27. She's more popular than her husband. According to a May 2012 Gallup poll, 66 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Michelle. The poll showed that only 55 percent of Americans would say the same for Barack.
28. She doesn't like pantyhose. In 2008, she admitted on "The View:" I stopped wearing panty hose a long time ago, because it was painful and they'd always rip. And I'm 5'11,'' so I'm tall, nothing fits...Put 'em on, rip 'em..it's inconvenient." Amen.
29. Her commitment to military families. She and Jill Biden are behind the national initiative Joining Forces, which aims to provide military families with much-needed support and opportunities. Michelle told NPR, "There is no American that isn't grateful for what these men and women do."
30. Her guilty pleasure -- french fries.
31. She likes to sleep. The First Lady finds it difficult to stay awake past 9 o'clock, which means she's just like us, right?
32. She daydreams about incredibly normal things. On "Jimmy Kimmel Live,"Michelle revealed that if she weren't First Lady: "I would walk out of the door of the White House like a regular person, walk down the street, go to the drug store, go to CVS, go in there, go shop. I’d go buy my toiletries."
33. She tries not to read news about herself and her family, which is probably much harder than it sounds. Michelle told Mike Huckabee in 2010, "I try to keep home kind of a news-free zone... when you work above the shop, you can't just bring work home."
34. That time she taught middle schoolers how to Dougie. As part of her "Let's Move!" campaign, the First Lady showed off her dance moves at Alice Deal Middle School. She also tried to teach Dr. Oz some of her signature moves during a September 2012 appearance on his show.
35. She shops at Target. The First Lady has attempted to keep some sense of normalcy in her life by taking incognito shopping trips to Target and Petco. Michelle also wore a Target Merona dress on the family's recent Hawaii vacation.
36. She knows what it's like to be a working mom and is happy to talk about her experiences trying to make it work. In 2008, she told Ladies Home Journal: "Finding balance has been the struggle of my life and my marriage, in being a woman, being a professional, being a mother. And Barack has to find that balance, too, as part of the family. What women have the power to do, through our own experiences, is to push that balance out into the culture. If people are happier, and they're more engaged, and they have jobs they can value that allow them to respect and value their homes, that makes the home life stronger."
37. Her strong sartorial choices. In case we haven't made that clear here, check out HuffPost Style's roundup of her 49 best outfits ever.
38. She wants to jazz up Barack's wardrobe. In 2011, Michelle told the "Today"show: "I wish that he would focus more on a different color suit, a new shirt. Sasha and I and Malia, we cheer when he puts on a bright-colored shirt."
39. She isn't perfect, and she's fine with that. For example, she admits to being impatient and unsure of herself at times, which makes the rest of us feel a little less lame. When asked about adapting to her new life, Michelle told Good Housekeeping: "[I'm] continuing to tell myself to be patient. It's like standing up straight. Just be patient. Things take time."
40. She wants to talk about the tough stuff. Michelle doesn't shy away from talking about divisive or controversial issues like childhood obesity and women's rights, and encourages others to join in the conversation full-time. During a spring 2012 interview on NPR, she told Michel Martin, "Talking is good. Conversations have to be forever. You know, they can't come in spits and starts when there's an incident. "
41. She doesn't let criticism get her down, which makes her a great role model for women and young girls. She told Marie Claire magazine: "One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am."
42. She recognizes and encourages female leaders. Alongside Hillary Clinton, Michelle presented the 2012 International Women of Courage Awards, which recognize "women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness and willingness to sacrifice for others."
43. She tries to keep her daughters down-to-earth. In almost every interview, the First Lady stresses how important it is that her girls grow up happy, healthy and well-adjusted. The girls make their own beds, aren't suposed to watch TV on weeknights and are in charge of walking Bo.
44. She continues to describe herself "Mom-in-Chief" -- despite the controversy that title ignites. At the 2012 DNC, Michelle said: "At the end of the day, my most important title is still mom-in-chief" -- a line that confused and disappointed many listeners. Whether or not the First Lady has "mom-ified" herself, she stuck to a concept she originated and believes in even though it's unpopular. That takes self-confidence and conviction.
45. She has a sweet tooth. We do not understand how some humans don't like dessert, so we were relieved when Michelle told Oprah, ""Hey, I love pie. I love a good candy bar." This is a woman we can work with.
46. She believes in the power of female friendship. At the National Mentoring Summit in 2011, she said: "We should always have three friends in our lives -- one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way."
47. Her hugs. The First Lady is famous for her tendency to hug everyone she meets (see the incident with a certain monarch above). The New York Times quoted a former White House photographer as saying: “Sometimes her staff will roll their eyes, like O.K., here we go, because if there are 50 people who need to be hugged, she will hug them all." Though sometimes a hug just isn't enough -- wrestler Elena Pirozhkova famously lifted Michelle up during the First Lady's visit to the U.S. team's Olympic training center.
48. She wants young girls to break through the glass ceiling. The First Lady hosted a White House dinner to support mentoring programs for young girls, where she said: “You don’t always see was what it took for many of us to get to where we are today. You don’t always see the thousands of hours that were spent studying or practicing or rehearsing, the years spent working for that promotion, the hammers used to break glass ceilings. All of them –- every last one of them -– had someone in their lives who took the time to encourage them and to inspire them. None of us are here on our own.”
49. She believes in women's power to affect the bigger picture. She said: “Changing the big picture takes time... and the best things to do is focus on the things that we can make in our lives if we're doing all that. That becomes the collage of real change.”
CORRECTION: This post previously stated that Michelle Obama is one of three First Ladies to hold a master's degree. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton each hold a graduate degree that is a J.D. (Juris Doctorate), not a master's degree.
Michelle Obama: Before She Was FLOTUS
The end
SOURCE: huffingtonpost
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