When They Go Low, She Goes High Fashion

Hey, stupid UFC guy! This is what class looks like: Michelle Obama wearing her mother’s portrait on a custom FW’26 Acne Studios skirt.

On Sunday, during Trump’s 80th birthday circus on the White House lawn, UFC fighter Josh Hokit repeated a misogynoiristic remark about the former first lady while on air. Speaking to Joe Rogan during his post-fight interview, Hokit said, “And one more thing, Michelle Obama is a man … Am I right, America?” The president of the UFC (and Trump’s BFF), Dana White, has since condemned Hokit’s comment, telling Time, “Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

The Obamas didn’t comment on the incident and have continued working toward the Juneteenth opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center. On Tuesday, during a stakeholders’ reception, Michelle stepped onto the stage wearing a custom skirt transformed from the Acne Studios Fall 2026 collection to feature a portrait of her mom, Marian Robinson, who was born and raised in South Side and died in 2024. 

Michelle Obama in custom Acne Studios FW26 RTW paying homage to her mother, Marian Robinson, with a portrayed skirt!🔥

Styled by Meredith Koop. pic.twitter.com/hm4vcjbBFc

— LEGENDARY LADE! 🇳🇬 (@LegendaryLade) June 17, 2026

“He’s really messed up,” Michelle said about Barack, who began tearing up over the skirt. “I’m giving him some time because this beautiful skirt that my stylist Meredith Koop picked out is my favorite portrait of my mom. He didn’t know it existed until just a few minutes ago.”

Barack Obama “is really messed up. I’m giving him some time because this beautiful skirt that my stylist Meredith Koop picked out that is my favorite portrait of my mom. He didn’t know it existed until just a few minutes ago. I’ve had a few weeks to settle down”
– Michelle Obama pic.twitter.com/YbjPXRy0OS

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) June 16, 2026

“Whenever I see this picture, and the look in my mother’s eyes, I wonder if she has any idea what’s coming in the decades ahead: Real love and real loss, children and grandchildren who’d keep her on her toes, a wild ride to places she’d only read about or seen on television.” Michelle wrote of the photograph in a 2019 birthday announcement for her mom.

“But I also see something else in those eyes, something that guided me every day from the moment I was born—her unflappable belief that whatever came her way, she’d manage it. And because she’d manage, we all would, too.”