Michelle Obama's relationship advice to women 'not looking deep enough'

Michelle Obama opened up about their early relationship, valuing partnership through 'hard things' over financial security

Michelle Obama, on the recent episode of her podcast 'IMO', spoke up about her early relationship with Barack Obama and how he helped her get through the "hard things."

Michelle Obama opened up about her relationship with husband Barack (AFP)

"Would you be attracted to a guy who’s not financially sound when you meet him?" asked Michelle Robinson, co-host of the show and her brother. Michelle replied, "Uh, I married one."

She said “I left my corporate firm when I met Barack and I met somebody who was like, ‘I got your back. The risks you think you’re taking, they’re not that crazy, and I’m here to help you.’ That’s when I said, ‘I would rather have that in a partner than a higher income. I would rather have somebody who is ready to do some hard things with me.’ But that meant I had to be ready to do some hard things with him.”

Michelle Obama's advice to women

In the podcast, Michelle later voiced concern that women who are unsure of what they seek in a partner might not be assessing potential partners' qualities deeply enough.

“I just think we shouldn’t assume. You just gotta get out there and meet people and come to people with your truth,” the former First Lady said. She further expressed caution for women who may be “confused about what they want.” She noted that when it comes to dating, some women are not “looking deep enough” and instead look at “superficial” traits.

In 1989, when he was 28 and she was 25, Barack and Michelle met at a Chicago law firm. Michelle was put in charge of mentoring him in the legal practice. In his biography, ‘A Promised Land’, the former President said about how he was "smitten almost from the second I saw her." The couple got engaged in 1991 and were married in 1992.