Michelle Obama has made an indelible mark on the nation as well as the role of first lady, but after eight years of hard work at the White House, we wouldn’t blame her if she took a little time off to relax.
And as the countdown clock ticks toward the Obamas’ eventual departure from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the question of what the first lady will do in the future has sparked the imaginations of many.
Without being “held hostage” to a White House schedule, Northwestern University associate professor Peter Slevin said Michelle Obama will certainly have fewer obligations.
“She won’t be under the microscope in a way that she has been in the last 10 years; that’s bound to be big relief for her,” he said.
Obama has made no secret of her feelings about leaving life in the White House behind. In a recent interview with Vogue, the first lady admitted that “it’s time.”
“I think our democracy has it exactly right: two terms, eight years. It’s enough,” she told Vogue’s Jonathan Van Meter. “Because it’s important to have one foot in reality when you have access to this kind of power. The nature of living in the White House is isolating.”
Slevin, who authored the biography “Michelle Obama: A Life,” believes Obama is looking forward to returning to “some degree of normality.”
“She’s really looking forward to getting out of the White House bubble,” he said.
But with more freedom comes more choice. While we may not know exactly what Michelle Obama has in the works (heck, she might not even know yet), the first lady has offered some clues in recent months.
