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First lady on ‘breaking out’ of the White House

WASHINGTON – Imagine the headline: "First Lady Goes Rogue, Breaks Out of White House."

Michelle Obama jokingly teased the idea of a first lady missing in action during an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" released Tuesday.

"Going to Target for me is like a dream, you know? That one time I went, you noticed it created a stir," the first lady told ABC's Robin Roberts, apparently referring to an incognito excursion to a Washington-area Target in 2011 where she shopped unnoticed for a while.

"I'm gonna do it again, doggone it," the first lady joked. "Next four years, I'm going out. I'm breaking out. I'm gonna disguise (family dog) Bo. I'm gonna put on a coat. I'm gonna take a walk, and my [(Secret Service) agents won't know a thing. Don't tell 'em."

Should the first lady decide to make a run for it, one thing that may give her away is her new hairdo. Amid all the talk about her recently-debuted bangs, Obama – who will turn 50 next year – also joked about why she decided to sport them: as a result of a "mid-life crisis."

"My imagination has to be a little more limited, you know? Would I like to skydive? No, can't do that," the first lady said. "Can I drive? I can't drive. So there are a few things I can do. So why not cut my hair, put a little color in it, do a little something?"

"I'm embracing the bangs," Obama added. "I hope it's good. My husband likes it. He's really the only one that counts."

On the program, the first lady promoted her efforts to help the nation's children eat healthier and be more physically active. Her "Let's Move" nationwide initiative to end childhood obesity is currently on its third anniversary.

The first lady touted the program's success.

"When we started, there were a lot of people in this country who would've never thought that childhood obesity was a health crisis. But now we're starting to see rates of obesity coming down like never before," she said. "This new initiative that we're announcing – the My Plate Recipe Partnership – we're collaborating with some of the top media companies in this country. And they are compiling and labeling and promoting recipes that meet the 'My Plate' guidelines."

The new initiative is designed to offer simple tips, via Internet sites, for families hoping to make healthy and affordable meals.

Also during the interview, the first lady joked about President Obama's reaction to 14-year-old daughter Malia's evolving social life as a teenager.

"There's nothing like the look on his face when Malia dresses up for a party, and she's heading out and he walks past, she walks past him, and you can see his face sort of just drop a little bit," the first lady said of her husband. "It's like, 'Who is that?'"

"He's a little gray. People think the gray is from his job. It's from his children."