From Hair to Eternity: Michelle's Black 'Do Puzzle

With fashion mags touting makeovers monthly, will Michelle Obama change her signature look? The first lady’s straight locks are “already starting to look locked in, like armor,” Erin Aubry Kaplan writes for Salon, but a new ‘do is a risky endeavor for a black woman: “Black beauty is still inherently political. Even a mild curl on Michelle would make people nervous.”

“How would we see Michelle in braids, twists, curls or dreads?” Kaplan asks, guessing that she wrestles with the same questions as Mrs. O: “How do I look my best, or look like myself? Is it even possible to do both?” The relaxed coiff signals success. A more “natural” hairdo indicates a life on the fringe. Being natural, Kaplan suggests, is just too radical. (More black stories.)