Michelle Obama explains how giving up her career for her husband's put her marriage at risk: “I was like, 'Argh, this isn't fair'”

Michelle Obama has revealed that she "could not stand" her husband Barack, president of the United States between 2009 and 2017, when their daughters were little.

The former first lady, 58, has confessed that the couple had problems because they were both trying to "advance their careers" while raising two difficult young daughters, whom she affectionately calls "terrorists".

Obama made these statements on a television program where she went to promote her new book

published simultaneously in Spain by the Plaza & Janés publishing house under the title

"For 10 years, while we were trying to build our careers and worrying about school and who did what, I said: 'Argh, this is not fair,'" explained Obama, who thus complains about having prioritized work at home. while her husband built a political career that would end up leading him to the presidency of the United States.

Her daughters, Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21, were seven and 10 when her family moved into the White House after several years of campaigning.

Barack and Michelle met at a Chicago law firm in 1989, when they were both up-and-coming lawyers.

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When Michelle Obama decided to straighten her hair because the US was "not ready" for her curls

Even so, Michelle Obama makes a positive balance of the marriage.

"We've been married 30 years, I can handle 10 bad years out of 30."

In this sense, the former first lady has reflected on the efforts of life as a couple and the balances to keep a relationship afloat.

“Marriage is not 50/50, ever.

There are times when I give 70%, he gives 30%.

There are times when he gives 60%, and I 40%”.

With its own light

Winning in Uncertain Times

is the second book of memoirs published by Michelle Obama.

The first,

(2018, also in Plaza & Janés) sold more than 10 million copies, which, according to its publisher, makes it the best-selling volume of memoirs in history (also above those of her husband ,

).

In both books, she draws from her personal experiences to talk about social and political issues that concern her, and her promotional tour serves to focus on those issues.

In this latest interview, Obama wanted to talk about how thousands of women sacrifice their professional careers to facilitate those of their partners and how this penalizes women in the world of work.

Before talking about work-life balance, Obama had already talked about racism and hairdressing.

At the presentation of her book last November, Obama wanted to highlight how, when her husband became the first black president of the United States, she decided to straighten her hair.

For African-Americans, wearing natural, curly hair is a symbol of the fight against racism.

Historically, they have had to subject it to chemicals to smooth it out to fit into the canon of corporate and professional America.

Here it may seem like a trivial or vain detail,

but for black American women it is a question of identity that they have been giving up for decades to fit into the American aesthetic canon.

Even the first lady did.

I'd better leave it straight, she recalled thinking.

"Let's get the improvement in healthcare approved first."