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Michelle Obama drops expletive in explaining why women need to do more than 'lean in'

Former first lady Michelle Obama reportedly offered a pointed opinion of work-life balance and marriage equality for women, saying that the idea that women can have it all is untrue because "that s--- doesn't work all the time."

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By
Devan Cole
, CNN
(CNN) — Former first lady Michelle Obama reportedly offered a pointed opinion of work-life balance and marriage equality for women, saying that the idea that women can have it all is untrue because "that s--- doesn't work all the time."

"Marriage still ain't equal, y'all," Obama said to a crowd gathered in Brooklyn on Saturday for a leg of her international book tour, several news outlets reported. "It ain't equal. I tell women that whole 'you can have it all' -- mmm, nope, not at the same time, that's a lie. It's not always enough to lean in because that s--- doesn't work all the time."

The former first lady appears to have been disagreeing with a feminist philosophy shared by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg in her book, "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," which encourages women to be more ambitious.

According to reports, Obama quickly apologized for using the expletive, telling the crowd: "I thought we were at home, y'all. I was getting real comfortable up in here. All right, I'm back now. Sometimes that stuff doesn't work."

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