--- ---  # Even Michelle Obama Was Awkward and Self-Conscious in Middle School by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 13, 2014 4:25 PM UTC  U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks during a session of a Fashion Education Workshop in the East Room of the White House U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks during a session of a Fashion Education Workshop in the East Room of the White HouseAlex Wong—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Oct 13, 2014 4:25 PM UTC No one is immune to the awkward discomfort that is middle school. And that includes First Lady Michelle Obama, also known as the [Beyoncé BFF](http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/michelle-obama-beyonce-friendship/) who probably should have won “Best Arms of the Class of 1981” in high school. FLOTUS wrote [an essay to her younger self in this week’s ](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20860789,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines)[_People_](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20860789,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines)that discusses her angst-ridden younger years: --- > “” --- Even though Obama still faces high school-esque antics — including [news commentators discussing her weight](http://time.com/3108981/fox-news-ablow-michelle-obama-fat/) — she has certainly risen above the lunchroom chatter. ### From Eleanor to Michelle: See The Inside Scoop on First Lady Fashion  Left: A portrait of Dolly Madison, circa 1800; right: Dolly Madison's famous red dress on display at the home on James Madison in Montpelier, Va. Getty Images (2)  Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, in 1863. Getty Images  Portrait of Harriet Lane, circa 1860s. Harriet Lane was the first "acting First Lady" to her uncle, life-long bachelor, President James Buchanan. Getty Images  Mrs. Grace Coolidge, the First Lady to Calvin Coolidge, in 1925. Getty Images  Eleanor Roosevelt wears the Arnold Constable gown she will wear to the White House diplomatic corps reception, Nov. 10, 1939. NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images  Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower (L) sharing her fur with Mrs. Patricia Nixon on a chilly night in 1952. Ed Clark—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  First Lady Jackie Kennedy wearing a fitted silk apricot dress and triple strand of pearls, walking through crowds during a visit to Udaipur, India on March 1, 1962. Art Rickerby—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Lady Bird Johnson Bettmann/Corbis  Mrs. Patricia Nixon at home reading the newspaper in Washington, 1960. Ed Clark—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Nancy Reagan, decked out in red lace dress, gold earrings and necklace set, at "President's dinner" in Washington on May 11, 1988. Diana Walker—TTime & Life Pictures/Getty Images  First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in the White House Rose Garden during a meeting with the League of Women Voters in Washington on June 7, 1993. Cynthia Johnson—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  First Lady Michelle Obama waves to supporters on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 4, 2012 Stan Honda—AFP/Getty Images Michelle Obama Was Also Awkward, Self Conscious in Middle School ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3502226/michelle-obama-awkward-middle-school/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3502226/michelle-obama-awkward-middle-school/"},"headline":"Even Michelle Obama Was Awkward and Self-Conscious in Middle School","datePublished":"2014-10-13T16:25:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:22.913Z","description":"Obama admits to, \"angsting about some offhand comment someone made to me in the lunchroom.\"","url":"https://time.com/3502226/michelle-obama-awkward-middle-school/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Living","society","Michelle Obama","flotus","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf552f60bce022f4b/6987605706f2c1f3ec331537/456851758.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf552f60bce022f4b/6987605706f2c1f3ec331537/456851758.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts Fashion Education Workshop At The White House","caption":"First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts Fashion Education Workshop At The White House","creditText":"Alex Wong—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3502226/michelle-obama-awkward-middle-school/","name":"Even Michelle Obama Was Awkward and Self-Conscious in Middle School"}}]}] ```