Michelle Obama’s Bold DNC 2024 Dress Sends Clear Message to Her Haters

It’s been a while since the Obamas left The White House, but the memory of the harsh criticism that Michelle Obama, in particular, faced over her fashion choices remains vivid in fans’ minds. One of the most infamous instances was dubbed “Sleevegate.” Critics pounced on the former first lady’s decision to wear sleeveless outfits, decrying it as informal, unprofessional, and even disrespectful for a woman in her position. If this sounds like thinly veiled envy of Michelle Obama’s toned arms, you wouldn’t be wrong — many first ladies before her sported sleeveless styles without garnering the same backlash. Despite this fraught history, Michelle made her appearance at the Democratic National Convention 2024 in none other than a stunningly deconstructed sleeveless suit. This decision is iconic for several reasons. 

Not only is Michelle making it abundantly clear that she will wear whatever she wants, but the bestselling author is also standing up for herself and declaring that she will not be broken down or controlled. And as the icing on the cake, Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice of outfit was a direct reference to Barack Obama’s outrageous tan suit controversy. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take netizens long to pinpoint the not-so-subtle style messages. As one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, gushed, “Michelle Obama’s Monse reconstructed suit is perf! Bearing her arms + a reimagining of a men’s suit. What a statement.” Another added, “Someone said yesterday that @MichelleObama needs to come out in a sleeve-less dress, I think she heard ’em & today she did! Kamala w/tan suit was chef’s kiss. They’re trolling the Republicans real bad.”

Michelle Obama knows how to deliver a good speech, there’s no doubt about that. However, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the former first lady’s remarks skillfully magnified presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s positive traits while also highlighting Donald Trump’s negative ones — notably, only mentioning his name once. Obama started by speaking about the values that her parents passed down to her and how it wasn’t right to be focused solely on personal interests: “[My mother] and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy. In fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed,” (via YouTube). The “Becoming” author added that she and Harris were raised on similar values, noting, “Look, Kamala knows like we do that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or what’s in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life.”

Then, just like Simone Biles did when celebrating her Olympic gold medal, Obama trolled Trump for his racist comments about Black jobs. “Who’s gonna tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?” she quipped, pointing out that rampant racism, dismantling the healthcare system, and controlling women’s reproductive decisions will definitively not improve citizens’ lives going forward. The former first lady also took a shot at Trump’s schoolyard bully behavior, asserting, “Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.”