Michelle Obama has shared her thoughts about her daughter Malia’s decision to change her name as she embarks on her first film project.
During Barack Obama’s presidency, the public had limited insight into the personal lives of the Obama family.
However, since leaving the White House in 2017, Michelle Obama has been more open about their experiences before, during, and after their time in Washington, DC.
A significant change has occurred since then, with their daughter Malia recently choosing to drop her well-known surname.
At 26, Malia used her middle name, Ann, for the credits of “The Heart,” a short film she both wrote and directed.
Michelle Obama commented on the name change on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson. “Our daughters [Malia and Sasha] 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 said.
She emphasized the importance of her daughters feeling that they earn their achievements rather than having them assumed due to their family name, saying, “They want to be their own people.”
The former first lady 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.”
Michelle’s daughters were raised in the unique environment of the White House, and she acknowledged that they didn’t fully grasp their parents’ roles at the time.
As they have matured, their understanding has evolved. Michelle added, “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.”
She explained that her daughters now see their parents as complete individuals, much like she did with her own parents when she went to college.
Barack Obama has also addressed Malia’s decision to change her name, discussing her film achievements on The Pivot Podcast.
“[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 said, noting Malia’s desire for audiences to judge her work without the preconceived notions associated with the Obama name.
He concluded by saying, “So I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that.”