Black women everywhere are well aware that braids are the epitome of liberating, but there's something about seeing Michelle Obama swinging the protective style in the wind that feels deeply freeing. The former First Lady posted a picture on Instagram, promoting Annie Leibovitz’s new book, Women, in which Obama is featured. The iconic meetup aside, I audibly gasped at Obama’s hair for the shoot.
For starters, the former First Lady’s hair was in extremely long goddess braids. I’m talking the longest hair length I’ve ever seen on her, braids or otherwise. As is customary for the hairstyle, Obama’s hair was parted using a traditional box technique, and curly extensions were added along the length of each braid. This allowed the typically sleek hairstyle to look fluffy and voluminous, almost as if she had a sew-in instead of braids. She paired the look with minimal makeup, neat brows, and a gorgeous set of almond-shaped nails.
Since her days in the White House, Obama has been very open about how constrained she felt regarding her beauty choices as First Lady. “Let me keep my hair straight,” she said back in 2022, while promoting her book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. “Let’s get health care passed.” Since then, she’s discussed the freedom that braids bring her, especially as someone who lives a very active lifestyle. “When I am out of the public eye, I am swimming, I am playing tennis, I work out, I like to be active,” she recently said in an interview with People. “I don’t want to have to have a stylist with me.”
Obama’s new hair era is a reminder to us all that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. In a country that has yet to federally ban hair discrimination, it’s also a message to Black people everywhere that our cultural hairstyles are appropriate for all areas of our lives. Braids, afros, twist-outs—our hairstyles are beautiful and should always be regarded as such.
If you’re also wearing braids as we head into the holiday season, keep reading for a few products that will make at-home maintenance a breeze.
Yes, you can wash your hair with braids in, but that can make them very fuzzy. This spray is like a hair wash in a bottle, and the targeted nozzle makes application so easy.
This no-rinse treatment from Aunt Jackie's also has biotin and witch hazel to keep your scalp feeling clean and to promote hair growth.
Foam or mousse is perfect to keep your hair looking less frizzy after wash day.
Braid bonnets are one of my favorite discoveries of all time to keep braids looking fresh and frizz-free.
Edge control is a nonnegotiable, especially when you have braids.
