Former First Lady Michelle Obama revisited a 2009 controversy that erupted after she wore Bermuda shorts while stepping off Air Force One during a family trip to the Grand Canyon, calling the experience “infuriating” during a recent episode of her podcast, as reported by Fox News.
Speaking on “IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” which she co-hosts with her brother, Obama described how the seemingly small wardrobe choice became a national talking point during her husband’s first year in office.
“The fact that we had to spend time thinking about that kind of stuff in ways that my husband didn’t — it was really infuriating,” Obama said. “Then an article, a negative article, still happened.”
The former first lady explained that the August 2009 trip marked the Obamas’ first vacation since President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
As the family prepared to deplane for a hike at the Grand Canyon, Michelle Obama said she wrestled with what to wear to appear appropriate for both the occasion and her public role.
“It was 100 degrees,” she recalled. “Barack — I was like, ‘Well, what are you wearing?’
He was like, ‘Well, I’m gonna throw on some sneakers, I’m gonna take my jacket off and roll my sleeves up,’ because that’s what men can do. White shirt, no collar, no tie. That was how he changed.”
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She said she debated between wearing a dress or hiking shorts before choosing Bermuda shorts. “I can’t wear hiking shorts there, and I can’t wear a dress to hike,” she said.
“That would be crazy. People would call me ‘disconnected’ and ‘un-American.’ I was like, ‘That’s not how people go to the Grand Canyon.’”
Obama said she ultimately chose what felt natural. “I eventually opted for the thing that felt mostly me,” she said. “And it was the Bermuda shorts. Because if we’re going on a hike, this is how a normal person would go on a hike.”
The decision prompted a wave of media coverage, with headlines such as “Who Wears Short Shorts? Michelle Obama,” “First Lady’s Shorts Draw Some Long, Hard Looks,” and “Michelle Obama: The Shorts Heard Round the World.”
In 2013, Obama reflected that she would not wear shorts on Air Force One again, noting that the attention caused “a huge stink.” She said at the time the outfit was a casual choice because the family was “on vacation.”
The topic of first ladies’ wardrobes has often drawn scrutiny.
Former First Lady Melania Trump faced similar media criticism in 2017 for wearing jeans and a baseball cap while visiting Texas after Hurricane Harvey, and again in 2018 when she wore a green jacket with the phrase “I really don’t care. Do u?” on a trip to the southern border.
Melania Trump later said she wore the jacket to send a message to the media, explaining, “I want to show them that I don’t care.”
Fox News Digital reported that Michelle Obama’s office did not respond to a request for additional comment.
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