Malia and Sasha Obama Make Rare Public Appearance to Support Parents

Malia and Sasha Obama attended the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center alongside their parents, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in Chicago on June 18. The Obama family came together for the public event on Chicago’s South Side.

For the occasion, Malia wore an oversized gray blazer with a plunging neckline and a matching miniskirt. The blazer featured two large buttons at the front, with one fastened, and slight elastic detailing at the side that shaped the waist. The design also had a structured lapel across the front of the jacket. She completed the look with square-toe pumps.

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Sasha Obama wore an asymmetrical off-shoulder white top paired with a matching skirt, styled with an oversized leather brown belt. She finished with Miu Miu slingback heels.

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Michelle Obama joined her husband, who delivered remarks during the ceremony, wore a navy-and-white tweed jacket with a matching skirt. Underneath the jacket, she layered a white corset, which was a departure from some of her more traditional public appearance as First Lady.

Malia and Sasha Obama were 10 and 7 years old respectively when their father was elected President of the United States in 2008. They were 18 and 15 when he left office in January 2017.

During Barack Obama’s presidency, Michelle Obama previously explained the pressure the family faced during that period. She explained that she wanted to give her daughters enough space to grow up and experience a normal teenage life.

“We’d have to build a real community of trust around them because I didn’t want them sitting home on Saturday night not understanding what it was like to be out and have a life before they went to college.” She also revealed that she never wanted to run for office because she did not want to place them back into the public spotlight.

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Since leaving the White House, the Obama sisters have made occasional public appearances. The most recent one was during Mother’s Day last month, where they appeared together with their mother to honour her. They were also seen together as a family at the NBA All-Star Game in February in California.

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The opening ceremony also featured performances by Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, and Eddie Vedder. Other attendees included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and Gayle King.