Michelle Obama Covers Her Third Vogue: ‘I Always Knew She’d Be Incredible’ as First Lady, Says President Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama has achieved so much in her eight-year tenure in the White House: She’s assisted veterans and their families, given knockout speeches (including one at the Democratic National Convention this summer) on topics she feels passionately about, transformed the way that kids think about healthy eating and being active, seen her eldest daughter get into Harvard and done all of that while achieving fashion icon status. And now she has one more accomplishment to add to her list: a third Vogue cover within seven years.

Obama is (understandably) proud of her legacy, telling the magazine, “I could have spent eight years doing anything, and at some level, it would have been fine. I could have focused on flowers. I could have focused on décor. I could have focused on entertainment. Because any First Lady, rightfully, gets to define her role. There’s no legislative authority; you’re not elected. And that’s a wonderful gift of freedom.”
Her husband, President Barack Obama, also shares his pride about his wife’s role in the White House, writing, “Michelle never asked to be First Lady … Like a lot of political spouses, the role was thrust upon her. But I always knew she’d be incredible at it, and put her own unique stamp on the job. That’s because who you see is who she is— the brilliant, funny, generous woman who, for whatever reason, agreed to marry me. I think people gravitate to her because they see themselves in her— a dedicated mom, a good friend, and someone who’s not afraid to poke a little fun at herself from time to time.”