Michelle Obama Looks Back on Scrutiny She Faced over Her Style as First Lady

The former First Lady of the United States faced many challenges during her husband's terms in office. In her new book, "The Look," she zooms in on the scrutiny she faced for her choice of wardrobe, drawing comparisons between herself and Jackie Kennedy.

Michelle Obama is reflecting on the heavy backlash she received from the public for her choice of style as First Lady in her new coffee table book, "The Look," slated for release on Tuesday, November 4.

The 61-year-old was known to wear sleeveless dresses during public appearances and engagements, and she wasn't the first First Lady to do so. Despite this, however, she faced intense scrutiny.

Still, it wasn't surprising and perhaps even expected, given that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, along with their daughters — Malia and Sasha Obama — were the first Black family in the White House.

In a new cover story with People, Michelle looked back on the criticism and called it for what it was. "I took it for what it was, pure hypocrisy," she told the outlet. In her book, she details how she coped with the media scrutiny over her wearing sleeveless dresses to events.

"I could pull up pictures of Jackie O in a second and see this fashion icon in sleeveless dresses as First Lady," Michelle said. "So at a point you're like, 'Oh, this is politics. If you can't beat them, make everybody scared of them.' That was the motto."

"If it wasn't the clothes, it was 'that terrorist fist bump.' It was every word that we said. It was my husband's tan suit," she continued. Michelle said she helped pick out the infamous tan suit — deemed "unpresidential" — that Barack wore while out on official business in 2014.

"I loved that tan suit! When he had it on, I was like, 'Oh my God, you look so cute'," she recalled. "[Then] I was like, 'Oh, you got clocked for that one. Welcome to my world.' That was toward the end of his presidency, so we were used to all the crazy issues that people would take with us."

The former attorney went on to reflect on how often their opponents, and the media at large, picked them apart and tried to paint them as unsuitable for presidency. "I took it as political gamesmanship," Michelle said.

"We can look at the differences in what's now acceptable in presidents and presidential families. The roles have completely changed. Showing your arms doesn't seem to be much of a big deal, or nothing is a very big deal," she remarked.

Through it all, Michelle simply kept going. She took the criticism as "nonsense" and decided to keep doing what she felt suited her. She also added that, as she's grown older, she has learned to accept that her actions will always spark polarizing views.

Alongside her reflections, her book is a visual journey that chronicles her style evolution over the years. It will feature more than 200 photos, many never-before-seen, that document her fashion trajectory from the moment she stepped into the spotlight.