According to the First Lady, "As I got older, I found that men would whistle at me as I walked down the street, as if my body were their property, as if I were an object to be commented on instead of a full human being with thoughts and feelings of my own. I began to realise that the hopes I had for myself were in conflict with the messages I was receiving from people around me." Despite the self-doubt instilled by such messages, the ultimate answer, she said, was to listen to the voice inside herself. "I decided to listen to my own voice and to rely on the support of the people in my life who believed in my ability to achieve my own dreams." Watch the speech here.

We know that many women and girls are brought low by similar incidents but don't speak up out of embarrassment, shame or fear. We applaud Mrs Obama for sharing her experiences and calling out objectification and its eroding effect on the self-esteem and confidence of girls. If you have a story to share about dealing with sexism, please write to us at http://sheobjects.org/contact/. We would love to hear from you and promise to keep private anything you tell us in confidence.