins … myself.
Over the next eight years, she took on her role as first lady, exuding a beauty that many would celebrate or criticize. Obama had two beauty professionals — hairstylist Johnny Wright and makeup artist Carl Ray — on call to assist in managing the pressures with impenetrable grace.
Wright tells me that he first got his hands on Obama’s locks back in 2007 for an Essence magazine shoot. The two reconnected in 2008 for the Democratic National Convention, but it was after styling her tresses for Vogue in 2009 that he was asked to pack up his kit and leave Los Angeles for Washington, D.C.
As Obama’s mane man, Wright gradually began to transform what he described as a “recognizable silhouette.” One of the most game-changing hairdos: the bangs. The first lady debuted her new fringe on her 49th birthday.
“I always call it ‘the bangs heard ’round the world,’ because everyone talked about those bangs and there were so many articles about them,” said Wright.
Coming from a celebrity background, Wright was used to creating looks with a “new-now-next type of feel.” So he brought that same expertise and finesse to his new gig.
“Up until then, the bangs kind of veered a little left … and it became more of a trend,” he said. “I think that’s why people latched onto it so much. It was just a different, fresh look for her that I thought worked really well.”
According to Wright, comfort is a huge part of the look with individuals on the political scene like the first lady. “They want to approach each event without worrying about how they’re looking and feel confident in that.”
One particular event at which Obama clearly felt just as amazing as she looked was the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, when she sported tight ringlets we’d never seen before. Wright said it was a time to “have a little fun.” To be honest, I’m still gushing over this curly-hair moment.
“In my mind, I was like, ‘What can I do that she really hasn’t worn?'” he said. “When I have a different stroke of the brush, that’s what those opportunities are about. When you see a drastic change, it’s just me wanting to express myself creatively.”
Carl Ray is the other man behind many of Mrs. Obama’s beauty looks. Whether he’s glamming up the first lady to greet wide-eyed kiddos at the Easter Egg Roll or to exchange warm embraces with world leaders, the makeup maestro tells me that he sticks to a few key products.
“I love working with liquid and powder highlighters to keep FLOTUS’s skin glowing in all the right places,” said Ray.
It should go without saying that Obama’s brows have been on point. Understanding just how much this facial feature frames the face, Ray reaches for “pencils and powders combined with a gel to hold hairs in place [and] keep brows on fleek.”
And it’s absolutely no mistake that Obama is mostly seen in nude lip colors, as Ray explains that these flesh-toned shades “allow the eyes to be played up and [be] more expressive.”
Fancy hairstyles and makeup aside, Michelle Obama has forever changed the ideal of what a first lady looks like and has reshaped America’s perception of black beauty.
Read More:
Michelle Obama’s Most Iconic Hair Moments
Proof Michelle Obama Has Not Aged in 8 Years
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