Michelle Obama<\/strong> has some interesting thoughts when it comes to young people dating before heading off to college.<\/p>\n The former First Lady, 61, had TV writer Mara Brock Akil<\/strong> on the Wednesday, October 22 episode of her podcast, \u201cIMO,\u201d<\/a> where they discussed relationships<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of Black people, they get into college, [and] they\u2019ve never had a\u00a0 boyfriend or girlfriend,\u201d Michelle said.<\/p>\n After Akil interjected, \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s healthy,\u201d the Becoming<\/em> author continued: \u201cI mean a lot of that comes from being in all white environments as Black kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot to [feel] like someone even likes you, even if it\u2019s for a week. There\u2019s no memory of a mutual desire and how to negotiate those feelings, those conversations, those opportunities to come to mom or dad for advice or aunt and uncle or village,\u201d Michelle continued.<\/p>\n Akil then noted that people should explore their romantic feelings for another person and if one has trouble navigating them, then it\u2019s best to ask their parents for love guidance.<\/p>\n \u201c[If not] there\u2019s no memory of a mutual desire and how to negotiate those feelings, those conversations, those opportunities \u2014 maybe to come to mom or dad for advice,\u201d Akil said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no place for them to even practice those practices,\u201d the Girlfriends<\/em> sitcom creator added.<\/p>\n The former lawyer \u2014 who has been married to former presiden<\/a>t<\/a> Barack Obama<\/strong> since 1992 after meeting while they were both working at a law firm \u2014 was slammed online for her views.<\/p>\n One Instagram user questioned her ideas, writing: \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with never having a boyfriend or a girlfriend before you go to college.\u201d<\/p>\n Another chimed in: \u201cMichelle called my life unhealthy,\u201d while a third user called her stance \u201ca slippery slope.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.globemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/upiphotosthree023388-scaled.jpg\")