Michelle Obama is tired of seeing men 'fail up'
When Michelle Obama walked onto the stage of Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium Saturday evening, the crowd let loose screams of joy usually reserved for rock stars.
Audience members, who'd spent the day talking about gender equality as part of the United State of Women summit, listened raptly for 40 minutes as Obama, in conversation with Black-ish actress Tracee Ellis Ross, shared what amounted to life lessons you'd expect from one of the most beloved first ladies in recent history. And when the discussion turned political, Obama got very real.
After someone appeared to shout that Obama should run for president, she immediately dismissed the idea.
"That's not the answer, either," she said. "When I hear people say, 'You run,' it's part of the problem. We still didn't get 'Yes we can' right. It's not yes you can, it's yes we can. And until we get that right, it doesn't matter who runs. And look, I don't think I'm any different from Hillary."
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Without mentioning Donald Trump's name, she lamented the number of women who voted for him instead of Clinton, who she described as the "most qualified person."
Obama also made clear that she has no patience for men who fail spectacularly and still rise to and power.
"I wish that girls could fail as bad as men do, and be OK," she said, "because let me tell you, watching men fail up — it is frustrating. It's frustrating to see a lot of men blow it and win. And we hold ourselves to these crazy, crazy standards."
"It's frustrating to see a lot of men blow it and win."
The wide-ranging conversation with Ellis Ross touched on Obama's relationship to her mother, how she parents her daughters, and where she looks to for hope in dark times.
Obama shared childhood anecdotes, recounting the time she "choked" on reading the word "white" as a kindergartner, and how she returned the next day to school determined to prove to her teacher she could read it. She admitted, to crowd laughter, that she just really wanted a star.
She talked about how she wants her daughters, Sasha and Malia, to come to her with any question, but admitted that it's hard to get her "mom face" just right so she doesn't convey any judgment.
Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Obama, said in an interview with Mashable that the first lady is so beloved because of her authenticity.
"I think people are really good judges of whether someone is authentic or not, and I think she’s so comfortable in her own skin that she’s not afraid to let people in," Jarrett said.
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And let people in she did.
When Ellis Ross asked how she navigates difficult political times, Obama said that while she was in the White House and reading negative stories or headlines, she made sure to spend time with children.
"That's what this is all for," she said. "...Because of them we can’t give up. What choice do we have? What future am I passing on to my girls and all our kids if I wake up and I’m hopeless? There is no use in that. All we have is hope."
Rebecca Ruiz is a Senior Reporter at Mashable. She frequently covers mental health, digital culture, and technology. Her areas of expertise include suicide prevention, screen use and mental health, parenting, youth well-being, and meditation and mindfulness. Rebecca's experience prior to Mashable includes working as a staff writer, reporter, and editor at NBC News Digital and as a staff writer at Forbes. Rebecca has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a masters degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.
