Michelle Obama Says Air Force One ‘Shorts Scandal’ Left Her Angry and Frustrated

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00:00Michelle Obama says Air Force One short scandal left her angry and frustrated.

00:06Michelle Obama says a 2009 vacation wardrobe controversy infuriated her,

00:12exposing different standards for women and men in public life.

00:15According to Fox News, on an episode of the podcast I Am O, with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,

00:22she revisited a moment that made national headlines.

00:24The fact that we had to spend time thinking about that kind of stuff in ways that my husband didn't.

00:30It was really infuriating, she said.

00:33The episode recalled an August 2009 trip to the Grand Canyon,

00:37when she feared an outfit might be deemed un-American.

00:41It was 100 degrees, she remembered.

00:43She asked Barack what he was wearing.

00:45He planned sneakers, jacket off, and rolled sleeves.

00:49After debating between hiking shorts and a dress, she chose Bermuda shorts,

00:53a decision that sparked headlines such as the shorts heard round the world.

00:58I can't wear hiking shorts there, and I can't wear a dress to hike, she said.

01:01I eventually opted for the thing that felt, mostly, me.

01:06Obama later admitted in 2013 that she would not wear shorts again aboard Air Force One

01:11after the backlash caused what she called a huge stink.

01:15Her comments drew parallels to First Lady Melania Trump's controversies,

01:19including a 2017 visit to Texas after Hurricane Harvey and a 2018 jacket reading,

01:25I really don't care do you, and her later ABC News remark,

01:29I want to show them that I don't care.

01:32For Michelle Obama, the 2009 shorts scandal remains a reminder of how even small choices

01:39can ignite national debate, especially for women in the public eye.