MICHELLE OBAMA AT HER BEST

NEARLY A DECADE AFTER LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE, THE FORMER FIRST LADY IS ‘MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT WHO I AM.’ SHE LOOKS BACK—AND GETS CANDID ABOUT HER LIFE NOW

- JANINE RUBENSTEIN,ERIK CARTER

LOVING THE SKIN SHE'S IN "I tell people your 60s is a wonderful time," says Michelle (photographed in Maryland on Oct. 20).

It’s like a scene from one of her past Let’s Move! campaign events: Michelle Obama is working it outside Washington, D.C.—fingers snapping, hips swaying, a couple of carefree twirls. Only on this afternoon the former First Lady isn’t surrounded by a cohort of cute kids, fans, news cameras and critics. No, that ship has long sailed, and she’s at peace not being on it. Instead, at her People photo shoot, she’s draped in a colorful Jason Wu top and moving entirely to the beat of her own drum (and the uncensored sounds of GloRilla, Beyoncé and Cardi B pumping through the speakers). “Fundamentally I’m the same person,” says Mrs. Obama, who these days prefers just Michelle. “But with each decade, I’ve grown wiser. I think I’ve become more confident about who I am. This version of Michelle probably cares less about what other people think.”

Her journey in the global public eye is at the center of her new coffee-table book