Michelle Obama has opened up about why her daughter Malia chose to change her name — and shared her candid thoughts on the decision.
For years, the public had limited access to the private lives of the Obama family. But since Barack, Michelle, and their daughters left the White House in 2017, that’s gradually changed.
Michelle, in particular, has been vocal about what life was like before, during, and after their time in Washington, D.C.
Now adults forging their own paths, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, spent their formative years in the spotlight. Today, they’re focused on building independent identities — and in Malia’s case, that includes stepping away from the weight of the Obama name.
For example, Malia used her middle name, Ann, as her last name for the credits of The Heart – a short film she wrote and directed.
Michelle Obama has spoken out (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Michelle has since spoken out after this name change became public knowledge, telling actors Kate and Oliver Hudson in an episode of their Sibling Revelry podcast about the reason why Malia has decided to drop the well known surname.
“It is very important for my kids to feel like they’ve earned what they are getting in the world,” the former first lady said on the podcast.
Michelle added: “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.
“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.
“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.
Malia has dropped the Obama surname (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
“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 Barrack Obama has also spoken out on Malia’s career as she looks to make a name for herself in the film industry.
“[Malia’s] first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn’t use Obama as director on the credits,” Obama Ryan Clark.
“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.”
