First Lady Michelle Obama jokingly says a mid-life crisis is what inspired her new haircut with bangs.

Michelle Obama revealed the new hairstyle last month on her 49th birthday, which came a few days before the festivities for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

She was asked about the new haircut during an interview with talk-show host Rachael Ray.

“This is my mid-life crisis,” Michelle Obama said.

She added that she cut her bangs because she can’t get a sports car and won’t be allowed to bungee jump.

Reasons aside, the new hairstyle has widely praised by the style set, with many commenting that it makes her look younger.

Linda Wells, editor-in-chief of Allure magazine, told the Associated Press: “It’s definitely a more youthful style than what she had before. It just has a flirty, young quality to it.”

And New York hairstylist Robert Stuart added: “It’s much softer and younger, and it makes her look more approachable. It also works well for her sense of fashion. And it brings out her eyes.”

Michelle Obama jokingly says a mid-life crisis is what inspired her new haircut with bangs

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld failed to echo their sentiments though, likening Michelle Obama’s new look to that of a news anchor – apparently a bad thing in his book.

In an interview that aired on French television network Canal Plus, he said: “I do not understand the change in hairstyle.”

Though Karl Lagerfeld said – twice – that he loves “Madame Obama”, he went on to add that a “speakerine do LCI” typically has this hairstyle, referring to a popular television news network.

“The fringe was not a good idea,” Karl Lagerfeld concluded.

President Barack Obama himself made several references to his wife’s new bangs during the inaugural festivities – all of them positive.

Heralding the cut as “the most significant event of this weekend”, Barack Obama said: “I love my wife’s new bangs – she always looks good!”