After eight years in the White House, the Obamas have achieved superhero status. As they prepare to re-enter the real world, Stylist asks: what’s next?

Words: White House Correspondent, Kate Glassman Bennett
Illustration: Nikkolas Smith

If we’d popped Barack Obama on a pedestal back in 2009, the current political climate has him strapped to a jetpack – hovering over our heads as we gaze up with wet eyes and a lump in our throats. Because, in case you hadn’t realised, the world appears to be in pretty dire straits, and it only serves to highlight the immeasurable positivity of Obama’s impact over the past eight years. Publicly beloved by everyone from Beyoncé to Oprah, and adored by Europeans (Obama’s approval ratings in France and Germany are near 90%) his impending exodus from the White House suddenly feels like a tangible loss that affects us all. Together, we’ve bought into him as the guy to save the world from impending doom.

After all, if anyone could do it, it was Obama. During Barack’s two terms as POTUS, the 55-year-old has legalised gay marriage, reformed the US healthcare system and won the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s ended the war in Iraq, signed the Fair Pay Act and invested in renewable technology. He even read out mean tweets about himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Meanwhile, Michelle has oh-so-casually embarked upon a mission to end childhood obesity within a generation and won access to free school lunches for 21 million children from low-income families, overcoming food industry giants like Walmart and McDonald’s in the process. And with a track record like that, mentally fitting the family out with a cape or two really isn’t too much of an imagination stretch.

Because the Obamas have certainly achieved superhero status: being treasured for their decency, grace and obvious concern for society’s injustices. They have shown themselves to be a different breed – made all the more treasured by what is taking their place.

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