Barack Obama and his wife Michelle get their daughters Sasha and Malia ready for school

January 14, 2009

WASHINGTON — Elegant, passionate, a strong career woman and a devoted mom, Michelle Obama has already become a role model with an army of fans as she prepares to become the nation's first lady.

Three days after celebrating her 45th birthday, she will take her place by her husband's side on January 20 as Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation's first African-American president.

Obama will be one of the nation's youngest first ladies after the graceful Jackie Kennedy, who was just 31 when John F. Kennedy took office, and remains one of the country's most popular first ladies.

And while she has insisted that her main job will be "mom-in-chief" to her two daughters, Malia, 10 and Sasha, seven, her role may well evolve in the months ahead as the first family settles into the White House.

Officially Michelle Obama has said she has no political ambitions of her own, and indeed only this week resigned from her high-powered job as vice-president at the University of Chicago medical center, where she worked for seven years.

"Even as first lady, my number one job would still be mom," she told reporters just before the November 4 elections.

"My first priority will always be to ensure that our daughters stay grounded and healthy, with normal childhoods -- including homework, chores, dance and soccer."

Unpaid and with no official duties, the president's wife can exert enormous influence, since she has both the ear of the US leader and a powerful lobbying group all her own.

Even before moving into the White House, Michelle Obama has shown that she is eager to continue her husband's tradition of community work, encouraging others to help those around them through volunteer projects.

"Michelle looks forward to continuing her work on the issues close to her heart -- supporting military families, helping working women balance work and family, and encouraging national service," the transition team's website says.

And she has become a national fashion-setter, with models of her dresses snapped up by eager shoppers.

But in the long-term, the Princeton and Harvard-educated lawyer from a humble Chicago background could set her sights higher.

No doubt though she will have learnt a lesson from Hillary Clinton's efforts to reform the US health care system when Bill Clinton was president, which were humiliatingly shot down in the Congress.

"One of the great challenges for Michelle Obama is she is going to have to juggle many balls, wear many hats," historian Robert Watson told AFP.

"She's going to have to be a wife, a mother, but also the first lady. And this is a woman who is used to having a very successful, high-powered career and it's an enormous challenge."

He added: "My sense is that Michelle Obama probably comes better prepared to handle these challenges than any first lady in history. The reason why is that she has sort of been super woman.

"And I think she will bring some sophistication and a remarkable degree of experience to the job."

"First lady" is an unofficial title bestowed on the hostess of the White House. Helped by a staff of around 100, she has many largely ceremonial duties and accompanies the president to state functions and on trips.

But it can be a busy, time-consuming job, involving tricky protocol and potential diplomatic minefields.

"Imagine all the hours of prep that go into a state dinner. And even if you have a chef and protocol officers, ultimately the final decision on the menu, the seating, the guest list and the entertainment all come to the first lady," Watson said.

In her first decision as incoming first lady, Obama has said current chef Cristeta Comerford, who made history when she became the first woman to head the White House kitchen, will stay on.

Obama said she appreciated Comerford's "shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families."

On Tuesday, the Obama transition team announced that Michelle Obama chose Californian Michael Smith as the White House decorator. Smith has decorated the homes of such celebrities as Cindy Crawford, Dustin Hoffman and Steven Spielberg, according to Domino magazine.

Smith said in the statement that the Obama's "casual style, their interest in bringing 20th Century American artists to the forefront and utilizing affordable brands and products will serve as our guiding principles" in decorating the White House.

E. Faye Williams, the chair of the National Organization of Black Women, enthused: "Michelle is going to make a great first lady.

"She's an accomplished woman, she's focused, she worked all her life and she's a great mother. Anything she decides to do, she'll succeed."

Whether Obama follows in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton by seeking to carve out a political career herself remains to be seen.

"It's possible. Once she gets it in her blood. She can pick up from the successes he had," said Williams, adding Michelle Obama was already breaking down all stereotypes.

"She's going to make us feel good about who we are," she added.