Former First Lady Michelle Obama has addressed her daughter Malia’s decision to alter her professional name, explaining the reasoning behind this choice and sharing her perspective on the matter.
Since the Obama family departed the White House in 2017, access to their personal lives has become more open, with Michelle particularly vocal about their experiences before, during, and after their time in Washington DC.
The Obama daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, spent their formative years in the White House but are now independent adults working to establish their own identities separate from their family’s prominent legacy.
Notably, Malia chose to use her middle name, Ann, as her surname in the credits of “The Heart,” a short film she both wrote and directed.
Michelle recently discussed this name change during an appearance on the “Sibling Revelry” podcast with hosts Kate and Oliver Hudson, explaining the motivation behind her daughter’s professional decision.
“It is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” the former First Lady explained during the podcast interview.
Michelle elaborated on her daughters’ development: “Our daughters are 26 and 23. They are young adult women, but they definitely went through a period in their teen years where it was the push away… where you’re trying to distinguish yourself.”
She continued: “Malia, who started in film, I mean, her first project – she took off her last name, and we were like, they’re still going to know it’s you, Malia. But we respected the fact that she’s trying to make her way.”
The former First Lady noted how her daughters’ perspectives have evolved with maturity: “As they’re older, I think they are embracing our parenting principles. They have a clearer understanding of why we did a lot of what we did. They understand us as full human beings now, in the same way that I think I discovered that about my parents when I went away to college.”
Former President Barack Obama has also commented on Malia’s career aspirations as she works to establish herself in the film industry.
Speaking about his daughter’s achievements, Obama noted: “Malia’s first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn’t use Obama as director on the credits.”
He explained her reasoning: “She’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association with the Obama name.’ So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”