Charlize Theron Michelle Obama Glamour The Power of an Educated Girl Event 2015

Charlize Theron and Michelle Obama high five across a table.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 30 September 2015

Let's hear it for the girl. Charlize Theron and Michelle Obama agree: if you're smart and you get an education, you can do anything—including, yes, attract boys. (If you so desire.)

While at an event hosted by Glamour on "The Power of an Educated Girl", they were both asked what advice they'd give to young girls who are afraid getting an education/being smart will be a turn-off to boys—and the two were *definitely* on the same page.

"There is nothing sexier than a smart woman," Theron, 40, said according to People (opens in new tab). "We have been told to live by a certain mold, especially women, and it's time to break it and it's up to us to do that. Stop waiting for men to do that, look in the mirror and see yourself and say I am sexy, I am attractive, I am smart, I am intelligent, I am powerful, I have a voice, I look cute in these jeans. Yes, I don't have long hair, I have short hair but I am still a girl and I'm still hot."

"And let's just be clear you don't want to be with a boy that's too stupid to know you're a smart, young lady and I want to encourage all of us as young women, as older women, we have to raise our own bars, you will not be successful hanging around people who drag you down," Obama added. "There is no boy at this age that is cute enough or interesting enough to stop you from getting your education. If I worried about who liked me and who thought I was cute when I was your age, I wouldn't be married to the President of the United States."

Annnnd *mic drop*.

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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.