Yahoo News Michelle Obama Shares Photo of Her Polka Dot Prom Dress to Promote Voter Registration
Michelle Obama‘s latest throwback pic shows she’s always had an eye for style.
The former first lady, 56, shared her high school prom photo on Instagram on Tuesday, captioning the post, “Throwing it back to my 1982 prom night and this pink satin, polka-dotted dress.”
In the pic, she wore a printed V-neck slip dress, featuring a slit up the side, paired with a matching blazer and simple chain necklace. Obama and her date, who chose a classic black tuxedo and bow tie, posed alongside a wicker chair and table set.
Other celebrities, including co-chairs Kerry Washington and Tracee Ellis Ross, also shared their own prom pics on Tuesday as part of Obama’s When We All Vote initiative in partnership with MTV: the 2020 Prom Challenge, which is centered around the idea that senior prom, much like voting for the first time, is a big deal.
Obama explained the social media challenge in her caption: “If you’re a student or teacher, join the #PromChallenge with @WhenWeAllVote and @MTV and tell us what your school is doing to register students to vote — you could get a free prom for your school! Learn more at prom.mtv.com,” she wrote. “You can also help me spread the word by posting your prom photo with #PromChallenge.”
According to MTV, the newly launched program will, “celebrate and recognize 20 high schools across the country integrating voter registration into their schools in the most creative and impactful ways.” The winners of the challenge will receive up to $5,000 to put towards their school’s prom.
Last week, Obama threw it back again. This time to 1983 to celebrate the premiere of her new IGTV show about first-year college students.
The photo, shared with PEOPLE, shows the former first lady at Princeton University in 1983.
“I can still remember the mix of excitement, hope, anxiety, and fear that accompanied me everywhere I went during my first year of college,” Obama said in a statement. “If I could tell the girl in this photo one thing, it would be to slow down and take a breath — you’ve got this. And that’s exactly what I want to say to all of you out there who are just starting college. You’ve got this, and I cannot wait to see where your journey takes you and everything you learn and achieve along the way.”
Obama’s new series, A Year of Firsts, chronicles the journey of five college freshman while the former first lady shares advice for new students along the way.
The show, which she announced last month in partnership with the media company ATTN:, will air six episodes between now and June following the students along their first year in college.
“As Mrs. Obama highlights in each episode, there are many hidden challenges to making it through college,” said ATTN: co-founder Matthew Segal last month. “This series will meet many students where they live—on Instagram—and share candid perspectives about how to overcome barriers.”
