In The Look, Obama reflects not only on leadership but also on how her personal style carried meaning throughout her time in the White House. She explains how she used fashion to highlight issues such as education, military families, and children’s health. However, she also recalls how something as simple as her sleeveless dress became a target for criticism.

During Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress, her outfit drew headlines like Up In Arms and Sleevegate for showing her arms—an outrage she notes previous First Ladies like Jacqueline Kennedy did not face. Obama writes that this scrutiny “otherized” her and Barack, portraying them as outsiders who didn’t fit the “rules” of Washington’s elite world.