Michelle Obama Is Tired Of Seeing Men ‘Fail Up’, And Wants Women To Shake Things Up At Work

Michelle Obama

by Phoebe Parke |
Published on

Former US first lady Michelle Obama shares one of our frustrations – seeing men fail spectacularly and still be OK, while women aren’t afforded the same courtesy.

Obama revealed this pet peeve during an interview with none other than Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross at the United State of Women Summit in LA.

‘I wish that girls could fail as bad as men do and be OK,’ she said.

‘Because let me tell you, watching men fail up - it is frustrating. It's frustrating to see a lot of men blow it and win. And we hold ourselves to these crazy, crazy standards.’

Cue people immediately assuming she was talking about Donald Trump, although she didn’t actually name him.

She went on to give men a little parenting advice; ‘What I've been telling men is, you can't have it both ways: You can't whisper these magical thoughts in your daughter's ear about who she can be or what she can do….

‘If you're tolerating [inequality at work], that is the workplace that's going to be waiting for your little girl, but you sold her a bill of goods. You told her she could be anything, but then you're not working to make sure that can be actualized. And so men have to understand things don't just work out for your little precious pea."

READ MORE: Michelle Obama's Best Style Moments

Gallery

Michelle Obama Style - Grazia

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michelle obama gold versace dress

For her final White House state dinner, Michelle (pictured with Italian first lady Agnese Landini) wore a rose gold sequinned gown by Versace. Talk about going out in style...

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michelle obama second inauguration ball

Red Jason Wu was the obvious choice for Michelle when it came to Barack's second inauguration ball in 2013

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michelle obama buckingham palace

A state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2011 required a show-stopping white gown by Tom Ford.

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michelle obama inauguration ball

Michelle graced her first inaugural ball in a one-shouldered custom gown by designer of choice Jason Wu.

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michelle obama phoenix awards

Michelle wore a strapless embellished ballgown by Naeem Khan for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Phoenix Awards in September 2016.

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michelle obama state dinner

For her first state dinner with the Indian Prime Minister, Michelle wore an embellished gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan.

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michelle obama state dinner

Another state dinner (this time to meet with Justin and Sophie Trudeau) called for another dress by Jason Wu.

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michelle obama state dinner

The one-shouldered style certainly works for the First Lady. This purple gown, worn for dinner with the president of South Korea, is by Korean-American designer Doo-Ri Chung.

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michelle obama state dinner

The First Lady doesn't shy away from bold prints for high profile occasions. This dramatic gown, worn in 2011, is by British label Alexander McQueen.

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michelle obama state dinner

For an official dinner with David and Samantha Cameron, Michelle chose a teal off-the-shoulder style by Marchesa, complete with a dramatic statement necklace.

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michelle obama state dinner

Naeem Khan - who dreamt up this cream off-the-shoulder number - is another of the First Lady's go-to designers.

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michelle obama preen dress

Visiting Spain as part of her Let Girls Learn initiative, Michelle wore a ruffled dress by Preen in one of the brand's standout S/S'16 prints.

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michelle obama brandon maxwell

This stunningly simple white gown was custom made for Mrs. Obama by Lady Gaga's go-to designer, Brandon Maxwell

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michelle obama BET

Hey Michelle, can we borrow this off-the-shoulder number by Zac Posen, please?

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michelle obama broadway shine a light on girls

This multi-print dress, worn by Michelle at the Broadway Shines A Light On Girls Education presentation, wolud slot ever so easily into our work wardrobe...

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michelle obama kennedy centre dress

An off-the-shoulder teal gown by Marchesa was the perfect choice for a Kennedy Center reception in 2013.

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michelle obama phoenix awards dress 2014

The cross-over neckline of this Bibhu Mohapatra gown is another favourite style detail for the First Lady.

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michelle obama vera wang black dress

The First Lady looked stunning in this dramatic black fishtail gown by Vera Wang, worn for a state dinner in 2015.

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michelle obama BET honours

The 2012 BET Honours called for a form-fitting scarlet style by J. Mendel.

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michelle obama marine barracks evening parade

Michelle paired an eye-catching printed sun-dress with simple gladiator flats for the Marine Barracks evening parade.

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michelle obama summer dress

Another bold printed number for the First Lady.

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michelle obama azzedine alaia nobel banquet

'That's an Alaia!' Michelle wore a dazzling ice-blue dress by Azzedine Alaia for the Nobel Banquet.

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michelle obama state dinner UK

What does one wear for dinner with the Queen? In this case, a stunning black evening gown by Ralph Lauren.

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michelle obama

She wore a pink embellished gown by Tracey Reese when she attended the Democratic National Convention in 2012.

As well as sharing her thoughts on men in power, she made in clear that women in the workplace had a part to play in ‘shaking things up’ too.

‘So many of us have gotten ourselves at the table, but we're still too grateful to be at the table to really shake it up,’ she said.

‘That's not a criticism, because for so many, just getting to the table was so hard, so you're just holding on.

'But now we have to take some risks for our girls… just holding on to our seats at the table won't be enough to help our girls be all that they can be.’

BRB, going to write that last bit on a post-it note above my desk.

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