Michelle Obama Immaculately Covers December Vogue

In a bit of pure, inspiring news that we all desperately need this week, Voguerevealed today that Michelle Obama will adorn their December issue, marking the third time she's covered the magazine since her husband took office.

In her interview, the FLOTUS looks back on the eight years she's spent in the White House, and talks about her role as First Lady, one that many say she revitalized. "Everything we do is by choice," she said. "I could have spent eight years doing anything, and at some level, it would have been fine. I could have focused on flowers. I could have focused on decor. I could have focused on entertainment. Because any First Lady, rightfully, gets to define her role. There's no legislative authority; you're not elected. And that's a wonderful gift of freedom."

The profile extensively illustrates the whirlwind schedule Obama frequently keeps, with speaking engagements, surprising high schoolers, and doing interviews with YouTube stars, her ubiquity isn't what helped her transform the role of First Lady, but her willingness to embrace a social age and wield her exposure for good. Read the full Vogue story and see the other photographs by Annie Leibovitz here.