Why Celebs Are Coming To Sasha Obama's Defense For This Photo

Malia and Sasha Obama were kept relatively out of the spotlight when they were the country's first daughters. For the eight years that their dad, Barack Obama, was president, the only tidbits of information the public knew about the girls were where they went to school, how they appeared at public events, and whatever anecdotes their parents chose to tell about them. Now, however, with both Malia and Sasha out of the White House (and out of the house in general), bit by bit, some aspects of the sisters' personal lives are becoming a little more public — and that's not exactly a good thing, given that they're not the ones sharing this information. (Neither Malia or Sasha have any public social media account.) Not to mention the fact that this leaves the 20-somethings up for some serious public scrutiny.

While some will remember the headlines when Malia was Snapchatted at a party in the vicinity of a bong (the horror!), this time, people are coming for Sasha due to a photo of the University of Michigan student wearing a crop top and bikini bottoms, which circulated on Twitter in December 2020. But for every person who has something negative to say about the leaked image, a star has come to her defense. Below, check out the celebs who are sticking up for Sasha Obama — and rightfully so.

It can't be easy for Malia and Sasha Obama when their entirely typical college "antics" get dissected by the whole world. Take, for example, in October 2020 when Sasha got heat for lip-synching a track with some NSFW words in it. Well, she once again made headlines in December 2020, when a picture of herself made its way onto Twitter. This image featured her wearing a white crop top emblazoned with colorful, airbrushed writing, which she paired with hot pink bikini bottoms and a white sarong. She wore glittering gold belly jewelry, and her long nails were painted cobalt blue. And Twitter immediately took her to task.

see what you can look like if you grow veggies in the White House garden? #Letsmove #SashaObama pic.twitter.com/nYF4nLvld7

— Jocelyn (@jocelyn90028) December 14, 2020

One user referred to her as a "strumpet," while another said it was "sad how young ladies feel the need to always show their bodies off." Fortunately, many also came to her defense, including several celebs. "Oh shut up about Sasha Obama, she's young, free and harming nobody," Jameela Jamil wrote. "Stop acting like it's the President of The United States doing this. Which even if they did would still hurt nobody. She looks happy and she deserves to grow up expressing herself and having fun." 

"Keep Sasha Obama's name out of your d**n mouth," Meena Harris, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' niece, tweeted. Pussycat Dolls singer Aubrey O'Day even chimed in, quote-tweeting Harris' reply, writing: "Keep your f*****g comments clean when you speak on the beautiful & smart Sasha Obama!"

It's not just a photo of Sasha Obama that went viral. A TikTok video of the former first daughter also went viral after it was shared in early December 2020, per Newsweek. The video was shared by user @pixiestick222, who has since deleted the TikTok. However the TikTok user wasn't quick enough, and the video ended up on Twitter, where it became yet another talking piece.

The video, which shows Sasha dancing with some friends, had the comments rolling in. Some were upset about the lack of social distancing. Others decided to provide their unsolicited comments for the strangest reason: The fact that many of Sasha's friends in the video were white. According to Newsweek, "[p]eople who complained, mocked, or feigned surprise at Sasha having white friends mostly deleted their comments shortly after posting."

Still, others saw the video for what it was: a college student hanging out with friends. One user wrote, "Our Sasha Obama looks happy, has a group of normal looking friends, and is simply beautiful. We're good over here."

In light of Sasha Obama's viral moments in December 2020, comparisons between the Obama children and the Trump family cropped up on social media. Columnist Tim O'Brien made a joke about the conversation circulating that Donald Trump is going to pardon his children. "Sasha Obama is trending because her father didn't try to get her a preemptive pardon," O'Brien tweeted.

Echoing that sentiment, another person wrote: "I saw Sasha Obama and thought she had broke the law and was needing a Trump pardon. She a good kid, having good clean fun and both her parents love her. Carry on." And one user took the opportunity to compliment Sasha and shade the Trump children, tweeting, "What a beautiful, vibrant woman Sasha Obama has become. *looks at Trump's kids* What a beautiful, vibrant woman Sasha Obama has become."

As of this writing, Sasha hasn't publicly responded to the backlash, but hopefully she's able to brush it off and continue living her best life.