Michelle Obama, the wife of the next president of the United States, will also undergo close public scrutiny. Due to her intelligence and law degree, whatever she says to the media will be dissected for hours. Due to her being a mother of two children in the White House, her opinions and values will be analyzed. And due to her public appearances, her choice of clothes and hairstyles will be the topics of any hairstylist's dissertation.

Michelle Obama's Changing Hairstyles
Throughout the long campaign, from the primaries to the late hours of November 4, Michelle Obama has worn a variety of hairstyles. Some of them have gained public approval and some have raised eyebrows of fashion critics.

A fashion-conscious woman can easily explain why some of Michelle's hairstyles are superb while others are not quite acceptable. But Michelle, amidst depositions and appeals, most likely did not have time to study her hairstyle. Now as a First Lady, her time tending her hair will be even shorter. Besides, she has found a hairstylist, named Johnny Wright, who will make sure that her hair will always be appropriate for a First Lady.

Unfortunately for most women, there aren't enough Johnny Wrights in the world. And most women couldn't afford the services of this hairstylist. Therefore, women must study the hairstyles that would look best on them. And studying Michelle Obama's hairstyles will be a good start.

Understanding Mrs. Obama's Face Shape
In the world of hairstyling, the strongest dogma is the critical importance of the shape of the face. Face shape determines the suitability of a hairstyle. For example, the round face shape prevents a woman from having a chin-length bob because this hairstyle will accentuate the roundness of her face. But Michelle's face, like most women's, does not follow a specific face shape. Her face is a combination of two shapes. Based strictly on the measurements of the length and width of her face, Michelle has an oval face. That is, the length of her face, from the hairline to the tip of the chin, is 1.5 times longer than the width of her face across the widest part of her cheeks. The oval face shape implies that she can get away wearing most hairstyles in any length of hair.

However, on closer inspection, Michelle has wide forehead, strong chin, and pronounced cheeks. The wide forehead is typical of square shapes of face. This means that Michelle should never wear linear straight bangs. To reduce the width of her forehead, Michelle wears side bangs. The strong chin is typical of oblong faces. This means that Michelle cannot allow her hair to grow longer beyond shoulder length and cannot part her hair at the center. Longer lengths of hair will only emphasize her chin. Thus, Michelle keeps her hair medium length, parted at the sides, with ends styled into a flip or curled to soften her chin.

And finally, Michelle has pronounced cheeks. The prominence of her cheeks might be due to smiles that appear often, but it also pulls the sides of her face wider. To add length and achieve a narrower effect, part of her hair must be swept back up and the side bangs should frame the upper part of her face.

Balancing Her Hair with Her Role as First Lady
The complex shape of her Michelle's face is not the only factor to consider when choosing a good hairstyle. There is also the complex nature of her role as First Lady. She must appear glamorous during dinners with foreign diplomats, but she still must look conservatively diplomatic. She must appear classy during TV interviews, but she cannot appear like someone who will be introducing a radical hairstyle trend. And finally, Michelle needs a hairstyle that is low maintenance because her schedule wouldn't permit her to spend half of her day in a salon. Now that sounds like most women!