The Obama girls: The burden of fame
Will the Obamas succeed in protecting the privacy of their daughters?
Welcome to the fishbowl, girls. Barack and Michelle Obama pledged to protect the privacy of their children while living in the White House and to strive to create a “normal” life for Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. But by the time the Obamas crossed the threshold of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., said Sue Shellenberger in TheWallStreetJournal.com, someone was already exploiting the First Kids’ celebrity. Ty Inc., maker of Beanie Babies, claimed that its brown-skinned “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” dolls had no connection to the two most famous pre-adolescents in America. But Michelle Obama “came out swinging,” saying it’s “inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes.” Battered by negative publicity and an online petition, Ty Inc. quickly “retired” the dolls. So chalk up one for the First Family. But given the history of children growing up in the White House—from Grover Cleveland’s “Baby Ruth” to the photogenic Kennedy kids and beyond—they’re probably “fighting a losing battle.”
Maybe so, but it’s one worth fighting, said Emily Bazelon in Slate.com. It’s not Michelle Obama’s duty to transform her daughters into role models or expand the horizons of children clutching “little Sasha and Malia replicas.” She’s got two kids to raise—and that will be hard enough given the relentless scrutiny endured by the First Family. A “normal” life, though, just isn’t possible, said Kirsten Powers in the New York Post, and the Obamas should have known that when Barack ran for president. Meanwhile, there’s a great public service the girls can render, by becoming wholesome role models for African-American girls—and girls of all races, for that matter. “Who would you rather have your daughters looking up to—Lindsay Lohan or Malia Obama?”
That question has a very important racial component, said Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post. Recall, if you will, the famous psychology experiment cited in Brown v. Board of Education, in which children were offered dolls with different skin tones. Black children not only preferred white dolls, they picked the black doll when asked which doll was “bad.” “If anyone understands the debilitating power of these internalized messages, it is the new president,” who admits he once experimented with drugs to prove his blackness. If, as they grow up in the White House over the next four to eight years, Sasha and Malia can help us transcend a history of negative social messages about race, they may make a contribution of almost immeasurable value.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published