Kids dress up as Barack and Michelle Obama from Inauguration Day
It was hard to miss Michelle and Barack Obama at this year's presidential inauguration, and now two adorable toddlers have beautifully channeled their powerful presence.
The former first lady posted several photos of South Carolina-based Ryleigh Madison Hampton and Zayden Lowe on Instagram, both 4-years-old, who both dressed up as her and former President Obama at January's historic affair.
"You nailed it," Michelle Obama wrote in a post.
In the images, Ryleigh wears a rendition of Michelle's showstopping monochrome look designed by Sergio Hudson. Zayden sports a navy coat with a United States pin, a white shirt and a blue tie as just like the former president wore.
The photos posted on Michelle Obama's Instagram have since gone viral with more than 4 million likes, and loads of comments praising the duo's photoshoot. "Barack and Michelle inspire so many generations," one fan commented.
"It had been a while since Michelle Obama had been in the public eye, so when we saw her and her outfit we literally gasped," Ryleigh's grandmother Sheila Hampton told "GMA."
"We had just done a Kamala Harris and Prince photoshoot that went a tiny bit viral, but nothing on this level and we thought this would be an amazing idea," she said.
Zayden is the son of Sheila's co-worker and she thought it would be a good idea to coordinate them both wearing their Michelle and Barack-inspired ensembles for a shoot.
Hampton recalled going on Amazon to look for a belt as so much of the focus for Michelle's look was centered around her standout belt. "I wasn't able to find one exactly like it, but we found one kind of similar," she said. "It took a little paint and some more touches and we had the centerpiece." The remaining pieces were found on Amazon as well.
From there, she worked with Zayden's mom on putting his look together.
In front of a local library, Ryleigh's aunt, Joi Hampton, took the photos using an iPhone.
"It's an honor to have Michelle Obama post their pictures because she is someone worthy of Ryleigh looking up to and we believe representation matters to children," Hampton said.
She also mentioned how much Ryleigh and Zayden liked how the pictures turned out although they don't quite understand what "viral" means yet.
"I think in a nutshell that picture shows that representation matters, what your kids see, hear, watch on TV and tablets is important," said Sheila. "It's important that we don't rely on the media or anyone else to show our kids positive images, we as parents and family members have a responsibility to make sure they see them."
Hampton said Ryleigh has been modeling since she could stand up on her own. She also said she's taken pictures of her outfits every Sunday after church and noted that Ryleigh has a natural knack for taking great pictures and posing.
Ryleigh's modeling adventures can be followed on Instagram @its_allry.
