Michelle Obama and hope

30 May

I’ve been trying to analyse why I felt so uplifted by hearing Michelle Obama in conversation with Annabel Crabb recently… There was such a buzz in the room as well as before and after the event and I had just listened to Michelle narrating her book Becoming (finishing it only an hour before I attended the conversation) so my head has been full of Michelle Obama.

I left the conversation feeling much more hopeful than I had for a very long time about the world in general. I felt hope in place of despair, and I was so encouraged by the strong reminder that there are still wonderful people such as Michelle Obama thinking positively about improving things.

I felt an affinity with Michelle, which is an unusual feeling for me, and in trying to figure out why that might be, a couple of parallels became apparent. Firstly, Michelle grew up in a neighbourhood that presented some challenges, although she was surrounded by love at home. My own childhood was very different, although not an easy one. Challenging circumstances can help us to view the world differently and to appreciate the smaller things.

Secondly, from what she wrote in her book and in the conversation she had with Annabel Crabb, it is evident Michelle is passionate about children and young people. Her work with children’s health and education as well as mentoring young people has borne this out.

Similarly, my most rewarding years working in a corporate environment was spent offering mentoring, training and employment opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and to other cohorts whom the mainstream job market tends to overlook. It was extremely rewarding to extend opportunities to talented and dedicated people who may have otherwise missed out.

Although my work was on a much, much smaller scale, it has parallels with the work Michelle is passionate about (and we did win a couple of Prime Minister’s Awards for our initiatives). I loved getting personally involved in supporting and encouraging people to make the most of opportunities and build their confidence as I also managed our national programs on a strategic level.

Because I left this work well over a decade ago, it wasn’t top of mind when I was listening to Michelle speak, but on reflection, her passion for instilling hope and strength in young people who are the basis of our future, sparked an optimism in me that I hadn’t felt for some time.

I love seeing anyone develop in a direction that fires them up, and take steps to become the person they yearn to be. This explains the joy I feel in the work I do today; assisting clients to express sartorially who they are on the inside, although often this is at the other end of careers, as people return to their core self following a long formal career.

For this reason, I’ve been fascinated to see the change in the way Michelle presents herself now that she’s no longer First Lady of the United States. That role required a look that nodded to the conservative corporate and business world but now she can dress more genuinely as herself.

In recent years I’ve seen her in fashion forward denim jeans with rips and patches, oversized shirts, t-shirts, less formal dresses and denim or leather jackets, often with sparkles and always with style. She’s also reverted to wearing her hair more naturally (something she said the U.S. wasn’t ready for when her husband was President and which is an ongoing issue for many women of colour). Embracing her own style gives her more credibility and makes her more relatable in my opinion. And when she chooses to frock up, she still puts together a stunning look.

Get in touch if I can help you with a restyle to re/connect with your sense of self.

Finally, Michelle made this point in her conversation with Annabel Crabb, which I think is a pertinent one:

We don’t teach people: