Should Kylie Jenner be worried? There’s a new celebrity vying for the title of Snapchat queen: Michelle Obama on Tuesday launched her own account on the social media platform.
The first lady’s inaugural foray into the social media platform was rife with dog whistles for a young-skewing demographic. First, she appears with Kevin Vincent and Jerry Hall, the original creators of the viral running man dance, for an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Next, she’s off with James Corden, of the “Late Late Show,” on one of his carpool karaoke rides.
But Obama’s presence isn’t going to be all about pop-culture phenoms and cat-face-filter selfies: According to a White House press release, she created the account so “young people” can follow her while she travels around the world promoting her “Let Girls Learn” initiative.
The first lady has proved adept at using the social media game, and all its attendant goofiness, to further her serious causes — that 2014 Vine video in which she turned a Lil Jon song into a pro-veggie anthem, “Turnip for What,” being a prime example. She’s dunked a basketball with the Miami Heat (for her “Let’s Move” campaign) and rapped with Jay Pharoah (their track was titled “Go to College”).
Her chief of staff, Tina Tchen, recently described Obama’s willingness to engage as not just a stylistic choice, but a practical tactic for elevating her message despite having only a small budget. “The ability to … put out a viral video, and you can hit tens of millions of people, and it doesn’t cost you anything — that’s pretty remarkable,” Tchen said.
And though she might be the first first lady of the social media era, Obama is not exactly blazing trails.
Last month, she and President Barack Obama engaged in a mock rivalry over tweeted videos to draw attention to the Invictus Games, an Olympics-like event for wounded veterans. Their unlikely opponent? The 90-year-old Queen Elizabeth II.
