Michelle Obama wore her natural hair on the cover of Essence , and she’s forever #hairgoals

For a decade now, our forever first lady Michelle Obama hasn’t ceased to amaze us. Earlier this week, she kicked off her almost sold-out book tour for her newly released memoir Becoming. If you weren’t one of the lucky people to get tickets in time, don’t worry. We can all look forward to seeing her face on shelves everywhere in the December/January issue of Essence—with a twist.

Essence debuted the cover earlier on Instagram, and we are delighted to see Michelle smiling ear-to-ear while rocking her hair au naturel for the first time on any major publication. First she served #relationshipgoals with her hubby, former president Barack Obama, and now we can add #hairgoals to the endless list of inspiration she gives us.

On the heels of women breaking barriers in politics, Michelle Obama confidently rocking her natural hair on the cover of Essence is a win in more ways than one.

Essence has celebrated the beauty and diversity of black women since the 1970s. What better way to continue that legacy than being the first publication to photograph Michelle with her natural curls. (While under the spotlight as First Lady of the United States, we often saw her hair coiffed in a silk press style or loose waves, which, of course, still look fabulous on her.) Michelle is serving us #naturalhairgoals just days after the release of Becoming, a memoir that discusses how she became the special woman she is today, and we’re ready to take notes. If there’s any chance that she dropped a hair regimen in the memoir we look forward to taking notes on that, as well.

A post-Oval Office Michelle, without the pressure of being under a microscope, is getting to her roots in more ways than one.

In this upcoming issue of Essence, the former first lady peels back layers to discuss some of her major life moments, from growing up in Southside Chicago to her very active life after the Oval Office. We can also look forward to her dishing on what attracted her to Barack Obama, his respect for women, and how we can find a Barack of our very own (if that’s even possible).  We’re thrilled to be getting some major tips from the queen herself on becoming the best versions of ourselves. From juggling careers and family life to self-love, we know Michelle will be dropping gems and we’re ready to catch. 

We can’t wait to get our hands on the December/January issue of Essence, which is for sure a collectors’ item.