Earlier today, the natural hair blogosphere went into overdrive when a photo of First Lady Michelle Obama wearing a halo of kinky curls hit the Internet. Although Mrs. O looked stunning in the photo, it didn’t take long for us to realize that something about the picture seemed a little…off.
The photo in question came to the attention of blogger Maeling Tapp, author of Natural Chica, when her Twitter followers began sending her messages saying that Obama’s hair looked a lot like her own. Sure enough, upon examination of the First Lady’s curly coif, Tapp discovered that it was indeed her hair that had been Photoshopped onto the picture.
“A lot of people who follow my blog said, ‘I had a feeling that was your hair,'” Tapp told ESSENCE.com. “It’s kind of surprising that other people recognize my hair so well.” Tapp posted a side-by-side photo of her and the First Lady onto the Natural Chica Facebook page which quickly garnered over 1,000 “likes” and “shares.”
Tapp says that she hopes the photo spoof will encourage Mrs. Obama to experiment with natural styles.
“There have been so many positive responses to seeing Mrs. Obama go natural so I hope it inspires her to try and wear more curly styles,” said Tapp.
When asked what hair advice she’d give our Commander in Chic, Tapp says it would be to “be creative and experiment with your hair. When dealing with natural hair, there is a lot of trial and error. But if you see it as a really fun way to try new things, it’s not a frustrating process at all. It becomes more of an enjoyable and inspiring journey.”
Would you like to see our First Lady wear her hair naturally curly? Leave your thoughts in the comments section!