Constantly being in the public eye is no easy feat, and Michelle has had to face a lot of criticism and negative press over the years. The public can be particularly harsh about women, scrutinizing their bodies, so it's understandable that Michelle would want to avoid putting herself through that.
In 2015, she opened up about what she has had to endure. "Over the years, folks have used plenty of interesting words to describe me," she said in a commencement address at Tuskegee University. "One said I exhibited 'a little bit of uppity-ism.' Another noted that I was one of my husband's 'cronies of color.' Cable news once charmingly referred to me as 'Obama's Baby Mama.'"
The negativity took a toll on Michelle. "And all of this used to really get to me," she said. "Back in those days, I had a lot of sleepless nights, worrying about what people thought of me, wondering if I might be hurting my husband's chances of winning his election, fearing how my girls would feel if they found out what some people were saying about their mom."
