Michelle Obama Reacts to Criticism Over Her Oscar Appearance: "That's Just the Nature of Things"

First lady insists she doesn't take it personally and understands that it's "not really about me"

By Peter Gicas Mar 01, 2013 3:28 PMTags
Michelle ObamaPete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Michelle Obama is putting any criticism over her recent Oscar appearance into perspective.

After all, many questioned whether it was appropriate for the first lady to show up via satellite during Hollywood's biggest night to help present the Best Picture award.

"That's just the nature of life. I mean, we live in a time when there are bloggers and tweeters and 24-hour news and everyone has a voice in this town square, and it's a big one," Obama told Today contributor Kelly Wallace in Springfield, Mo., while promoting her Let's Move campaign against childhood obesity. "That means at any point at a given time, somebody's not going to like what you do. That's the nature of things."

What's more, Obama insists she refuses to take it personally.

"It's not really about me," she said. "I just happen to be in the public eye and along with everybody else in the public eye, you're subject to conversation, opinion and all that sort of stuff. There's nothing new about that."