The hidden reason why Michelle Obama might be showing skin on the cover of her memoir

Lauren Tuck

·News Editor

May 24, 2018 at 10:50 PM

The official cover for Michelle Obama’s memoir has been released.

On Thursday morning, the former first lady took to Instagram to share what the final version of Becoming will look like when it hits bookshelves on Nov. 13.

I’m thrilled to share with all of you the cover for BECOMING. The process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me. As I prepare to share BECOMING this fall, I hope you’ll also think about your own story, and trust that it will help you become whoever you aspire to be. Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own. #BECOMING
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 24, 2018 at 6:33am PDT

“I’m thrilled to share with all of you the cover for BECOMING. The process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me,” she wrote in the caption. “As I prepare to share BECOMING this fall, I hope you’ll also think about your own story, and trust that it will help you become whoever you aspire to be. Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”

In the photo, Obama is smiling with her right hand resting underneath her chin. She wears a simple white T-shirt that’s pulled off of one shoulder and hoop earrings. Her hair is blown out in loose waves and her skin is glowing.

be·com·ing noun (philosophy) the process of coming to be something or of passing into a state. ?? I started with the idea of jeans and a t shirt; all-American, relatable, real. It’s what Michelle wears as Michelle, not First Lady Michelle Obama. I wanted the modern ease of a tee mixed with the regal drapery of a toga. A little pinch of post-White House edge with that sexy shoulder, the tee falling off. No fancy designers, no distractions, just Ms. M herself, up close and personal. ?? @christyrillingstudio and I created the tee together and she and her team did the tailoring ?? Hair @yenedamtew ?? Makeup @carlraymua ?? #past #present #future #becoming @michelleobama #michelleobama #styledbyme #kooped #chic #simple #fashion #hope #womenempowerment #relatable #modern #storytelling #narration
A post shared by Meredith Koop (@meredithkoop) on May 24, 2018 at 11:36am PDT

According to Obama’s stylist Meredith Koop, she started with the idea of jeans and a T-shirt and wanting to portray her as all-American, relatable, and real. “It’s what Michelle wears as Michelle, not First Lady Michelle Obama. I wanted the modern ease of a tee mixed with the regal drapery of a toga. A little pinch of post-White House edge with that sexy shoulder, the tee falling off. No fancy designers, no distractions, just Ms. M herself, up close and personal,” Koop revealed.

The fact that she’s so obviously showing skin could have a hidden meaning. In 2009, after the White House released her first official photo as FLOTUS, people criticized the fact that she was wearing a sleeveless dress and showing off her toned arms. In the years following, she continued to make similar style statements despite the critics by wearing strapless gowns and off-the-shoulder dresses.

Commenters can’t wait to get their hands on the memoir and think the cover photo is “elegant,” “gorgeous,” “inspiring,” and “beautiful.”

In the lead-up to the cover debut, Obama has been sharing personal photos and stories that are in the book, including a picture from her wedding night.

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some photos and memories from my book, BECOMING. My father, Fraser, taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word. My mother, Marian, showed me how to think for myself and to use my voice. Together, in our cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago, my family helped me see the value in our story, in my story, and in the larger story of our country.
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 22, 2018 at 6:46am PDT

This is me at Princeton in the early 1980s. I know that being a first-generation college student can be scary, because it was scary for me. I was black and from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, while Princeton’s student body was generally white and well-to-do. I’d never stood out in a crowd or a classroom because of the color of my skin before. But I found close friends and a mentor who gave me the confidence to be myself. Going to college is hard work, but every day I meet people whose lives have been profoundly changed by education, just as mine was. My advice to students is to be brave and stay with it. Congratulations to the Class of 2018! #ReachHigher
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 22, 2018 at 2:09pm PDT

You can’t tell it from this photo, but Barack woke up on our wedding day in October, 1992 with a nasty head cold. Somehow, by the time I met him at the altar, it had miraculously disappeared and we ended up dancing almost all night. Twenty five years later, we’re still having fun, while also doing the hard work to build our partnership and support each other as individuals. I can’t imagine going on this wild ride with anybody else.
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 23, 2018 at 4:03am PDT

Home has always been where our family is…It hasn’t mattered whether we’re lounging on a couch in Chicago’s Hyde Park or, as we are here, in the White House. We did our best to make the White House a comfortable place where our girls could climb trees and host slumber parties, where we’d have dinner together as a family, and where we tried to live by the values our parents instilled in us.
A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 23, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT

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The hidden reason why Michelle Obama might be showing skin on the cover of her memoir