Becoming: Chapter 21 Summary & Analysis

One Saturday evening at the end of May, Barack takes Michelle on a date to New York City. They go to a restaurant, trying to talk about things other than work. So much of Barack’s job is grueling—General Motors filing for bankruptcy, North Korea conducting a nuclear test, and Barack flying off to Egypt to deliver a major address—that it’s better not to talk about it. They both crave “glimpses of regular life.”

That evening in New York, Michelle and Barack eat, drink, and talk, reveling in the fact that they are able to escape for a bit. The White House sometimes feels like a form of confinement for Michelle. At dinner, they talk about their daughters, Michelle’s mom, and their new dog Bo. After dinner, they attend a show, and when they return, they face a harsh backlash of criticism calling their date “extravagant and costly to taxpayers.”

In late June, the garden has grown, and Michelle and the elementary students have their first harvest—pea pods and lettuce and garden berries. The garden is wholesome, but Michelle also understands that she is being watched by many women who are critical of the fact that Michelle has buried her education and management experience to take on a more traditional role.

Michelle understands, however, that no matter what she chooses to do, she will disappoint someone. When Michelle uses the phrase “mom in chief” in the press to describe herself, some Americans embrace it, knowing the amount of work it takes to raise children. But some are “vaguely appalled” and believe it to be anti-feminist.

In addition to growing the garden, Michelle quietly puts together a larger plan to take on the issue of child obesity. Over the previous three decades, the rates of childhood obesity have tripled. The problem has various sources, from the high price of healthy fruit to the cuts in funding for sports programs. Meanwhile, portion sizes are increasing. Michelle feels it is the right time to push for change.

Over the summer of 2009, Michelle takes Sasha and Malia on trips together around their new city, rather than putting them in day camps. She knows that this is somewhat irksome to the Secret Service and the other people enjoying the various locations and activities, but she wants her daughters to be able to experience the world in the same way other kids do.

At a certain point, people start paying attention to and opining on Michelle’s fashion choices—the “brave” choice of white for her inaugural gown, or her lack of dignity for getting off Air Force One (in 106 degree heat) in a pair of shorts. It gets to the point where sometimes people focus on that aspect of her life more than they focus on what she has to say.

Michelle tries to use the power inside this situation, hoping that if she appears in fashion magazine profiles, people might also read what she has to say about children’s health or supporting military spouses. She also recognizes the importance of appearing on a magazine cover as a woman of color, and of supporting less well-known designers. She tries to mix up her choices, knowing that she will be criticized no matter what she wears—either for being too “showy and high end” or “too casual.”

Michelle depends heavily on Meredith Koop, who works with Michelle as a personal aide and wardrobe stylist, as well as Johnny Wright (her hairdresser) and Carl Ray (her makeup artist). They work with her to craft a look every day, knowing that any slipup will lead to “a flurry of ridicule and nasty comments.” Michelle also reports that every woman in public life has some version of these three people supporting them, “a built-in fee for our societal double standard.”

Barack’s team is also keen on maintaining appearances—particularly when the economy is in such rough shape, they guard against any image coming out of the White House that might be seen as “frivolous or light.” Michelle pushes back on this when it comes to the kids, hosting a Halloween party despite pushback from David Axelrod (now a senior advisor) and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. She is delighted to hand out treats to more than two thousand local kids, knowing the optics are “just right.”

The garden continues to grow through every season, “a symbol of diligence and faith.” Michelle enjoys the fruits of her labor and also donates a portion of every harvest to a local nonprofit serving the homeless. Michelle also gets ready to take on the issues of children’s health, attempting to provide better information to parents, create healthier schools, improve access to nutritious food, and find more ways for young people to be active.

Michelle announces her new initiative, Let’s Move! Her goal is to speak to parents and kids directly: she hula-hoops on the South Lawn to show that exercise can be fun, and she does interviews with health magazines. Barack signs a memorandum to create a federal task force on childhood obesity.

Michelle has also done a lot of prep work with outside organizations for the initiative. Three major corporate suppliers of school lunches announce that they will cut the amount of salt, sugar, and fat in their meals. The American Beverage Association promises to improve the clarity of its ingredient labels. They persuade Disney, NBC, and Warner Bros. to air PSAs encouraging kids to make healthy lifestyle choices. She aims to redesign the aging food pyramid to be more accessible and current. Michelle benefits from her platform, but she realizes now how it can be “marshaled in service of real goals.”