First Lady Michelle Obama graces the May cover of Glamour alongside Kerry Washington and Sarah Jessica Parker, and in the group's interview, they addressed the issues that face servicewomen, veterans, and military wives. As the first lady put it, "We live in a country where one percent of the population protects the rights and freedoms of the other 99 percent of us." The trio talks specifically about the experience of female veterans, plus how Hollywood frames their stories. At one point, the three women opened up about "their six" — military speak for people who have your back. Check out all the great May covers, and then keep reading to see who the women identify as their support systems. Catch the full interview in Glamour's May issue, which hits newsstands on April 14
On the people who have their backs:
Sarah Jessica Parker: "I feel like the six changes because our lives change. [When] I had my own children, my circle shifted. But my mother remains a big part of it. I mean, she annoyed me for so many years, but then it turned out she was right about everything — it kills me. Like, even color combinations! And then my older sister and women friends, who are living heroically in their own quiet ways."
Kerry Washington: "My parents are pretty awesome, and my extraordinary husband. The people who allow me to be the kind of working woman and mother I want to be — they've got my six. And my girlfriends. A couple of guys in there too, but just — your people. People who you can be real with when the cameras are off, and when people stop recording and asking you questions — the people who still care when you don't have touch-ups and primping and a dress you have to give back tomorrow."
Michelle Obama: "My mom. Barack and I couldn't do this without her. In those early years, when we were moving into this house, the kids were starting a new school in the middle of the year, and they were so little, so little, and we were trying to create some normalcy. Who took them to ballet? Who was there when we were traveling, so the kids would come home not to butlers and an empty house? My mom. And my mom is so not this place; she's the opposite of the White House. . . . This is not a comfortable circumstance for her. But she sacrificed her comfort in her later years, when she could be doing whatever she wanted, to be in this interesting position. She did it for me, and she did it for her grandkids. And then, I think like you guys, you know? I love my husband. He definitely has got my six. But it's the women in my life — I've always had this cadre of girlfriends, and we raised our children together. My kids have memories of ballet rehearsal, recitals, and somebody picking someone up [for a mom] who couldn't get off work. One of the worst days of my life was when our best babysitter said she had to move on. . . . I wept. That was when I had to tell my mom, 'You gotta help me. I can't go through another babysitter.' . . . But it was those girlfriends who would step up."
