Sasha and Malia Obama are some of the most unconventional public figures in national history. On one hand, the girls are the children of Barack Obama, and we watched them grow up together when Barack was president, effectively making him the most powerful man in the world. But it was always clear that the girls were uncomfortable with the fame and, on some level, just wanted to live normal lives.
That all came to a head in their final night in the White House. What kind of party did the girls throw to mark their transition back into civilian life, and what was it about the party that ended up shocking everyone, including Michelle Obama? Keep reading to find out!
Watching Sasha and Malia grow up on the world stage
When Barack and Michelle Obama first moved into the White House, their girls were very young. By the end of Barack’s two terms as president, however, the girls were mostly grown up: Sasha was 15 and Malia was 18. For better or for worse, the world watched these girls grow up, and they often had trouble enjoying normal life thanks to their famous father’s role as president.
For example, E! News reports that Barack Obama joked about this when appearing on The Late Late Show. “First of all, them as teenagers having secret service guys follow them when they were going out on dates, I think probably has shut down their interest in public service,” he quipped. Continuing, the former president went on to say that the girls “still have PTSD from guys talking into their wrist microphones with glasses as they’re trying to go to a music concert.”
Obviously, he is playing some of this up for laughs. But these stories underscore that Sasha and Malia had everything but a normal childhood while growing up in the White House.
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Throwing the ultimate house party
Growing up in the White House and in the public eye meant that Sasha and Malia didn’t get to participate in many of the normal rituals that teenagers love to engage in. Therefore, on their last night in the White House, the two decided to fix this by hosting a very intimate slumber party.
According to Time Magazine, Michelle Obama revealed that her daughters opted for a surprisingly kid-friendly party for their last night in the White House. “They had a sleepover …because my girls are so normal, they’re like, ‘Well, eight girls are gonna be sleeping here because it’s our last time, and we want pizza and we want nuggets.’”
Considering that the girls were celebrities themselves, it’s a little surprising that they didn’t want their party filled with movie stars, major singers, or any big names whatsoever. Instead, they wanted what the last eight years had made it nearly impossible to have: a normal night as teenage girls.
A bittersweet goodbye
It sounds like the party was a great time, giving Sasha and Malia the exact kind of farewell they had been dreaming of for so long. But even making the party of their dreams into a reality wasn’t enough to take the sting out of their need to move out.
According to Yahoo!, Michelle Obama was all too aware of how bittersweet this farewell was for her two daughters. They had to move out on Inauguration day, and as Michelle notes, “that moment of transition, right before the doors opened and we welcomed in the new family, our kids were leaving out the back door in tears, saying goodbye to people.”
To make matters worse, they were handing the keys over to Donald Trump, who had spent years leading the “birther” conspiracy theory movement that claimed Barack Obama was not actually born in the United States. Given Trump’s politics and his numerous personal attacks on their father, we can only imagine leaving the White House in his care made this final party that much more bittersweet for Sasha and Malia Obama.
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Life together outside the White House
In the years since Sasha and Malia Obama moved out of the White House, the girls have managed to stay very busy. And in doing so, the two did something surprising by moving to Los Angeles and living together. Most siblings don’t want to spend that much time together after they grow older. Then again, who else can really understand how weird it was growing up in the public eye?
Incidentally, living in Los Angeles has made things particularly easy for Malia Obama because she can better focus on her Hollywood career. For example, she previously worked on HBO’s show Girls, and she is now working closely with singer, actor, and all-around polymath Donald Glover. According to the New York Daily Post, she will be creating a short film with Glover and will also serve as a writer on his upcoming Amazon series Swarm.