Malia Obama's Height Transformation Has Us Stunned
It's not easy being the kid of famous folks. It's even tougher when your dad was arguably the most powerful man in the Western world. As the daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama, Malia Obama grew up in the spotlight. She knows a thing or two about the pressures of public life, even though she never chose to live it as a child. Malia has continued to grow — literally — since leaving the White House and remains in the media glare.
Malia was 10 years old when Barack took office. She was forced to up and move from Chicago to Washington, D.C.. Malia and her little sister, Sasha Obama, had to get used to a new home, adjust to new schools, and make new friends, all under the watchful eye of the world's media. No easy feat.
Barack and Michelle strived to give their daughters as regular a childhood as possible under the circumstances. "We had to parent by creating this cocoon of normalcy in a pretty crazy abnormal world," Michelle shared in an episode of the "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" podcast. "When we're out of [the White House] in a few years, they have to be able to function like normal people," she told her good pal, Jimmy Fallon. Michelle and Barack did their job, and they did it well. Malia's transformation from a shy little girl to an accomplished and confident young woman is incredible. And her height transformation is equally stunning.
Malia's White House childhood
Malia Obama's childhood was as far from regular as you can imagine. Few kids are awarded government-issued code names along with a security detail. Malia's appointed moniker was "Radiance," and she was shadowed by bodyguards 24-7. Attending school, special events, friends' birthday parties, trips to the cinema, and vacations were all done under Secret Service agents' beady eyes. Even first dates, which must have made for some super awkward moments.
Still, Malia's parents didn't just take a back seat in their daughters' lives and leave it up to security personnel to raise them. Michelle Obama never once reneged on her role as mom, and despite being the leader of the free world, Barack Obama always managed to fulfill his parental duties. "Even as Barack being the president of the United States, he worked his schedule around their schedule," the former FLOTUS explained in 2020 during an episode of her podcast, "Michelle Obama: The Light."
Michelle also ensured her girls remained grounded by not allowing them to shirk their household duties and chores even though they had a fleet of staff ready to cater to their every whim. "I [had to] beg the housekeepers, 'These girls need to learn how to clean their own rooms and make their beds and do their laundry. You cannot do this every day because they will not live here forever, and I am not raising kids who don't know how to make a bed,'" Michelle told Today.
Malia's teenage wonder years
If Malia Obama went through a terrible teen rebellion stage, then her family managed to keep it on the down low. There was barely ever any real whiff of scandal attached to Malia or her little sister, Sasha Obama. And it was thanks in large part to their mom. Michelle Obama opened up about how the former First Family managed to keep things controversy clean during Barack Obama's presidency in an episode of her "Michelle Obama: The Light" podcast.
"It was no accident that the administration was scandal-free," she said. "It was no accident that our children had to show up right in the world. They carried the burden of making sure they weren't messy because it wouldn't have been laughed off; it wouldn't have been just 'Oh, it's youthful' or whatever. It would've been some statement about the soul of Black folks."
Still, Malia did manage to have a moment here and there. She was caught on camera allegedly smoking weed at Lollapalooza in 2016. RadarOnline obtained a nine-second video clip of Malia purportedly puffing on a joint. And even though cannabis is legal in Illinois, where the music festival is held, Malia's alleged transgression was the talk of the tabloids. She clapped back epically, though. Just weeks later, Malia was snapped at another festival, rocking a T-shirt emblazoned with "Smoking Kills."
Malia's all grown up ... literally
Between graduating from Washington D.C.'s prestigious Sidwell Friends School in 2016 and enrolling in the equally prestigious Harvard, Malia Obama took a gap year. However, she didn't jet off to find herself in India or chill on the beaches of Thailand like many other 18-somethings. Per The Chicago Tribune, Malia headed to Bolivia and Peru for an immersive "cross-cultural, experiential education" that included staying with local families, learning the language, and engaging in volunteer work. When Malia returned stateside, she pursued her passion for the film industry with an internship at Weinstein Co. in New York City.
Malia's work placement has stood her well. After graduating from Harvard in 2021, she landed a writing gig on Donald Glover's comedy horror, "Swarm." In an interview with Vanity Fair, the "Atlanta" star raved about Malia's work ethic and abilities. "She's just, like, an amazingly talented person," he said. "She's really focused, and she's working really hard."
Malia has since branched out on her own. The 25-year-old made her Sundance debut in January 2023 with her short flick "The Heart," which she wrote and directed. The former first daughter has grown up and blossomed, looking every bit like an accomplished movie maker as she posed on the red carpet, dressed casually in a short skirt, knee-high boots, long loose shirt, coat, and scarf, towering above her friend.