Barack and Michelle Obama's eldest daughter, Malia, has grown up in front of our eyes,
so it's no surprise that the former first daughter has remained in the pop culture spotlight
since leaving the White House in 2017.
Let's take a closer look at what life is like for Malia Obama at Harvard University.
Classic dad move
Former president Barack Obama described taking one step closer to becoming an empty-nester
as feeling, quote, "like open-heart surgery."
He said in a speech at a Beau Biden Foundation event that he didn't cry in front of Malia
when he dropped her off at Harvard, but in front of Obama's security detail?
Well, that's a different story.
Obama said,
"The Secret Service was off, looking straight ahead, pretending they weren't hearing me
as I sniffled and blew my nose.
It was rough."
The elder Obama, who's never met a dad joke he didn't like, shared some more hilarious
details about Malia's Harvard move-in day in a sit-down interview with David Letterman.
Obama told the TV host he was so emotional that day that he was basically useless.
"Meanwhile Michelle's finished scrubbing and she's organizing closets and all this, and
I was just pretty pathetic."
Making history
Malia Obama is part of a ground-breaking Harvard class where the "majority of the students
are non-white."
Harvard's website states that the class of 2021 is comprised of 50.8 percent minorities.
A Harvard spokesperson told the BBC that the university, which had been criticized for
its lack of diversity in the past, is now, quote, "committed to enrolling diverse classes
of students."
Among Malia's diverse Crimson classmates is a familiar face: actress Yara Shahidi.
Us Weekly reports that the Black-ish star and Harvard class of 2022 student got a letter
of recommendation from none other than Malia's mama, Michelle Obama.
Music video star?
As first daughter for eight years, Malia is no stranger to being on-camera, but since
attending Harvard, she's now appeared in her first music video…kind of.
Timelines went into a tizzy when Malia made a cameo in the New Dakotas "Walking On Air"
video.
The cameo featured Malia lip-synching and playing a mean air harmonica for the Boston-based
band.
Although it garnered the indie band major attention, the group quickly took down the
original video after it went viral and reposted a Malia-free version instead.
Alt Press reports that the band members, who are classmates of Malia's at Harvard, offered
no explanation other than an apology for the, quote, "glitch."
She's dating
Malia has a new man in her life since leaving the White House.
TMZ caught the eldest Obama daughter making out with a fellow student at a tailgate party
at a Harvard-Yale football game.
The Daily Mirror identified the guy as Harvard classmate Rory Farquharson.
According to Business Insider, the rugby-playing Brit comes from a well-to-do family and is
considered "quite the catch."
In fact, he's related to a former senior aide to the Queen of England.
While there is no concrete proof that these two are Instagram official, because Farquharson
deleted his account shortly after the PDA photos were leaked, the young lovers have
been spotted numerous times strolling the streets of New York and London.
Style icon
Your college years are all about exploration, so it's only natural that Malia Obama would
experiment with some new looks after leaving the White House.
Malia obviously takes after her mother Michelle more than her dad-jeans wearing father.
"The first time you see your daughter in heels is a little bit jarring."
Seventeen has praised Malia for her impeccable fashion sense, calling her "the ultimate style
icon" for her "fashion forward" outfits.
According to Harper's Bazaar, Malia has also experimented with braids while attending Harvard,
departing from her "signature straight-wavy style."
Stylecaster also gave her props in 2018, describing her "half-up, half-down hairstyle" as "badass."
Michelle's warning
According to Page Six, Michelle Obama gave her first-born daughter some sage advice before
she headed off to college: "Don't wind up on Page Six."
Overall, Malia seems to be living the life of your ordinary coed at Harvard, but that
hasn't stopped her from becoming tabloid fodder.
The Daily Mail ran a story in February 2019 that featured Malia partaking in some day
drinking with a bottle of rosé while lounging at a pool with friends in Miami.
The British tabloid also noted that she was underage at the time.
Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager defended Malia against the dirt.
You may recall that Jenna and her twin sister, Barbara, were nicknamed "Double Trouble" by
the press after getting busted for using a fake ID to buy booze.
When Malia's scandal broke, Jenna tweeted:
"Please don't click on silly stories and let's give Malia privacy."
Refinery29 might have summed it up best by saying that Malia has "great taste in wine,
but bad taste in friends," alluding to those closest to her allegedly selling her out to
the tabloid.
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