Michelle Obama's speech taking down Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention on Friday without naming him even once has been described as a watershed moment in the national conversation about gender equality.
Describing the First Lady, Julie Miller, in a piece for the Vanity Fair last month, wrote, "Michelle Obama has earned an ephemeral quality that separates her from previous First Ladies—the kind of je-ne-sais-quoi cool that has allowed this FLOTUS to eclipse her role as a political spouse and become a full-on celebrity or, as the Harvard Business Review crowed, “a hit, a star in her own right.”" Julie Miller writes for Vanity Fair.
"She has the style and poise of Jackie Kennedy but with the empathy of Oprah and the easy charisma of Julia Roberts," she adds.
A truly inspiring and commanding figure at the same time, Michelle Obama's eight-year term as First Lady of the United States is nearing its end.
Here are some pictures and memorable quotes of her through her nearly-a-decade long journey as FLOTUS.
On the ideal candidate:
I want someone with the proven strength to persevere, someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.
Michelle Obama arrives at Pope Air Force Base on her first official trip as First Lady. Mrs. Obama visited Ft. Bragg and Fayetteville, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2009. March 19, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
On black history:
The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.
On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, Mrs. Obama visited Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care in Washington, D.C. Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
On Trump:
“I can’t believe that I’m saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. This is not normal. This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn’t matter what party you belong to – Democrat, Republican, independent – no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse. And I know it’s a campaign, but this isn’t about politics. It’s about basic human decency."
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden react to a play while watching Game 1 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankees Stadium, in Bronx, N.Y., Oct. 28, 2009. October 28, 2009.
On boys:
"You don't want to be with a boy who's too stupid to appreciate a smart young woman. Compete with the boys. Beat the boys. There is no boy, at this age, cute enough or interesting enough to stop you from getting an education”
First Lady Michelle Obama prepares to throw the football during a "Let's Move!" launch event at Woldenberg Park in New Orleans, La., Sept. 8, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)
On Hillary Clinton:
“What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life. And when I think about the kind of president that I want for my girls and all our children, that's what I want.”
First Lady Michelle Obama and Former First Lady Laura Bush listen to the national anthem at the Flight 93 Memorial site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, September 11, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon in the East 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)
First Lady Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres dance during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” marking the second anniversary of the "Let’s Move!" initiative, in Burbank, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
U.S. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova picks up First Lady Michelle Obama during a greet with Team USA Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England, July 27, 2012. The First Lady led the U.S. Delegation to the Summer Games. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
On being a mom:
"My first job in all honesty is going to continue to be mom-in-chief. Making sure that in this transition, which will be even more of a transition for the girls... that they are settled and that they know they will continue to be the center of our universe."
First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia visit the Great Wall of China in Mutianyu, China, March 23, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
On Barack Obama:
"I love that for Barack, there is no such thing as 'us' and 'them' - he doesn't care whether you're a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above... he knows that we all love our country... and he's always ready to listen to good ideas... he's always looking for the very best in everyone he meets."
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dance with a stormrooper and R2-D2 from Star Wars in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Dec. 18, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
On french fries:
“I'm a fry lover.”
First Lady Michelle Obama greets a worker as she promotes her Fresh Food Financing Initiative at The Fresh Grocer store in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 19, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
All images source: www.whitehouse.gov