Michelle Obama Makes You Want to Hug Your Kids

... But I don't have any kids, so I hugged my mom. In a tear-inducing speech to raise funds for programs targeting at-risk youth in Chicago, the First Lady talks about the murder of Hadiya Pendleton, a teen who was shot in Chicago shortly after performing for the First Family during their second inauguration. Mrs. Obama said Hadiya was just like her -- a good student from a good family -- only the First Lady got to grow up and Hadiya was killed.

Go get your tissue now. I started crying just typing that sentence alone.

Video after the jump.

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Michelle Obama Covers Vogue Again, Looks Great

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First Lady Michelle Obama made the cover of Vogue Magazine for a second time, as well as for the second term of her husband's presidency. In the article "Leading By Example," Jonathan Van Meter chronicles the First Family and how they're influencing America.

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Clutch Magazine: Vivienne Westwood Thinks Michelle Obama Needs the Fashion Police

In a weekend post for Clutch, I'm all over designer Vivienne Westwood's disdain for how Michelle Obama dresses (say what) and conclude this is more about WHO the First Lady wears than WHAT.

Here's a snippet:

My theory is always the designers who “hate”  Mrs. O’s fashion are the one’s Mrs.O doesn’t wear. Oscar de La Renta famously threw a fit after being the go-to guy for several First Lady’s and Mrs. O had the gall to wear European designers when she visited Europe. But Mrs. Obama has mostly preferred ready-to-wear by lines such as White House Black Market, J. Crew and many designers of color, like Thankoon, Jason Wu and Tracey Reese.

Read the full post at Clutch Magazine Online.

The First Lady's Bangs Are Now White House Portrait Official! (Flickr)

First Lady Michelle Obama (Click to enlarge)The often imitated, never duplicated First Lady Michelle Obama has a new White House portrait. Recently she said she cut herself some bangs because that's as wild as she's getting with the mid-life crisis she's having this term. At first I was all, "I dunno about these bangs, Miz O." But after the inauguration I was like, "BANGS! BANGS! BANGS!" Heck, even I want some bangs. Do you know they sell "clip-in" bangs? CLIP-INS! It's the first time I've ever wanted to add hair to my head. Besides, I made a promise to myself to never cut my hair again, so clip-ins are a way I can get some of that bang action without chopping the front of my homegrown wig.

But enough about me ... more about bangs.

BANGS!

(H/T Jezebel)

Standing at the Mountaintop, Talking About Hair Bangs

Photo via The White House

The romance is over and has settled into quite a marriage. It's not perfect, but this thing between "us" ("us" being most black people, various minority groups, the LGBT community, certain women folks, pragmatic progressives, MSNBC viewers, Democratic voters, young people and folks who are really invested in Michelle Obama's hair choices) and President Obama is "real." This is it. So let's just enjoy this moment before the hangover and the GOP crashes the party and we're all back to arguing about what is obvious and stupid. Let's look back at our works and marvel and wonder and hope and be optimistic, but know what we're getting into this time around.

Golden Girl: Michelle Obama Greets Olympian Gabby Douglas

First Lady Michelle Obama greets U.S. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas and her mother prior to appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” at the Tonight Show Studio in Burbank, California, Aug. 13, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)

Hey, It's the White House Easter Egg Roll (Photo)

Photo via The Fab Empire:

The White House Easter Egg Roll, a 134-year-old tradition started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878, kicked off early today at the first residence.

The Voice’s Rachel Crow sang the National Anthem right before President Barack Obamaand Michelle Obama addressed the crowd. The president went down to help kiddies with their rolls and later played on the court with the Harlem Globe Trotters.

Check out more photos at The Fab Empire.

First Lady, Away! Obama 2012 Deploys Most Popular Michelle Obama-Based Weapon (Photos)

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk in the Green Room of the White House before hosting a Smithsonian Museum of African American History reception in the East Room, Feb. 22, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

What do you do when you have a popular First Lady and a re-election campaign getting ready to kick off? Well, you send out Michelle Obama and wait for the magic to happen. Naturally, the White House documented that "magic" with some nice photography. Mrs. O blended her typical First Lady duties with some camera-ready moments earlier this year.

More photos after the jump.

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Michelle Obama: Ultimate Running, Jumping, Re-election Weapon

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a tug of war with Jimmy Fallon in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House during a “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” taping for the second anniversary of the "Let’s Move!" initiative, Jan. 25, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)If you're the kind of person who still gets a kick out of seeing the First Lady out and about, it's been a Michelle Obama footage bonanza the last few days. Mrs. O seems to be strategically (and adorably) running around as a primary election-day distraction and a fun, happy contrast to the withering GOP field of unlikeable candidates. And it's only going to get even more fun now that the White House has announced today that Michelle Obama is hitting the road to celebrate her "Let's Move" campaign's second anniversary, touring the country.

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