These days when Barack or Michelle Obama make their presence known, it makes headlines. But on Sunday, a Twitter user @meagnacarta decided to top them all with a picture of Michelle Obama rocking her natural hair in a ponytail. (Note: This photo and when/where it was photographed has not been confirmed by the former First Lady.)
So far, the tweet has more than 20,000 retweets and more than 50,000 likes.
Mrs. Obama had a significant impact during her eight years in the White House, particularly with her efforts on children’s health and education, but she also inspired women everywhere with her grace, sheer presence, and impeccable sense of style. But what she never did, according to her hairstylist Johnny Wright, was let her natural curls flow free. In 2015, Wright confirmed to The Root that while Michelle’s hair has been all-natural for several years, he still flat ironed it regularly. It now appears she’s skipping blowouts and letting her hair go naturally curly.
Following the initial tweet, hundreds of Twitter users joined in to share their feelings about Michelle’s hair.
For those of you who think a hair transformation isn’t a big deal, perhaps you should revisit this story on Congresswoman Maxine Waters. In March, commentator Bill O’Reilly made an appearance on the Fox & Friends morning show where he discussed Waters saying, “I didn’t hear a word she said. I was looking at the James Brown wig. If we have a picture of James Brown—it’s the same wig.”
And as Refinery29 reported, a 2016 ruling made it legal for employers to discriminate against employees with dreadlocks.
