Cultural icon Michelle Obama and future icon Zaya Wade are dropping gems on “becoming” yourself.
Dwyane Wade’s daughter and the former first lady joined virtually in a video shared to Instagram Thursday, following the release of Obama’s young reader’s edition of “Becoming” Tuesday. They shared their advice for navigating different versions of yourself, stepping outside of your comfort zone and embracing the new.
“I’m just like nervous, but really excited. It’s like I’m meeting an idol,” Wade said before asking Obama’s advice for teens wanting to thrive. “I am literally meeting an idol.”
“I want young people to practice embracing the new, because I don’t want them to ever feel stuck in their lives and I think that you are the kind of individual that will never feel stuck,” Obama said.
“Your advice is impeccable,” Wade said.
Wade is very familiar with embracing the new: Last year the then-12-year-old came out as transgender. Her father revealed his daughter’s announcement during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” last February, detailing the support he and wife Gabrielle Union gave Zaya when she said she wanted to be referred to using female pronouns.
“I am just so proud of you being just an amazing role model and embracing your truth,” Obama said.
Wade admitted that she was missing class for the opportunity to talk to the “Becoming” author. Thankfully, she’ll have an official excuse – Obama asked Wade to send her teacher a message on her behalf.
“Ask your teacher for forgiveness from me,” Obama said. “Because you’re doing me a favor. Tell your teacher thank you!”
Obama released the new young readers’ edition of her multimillion-selling memoir to target a 10 and up audience. The revised memoir includes a new introduction from Obama stating that although it is intended for a younger audience the new version will not be “sugarcoated.”
“Growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s and ’70s, my parents, Fraser and Marian Robinson, always kept it straight with me and my brother, Craig. They never sugarcoated hard truths or presented their reality as anything other than what it was because they knew we could handle it. I want to give you all that same respect,” she writes in the revised version.
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