Michelle Obama sets the record straight on divorce rumors

For months, speculation surrounding Barack and Michelle Obama’s marriage has continued to circulate online.A missed public appearance here.A separate event there.A photograph that looks different from what people expected.And suddenly, an ordinary decision becomes the subject of a marriage rumor.But Michelle Obama appears to have had enough.During a recent appearance on Sophia Bush’s Work in Progress podcast, the former first lady opened up about a very different subject: what it feels like to finally make decisions for herself after spending much of her adult life putting other people first.And while she did not provide a detailed explanation of every rumor that has circulated about her marriage, she directly addressed the strange assumption that when a woman makes an independent choice, something must be wrong with her relationship.Her comments were revealing not only because of the attention surrounding her and Barack Obama, but because they touched on a much broader issue.Why is a woman choosing herself so often interpreted as a sign that something has gone wrong?