Michelle Obama took to the stage in Michigan on October 26, 2024 to support Presidential candidate Kamala Harris – and she emotionally opened up on the effects of "debilitating" effects of menopause she had experienced.
Rocking a gorgeous tortoiseshell pants suit by Theory, Michelle came out on stage to huge cheers, and spoke passionately about the importance of the upcoming American election, and the impact the results can have on democracy as well as the healthcare of girls and women in all of our lives.
"We've been taught shame and how to hide how our bodies work," she began, speaking about how women's health is still considered taboo.
"Too many of us suffer from severe cramps and nausea days on end, every single month," she continued, adding: "Too many women my age have no idea what's going on with our bodies as we battle through menopause and debilitating hot flashes and depression.
"See, fellas, most of us women we suck up our pain and we deal with it alone. We don't share our experiences with anyone, not partners, friends, or even doctors."
Michelle, 60, continued, turning the conversation to women's healthcare and reminding listeners that women are "more than just baby-making vessels".
"A woman's body is a complicated business… it brings life and that is beautiful but even when we are not bearing children there is so much that can go wrong at any moment," she said.
"Every woman here knows what I am talking about: an unexpected lump, an abnormal pap smear, a mammogram, an infection or blockage which all can be early signs of life-threatening cancers.
"In those terrifying moments, which will happen to the vast majority of women in the country, it feels like the floor falls out from under us."
"I don't expect any man to grasp how vulnerable this makes us feel, to understand the complexities of reproductive experience. Most women don't understand the breadth and depth of our reproductive lives, and that is because our experiences are neglected by science. And if you happen to look like me, you are more likely to be ignored, studies show," she revealed.
"So let me take a minute to help folks, especially men, to get a better sense of what can happen if we keep dismantling parts of our health system as Trump plans to do."
Michelle, who was First Lady between 2008 and 2016, and has two daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, then spoke to the men listening, and began to well up, as her heightened rhetoric painted real life scenarios that impact everyone.
"Your girlfriend could be in legal jeopardy if she needs a pill from out of state or overseas, your wife or mother could be the ones at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care, your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she's bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy," she said.
"It will affect you, and your sons… and then there is the tragic and very real possibility you may be the one holding flowers at the funeral, you may be the one left to raise children alone."
"Take our lives seriously, please, do not put our lives in the hands of politicians – mostly men – who have no clue or do not care about what we as women are going through, and don't grasp the broad reaching health complications their misguided policies will have on our health outcomes," she concluded.
The campaign stop came a day after Beyonce appeared with Kamala in Houston, Texas.
Taking to the stage, the singer revealed that she was "not here as a celebrity, not here as a politician, I'm here as a mother," referring to her three children with husband Jay-Z: Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir.
Continuing, Beyoncé shared her idea of what she hopes for the future for her children, as she told the audience: "Imagine our daughters growing up, seeing what's possible with no ceilings. No limitations. Imagine our grandmothers, imagine what they feel right now, those who have lived to see this historic day. Even those who are no longer physically with us, imagine all of their sacrifices."