Our Forever First Lady, Michelle Obama, Graces The December Cover Of Elle Magazine

Photo credit: Miller Mobley

On the eve of the release of Michelle Obama's new memoir "Becoming," Elle Magazine has revealed the cover for its December 2018 issue featuring the Forever First Lady herself. In it, Mrs. Obama sits down with Oprah Winfrey for a candid conversation about topics such as her upbringing, her relationship with Barack, the pressure of being the first Black family, and her hope for the future.

View this post on Instagram

Living in the White House for eight years, @MichelleObama had staffers providing everything she could have possibly needed, except for time. "What I came to realize is that there was absolutely no time to reflect in the White House,” she tells @oprah for ELLE’s cover interview. “We moved at such a breakneck pace from the moment we walked in those doors until the moment we left. It was day in and day out because we, Barack and I, really felt like we had an obligation to get a lot done.”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Now, with time to process two terms in office—a historic run of accomplishments and struggles—Obama has released her highly anticipated memoir, “Becoming.” Ahead of her book release, the former FLOTUS gets real about her marriage to Barack, the threats made against her children, and life after the White House.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ELLE December 2018 credits:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Editor-in-chief: @ninagarcia⁣⁣⁣⁣ Photographer: @millermobley⁣⁣ Stylist: @meredithkoop⁣⁣ Hair: @yenedamtew⁣⁣ Makeup: @carlraymua⁣⁣ Wearing: @Dior Chief photography director: @alixbcampbell

A post shared by Elle Magazine (@elleusa) on Nov 12, 2018 at 3:05am PST

Here are a few excerpts from the interview.

Oprah: "You say your parents invested in you. They didn’t own their own home. They didn’t vacation—"

Michelle: "They invested everything in us. My mom didn't go to the hairdresser. She didn't buy herself new clothes. My father was a shift worker. I could see my parents sacrificing for us."

Oprah: "Did you feel pressure being the first Black family?"

Michelle: "We felt the pressure from the minute we started to run. First of all, we had to convince our base that a Black man could win. It wasn't even winning over Iowa. We first had to win over Black people. Because Black people like my grandparents—they never believed this could happen. They wanted it for us. But their lives had told them, "No. Never.'"

Photo credit: Miller Mobley

Oprah: "You end the book by talking about what will last. You say, 'I continue, too, to keep myself connected to a force that’s larger and more potent than any one election, or leader, or news story—and that's optimism. For me, this is a form of faith, an antidote to fear.' Do you feel that optimism for who we are, as a nation, becoming?"

Michelle: "Yes. We have to feel that optimism. For the kids. We're setting the table for them, and we can't hand them crap. We have to hand them hope. Progress isn’t made through fear. We're experiencing that right now. Fear is the coward’s way of leadership. But kids are born into this world with a sense of hope and optimism. No matter where they're from. Or how tough their stories are. They think they can be anything because we tell them that. So we have a responsibility to be optimistic. And to operate in the world in that way."

Click here to check out Michelle Obama's full conversation with Oprah Winfrey - and don't forget that her book "Becoming" hits bookshelves Tuesday, November 13.