Barack Obama & Michelle Obama Share Sweet Birthday Tributes to Daughter Sasha — & She’s Not the Little Girl You Remember
I’m sorry, I know that photo probably made you emo. It made me emo too. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, you can’t deny the nostalgia of that picture — a young Barack Obama holding onto a super young Sasha Obama.
Today is the youngest Obama daughter’s birthday, and I found myself scrolling through old images of Sasha. (In a professional manner … not a creepy one.) And when I picture her in my mind’s eye, I see that 6-year-old who joined her dad, her mom Michelle Obama, and her sister Malia Obama on the campaign trail.
But time does its thing, and she’s not that little girl anymore. Michelle Obama commemorated the 23-year-old’s birthday (TWENTY THREE!) with a sweet tribute on Instagram. The former first lady posted a photo of them standing on what looks to be a rooftop. Sasha is embracing her mom and kneeling down to stand cheek-to-cheek with her mom. The birthday girl looks absolutely stunning, rocking a colorful outfit, rainbow heels, and the most beautiful smile. She is most certainly not the little girl people remember.
“Ommggggg look at the grown woman she morphed into ????????????,” one follower commented. “Sasha [is] all grown up and so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see her from a young girl to young women,” another agreed.
Michelle wished her daughter a happy birthday in her caption, saying Sasha makes her “so incredibly proud.”
“Hope this year brings you everything you want and more. Love you. ????,” the Becoming author said.
Barack also had a sentimental Instagram post, but he used a throwback photo. It’s a picture of him with a young Sasha — perhaps 8 or 9 years old — and they are sitting on what might have been the White House lawn.
“Happy birthday, Sasha! It’s been such a joy to watch you make your own way in the world…and you’re just getting started!” the former president wrote. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)
And just how is Sasha making her way in the world? People think she is following in the footsteps of her 25-year-old sister, Malia Obama, by making her way to Hollywood. Olivia Craighead, a news writer for The Cut, recently theorized that Sasha was a casting interviewer for the show Couples Therapy after seeing the name “Natasha Obama” listed.
Sasha is short for Natasha, and she may have “changed” her name in the credits to fly a little more under the radar. Similarly, her big sister uses the name “Malia Ann” (her middle name) for her professional credits. ICYMI: Maliya wrote and directed a short film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was a staff writer on the TV show Swarm.
Pretty legit! So yeah, Malia isn’t that little girl we remember from the campaign trail either. The Obama girls are now the Obama women, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.