First lady Michelle Obama appeared on “Jeopardy!” Tuesday to jump-start the conversation about healthy eating. But the conversation on Twitter turned instead to her hair — or the apparent lack thereof.
Still-frames of Obama from the broadcast that seem to show her either balding or with very little hair have been circulating on Twitter, along with speculative commentary. For instance, user @dubcart asked, “Why does Michelle Obama look like she’s bald on @Jeopardy today?” And media outlets from The Hill to USA Today and the New York Daily News all picked up on the story.
Michelle Obama is on jeopardy but her hair is not?? pic.twitter.com/VlURCcTlm1
— Alana (@alanagail) March 24, 2015But Obama’s apparent baldness may just be an optical illusion caused by a combination of her hairstyle and some harsh lighting. At least that’s what user @lisvh suggested when she tweeted, “Obvs, it was just the lighting & a slick back pony. But who cares if Michelle Obama cut off all her hair?! I think she would wear it well.”
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The first lady was on the long-running quiz show to promote the healthy-eating-tips website ChooseMyPlate.Gov. She gave five video clues about healthy eating, such as, “Punch up your lasagna with layers of red & orange vegetables such as butternut squash, which helps eye health with this pigment.” She previously appeared on “Jeopardy!” in 2012.
It’s not the first time Michelle Obama’s appearance has been a trending topic on social media. Her J. Crew sweaters and choice of gray nail polish at the 2012 Democratic National Convention caused similar stirs.
Here are some of the top tweets from the current controversy: Just saw Jeopardy with clues given by Michelle Obama! She's bald??? What happened? That moment when you think you see Michelle Obama bald on Jeopardy, and go to twitter to find the answer. It's amazing how Michelle Obama gets on TV with her hair slicked back to talk about health yet the story is about how she looks bald. Bravo.
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