6 President Obama Quotes on Beauty Standards and Visibility

"Malia'll talk about black girl's hair and will have much opinions of that. She's pretty opinionated about the fact that it costs a lot, it takes a long time, and that sometimes girls can be just as tough on each other about how they're supposed to look. As a parent, that's a constant learning process that you're trying to hold the fort."

"It's part and parcel of a broader way in which we socialize and press women to constantly doubt themselves or define themselves in terms of a certain appearance. Michelle and I are always guarding against that. The fact that they've got a tall gorgeous mom who has some curves, and that their father appreciates, I think is helpful."

"I do think that culture's changing for the younger generation a little bit more. You see Beyoncé or you see some of these pop stars and what both white, Latino, black children are seeing as representative of beauty is much broader than it was when I was a kid. You just didn't see that much representation."

"When I was a kid I didn't realize as much . . . which is the enormous pressure that young women are placed under in terms of looking a certain way and being cute in a certain way. Are you wearing the right clothes? Is your hair done the right way? That pressure, I think, has historically always been harder on African American women than just about any other women."

"As a father of two daughters — seeing how images of strong, athletic, accomplished women carry over and encourage them in sports and dance and how they move physically — it turns out that every study shows that young girls who are involved in sports, dance, athletics end up having more confidence generally."

"A lot of it is the power of that image. Even if they're not dancers, even if they're not interested in pursuing a career in entertainment or the arts: For them to know that that's valued ends up making a big difference."