Michelle Obama a name synonymous with understated style, leadership and grace. As the first Black First Lady of the United States, she was watched from her fashion choices to policy statements. But in a new open interview, she revealed a detail that may have gone unnoticed: while in the White House, she intentionally avoided wearing braids.Now, years after walking away from the limelight, Michelle Obama reembracing those protective styles with renewed confidence and relevancy.Why Michelle Obama avoided wearing braidsWhile Barack and Michelle Obama resided in the White House, optics mattered on a very personal basis for Michelle Obama. She's clarified that although she liked braids (and wore them when younger, normally), she did not feel the American public and media landscape were ready for that kind of her hair at the time. She felt braids would be distracting or take away from work that she and her husband were trying to get done. Let me keep my hair straight, let's cut health care," she added stressing the cost calculation of a styling choice. She also spoke of the absence of legal protection against hair-based discrimination during employment at the White House.The CROWN Act, which bans discrimination based on hairstyles like braids or locs, had yet to take root when she was serving in office and influenced her to select more conventional styles. Upon retiring from public office she started making the change towards braided styles not just for comfort, but also as a political statement. She wore braids in her 2022 official portrait unveiling, saying that she chose to make a point that this type of hair is "appropriate and beautiful" for Black women in power. In short, Michelle Obama's avoiding braids while residing in the White House wasn't because she didn't like the style it was about managing symbolism, perception and representation. She opted to wear a straightened or a pressed hairdo in order to make space for her voice and policy, rather than her hair becoming the headline.Now that she is at a different stage in life, she willingly adopts braids not just as a hairstyle, but as a statement of identification, empowerment, and freedom.