Sasha Obama has developed a strong sense of self — and she isn't afraid to flaunt it.
Here's how the Obamas' youngest daughter transformed into a college student with an eclectic style.
We imagine that Barack Obama's time in office was stressful.
After all, running an entire country for eight years doesn't seem like a walk in the park.
However, he says there was no one event harder to deal with in his life than Sasha Obama's
childhood health scare.
In a 2012 campaign video, Barack recalled his youngest daughter's illness, saying:
"People ask me what was the hardest time in my life [...] Sasha got meningitis when she
was 3 months old.
I still remember going to the hospital together and they had to give her a spinal tap."
Meningitis is a life-threatening condition involving the swelling of the positive membranes
covering the brain and spinal cord, per the CDC.
Describing how he felt in the moment, Obama continued,
"Your world narrows to this very small point.
There's one thing you care about.
You don't care about anything else."
For former first lady Michelle Obama, the moment helped her realize the importance of
health insurance.
According to Atlanta Black Star, she said in 2013,
"I just can't put into words how important it is for every American, for every mother,
for every person in this country to have health care.
Because you just never know what kind of curve balls life is going to throw you."
Fortunately, Sasha has since recovered from her meningitis scare.
Sasha Obama was 7 years old when her father became the 44th president of the United States.
As one can imagine, transitioning from a home in Chicago to the White House might be hard
for a child to get used to.
However, Michelle Obama wanted to make the experience of living in the White House as
normal as possible for Sasha and Malia.
During the September 2020 season finale of "The Michelle Obama Podcast," Michelle opened
up about raising her two girls during Barack's presidency.
The former First Lady recalled:
"One of the things that I had to learn how to negotiate was creating these boundaries
with my kids in the White House."
She went on to add:
"It's like, pluckin' these little girls out of our normal life on the South Side of Chicago
[...] and then, putting them in a historic mansion with butlers and maids, and florists,
and gardeners, and Secret service, and then trying to make sure that they understood boundaries,
understood responsibility."
Sasha lived a pretty normal life while living in the White House.
She had assigned chores, despite having White House workers to do them for her.
For Barack and Michelle, it was important for them to provide a "normal" upbringing
for their daughters.
As expected, Sasha Obama has some pretty famous friends in her circle who understand the pressures
of growing up in the public eye.
One of her best friends is Maisy Biden, President Joe Biden's granddaughter.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Obama and Maisy played basketball together and have
a mutual love for soccer.
Aside from their families' political involvement with one another, the two attended Sidwell
Friends School in Washington, D.C. together.
The two even traveled to Miami in 2017, according to Us Weekly.
Additionally, Obama is friends with another well-known young celeb, Skylar Jordan, who
was seen at the former's sweet 16 celebration, as reported by AOL.
Skylar's mother, Charrisse Jackson Jordan, is an original cast member of Bravo's The
Real Housewives of Potomac.
Charrisse spoke of her daughter's friendship with Obama, telling Bravo,
"Skylar and Sasha [Obama] are friends.
They go to lunch."
After graduating from Sidwell Friends School in June 2019, Sasha Obama quietly enrolled
as a student at the University of Michigan.
Although her transition to college surely had its atypical experiences, Obama continues
to have a typical college life.
In October 2020, she made headlines after an unnamed friend posted a since-deleted TikTok
video of the two dancing and lip-syncing to Moneybagg Yo's "Said Sum (Remix)" featuring
the City Girls.
Sasha's appearance in the video caused a bizarre uproar among critics, while others came to
her defense, according to the Daily Mail.
Obama made headlines again in December 2020 after MEFeater Magazine's Twitter account
shared a photo of a woman who seemingly resembled her.
In the photo in question, the woman is wearing a crop top that reveals a rib tattoo and bikini bottoms.
The photo sparked debate about whether or not it was the former first daughter based
on the matching necklaces appearing similar to the ones she wore from the deleted TikTok video.
In the meantime, celebrities such as Meena Harris and Jameela Jamil have come to Obama's
defense about the headlines.
Although the public seemingly hasn't gotten used to Obama showing more personality, people
fail to remember that she's all grown up now and has adopted her own individual style.
When we were first introduced to Sasha Obama in 2009, she was just a little girl who walked
alongside her parents in dresses and skirts.
These days, however, the 21-year-old's personal style is evolving and one word sums it up
best — eclectic.
A far cry from her time in the White House, Obama has, in recent years, settled for a
more casual, informal style which we saw a lot of in 2022.
On one occasion, the youngest Obama sported a white t-shirt, a multi-colored sweater,
and denim overalls.
To finish off the look, she opted for a colorful pair of sneakers and tote bag, while keeping
accessories minimal.
When she's not dressed in the customary Gen-Z attire, Obama isn't afraid to go Bohemian.
However, Obama's style isn't the only thing that has evolved with time, as she has seemingly
developed a strong sense of self.
Going against her mother's initial reservations about tattoos, Sasha was seen sporting a hot
air balloon, inked at the back of her arm, in October 2022.
A few months later, Michelle Obama admitted that she had changed her stance on tattoos.
She said on The Kelly Clarkson Show:
"Most kids who are wearing tattoos and piercings, [or] they've got long nails...their value
system is about individuality."
After a few semesters at the University of Michigan, Sasha Obama transferred to the University
of Southern California to study psychology.
Unsurprisingly, Sasha moved to Los Angeles, where she shared an apartment with her older
sister, Malia.
In addition to living together, the sisters have also gradually warmed up to adult responsibilities.
In her book, The Light We Carry, Michelle described how Malia and Sasha live within
their means, often thrifting items and shopping from affordable stores.
And in perhaps their most grown-up move yet, the Obama sisters reportedly once hosted their
parents in their home.
Michelle recalled during an appearance on Today:
"We were going to take them to dinner and they said, 'Why don't you come over to our
spot for cocktails!'
And we were like, 'Okay, let's see what this is going to be like.'"
A fun moment no doubt, except according to the former first lady, the martinis they were
served were not so great.
Michelle added:
"I don't think they really knew what it was."
During an April 2022 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Michelle Obama revealed Sasha
Obama was in a relationship, telling the host about her daughters:
"They loved the Jonas Brothers.
Now they are bringing grown men home.
Before it was just, like, pop bands.
Now they have boyfriends and real lives."
A few days later, the Daily Mail confirmed that the youngest Obama was dating Clifton
Powell Jr., son of Hollywood actor Clifton Powell.
According to the outlet, Sasha met Powell Jr. shortly after her move to L.A. and soon
struck up a romantic relationship.
A former college basketball player, Powell Jr., like his father, has his eyes set on
a creative career.
But even though Powell Jr. isn't on the same exact path as his father, he can still rely
on the actor for solid advice.
Speaking on his son's relationship with Sasha, Powell Sr. gave his stamp of approval to the
young lovebirds.
He also shared some of the relationship advice he gave his son, telling the "Dear Fathers" podcast:
"So, it has helped me talk to Chris about how to handle Sasha Obama because we love
the Obamas, but Mr. Obama has a daughter that's dating my son, and I have an opportunity and
a responsibility, to make my son responsible, gentle, kind, loving, and supportive."
Barack Obama might have been the most powerful leader in the world, but to Sasha Obama, he
was simply dad.
And that meant they did not always get along.
Speaking on Glennon Doyle's "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast, Michelle Obama opened up
about her daughters' relationship with their father.
While Malia Obama reportedly always got along fine with Barack Obama, the same cannot be
said for Sasha.
Michelle said:
"Sasha's totally like, 'Don't touch me.
Don't look my way.
I don't need to please you.
You're annoying.'
He got a lot of that and he was stunned.
And I would tell him, she's gonna come around."
We might have to call the former first lady a seer because as she predicted, Barack and
Sasha's relationship improved.
The former First Lady explained:
"They just got off the phone last night.
She called him looking for advice.
It just took her longer."
But Sasha's relationship with Barack isn't the only thing that's improved, as she has
also seemingly gotten closer to her sister.
Michelle Obama told People:
"I think they become even closer now that they're out on the other side.
But yeah, it makes me feel really, really good.
Not just that they're living together, but they're thriving together — and they're
thriving on their own as individual young women."