Malia Obama: probably one of the most pressured teenagers in America right now. She could be the most perfect being possible for a decade, then get criticized for doing one action that's deemed as 'imperfect.' And to top it all off, she not only gets criticized for not living up to society's ridiculous expectations' of her–she constantly receives antiquated racist criticism. It's no question that Obama becoming the first African American President unfortunately brought out the racist side of Americans, but the mere fact that they're African American makes it even harder for Malia, her sister, and her whole family, to make a good impression on this country, thanks to perpetuated stereotypes and continuous hatred in this country.
If I were a President's daughter, I imagine the lifestyle would be completely different in every which way. Sure, you might imagine it as quite luxurious, but you would also feel inclined to always live up to "perfect" ideals, not to mention feeling pressured to further make your dad credible, all while he is constantly criticized no matter what decisions he makes. The whole country expects you to somehow be this perfect person, overlooking the fact that you're in your teenage years, are growing up, and thus, making mistakes and learning from them like every other teenager in America. This year, it has been made more than clear that the expectations of Malia Obama are unfair. If I were her, I would always try to feel as normal as possible, at the very least every now and then. If there was something that made me happy, I would do it, and disregard any feelings of remorse or obligated virtue that could disrupt just simply living my young teenage years.
Recently, I was astounded that Malia Obama was bashed profusely, over dancing and smoking pot. While I recognize some people still think smoking pot is much worse than it actually is, I personally think there was nothing wrong with her doing what a huge majority of teenagers have done. Out of all the great examples of a person she has set in the past–being dedicated to her studies, getting accepted into Harvard, and doing a most incredible internship with the U.S. Embassy in Spain–she gets bashed for this one time she decides to let loose and have fun the way 90% or more teenagers do at least once in their life.
As a regular teenager, I think life was already tough enough as it is without feeling like you're being watched by the entire country under a microscope, judged, and sometimes even belittled, no matter what it seems you do. Feeling pressured to fit in, not knowing who you are, for some, being bullied, and not knowing what path to take was more than enough to handle, so I can hardly imagine how tough it has been for Malia in the sense of which actions they should take, but I praise her for overall doing a great job.
Malia is an extremely motivated girl, and I think she is a good influence to other women around her age. Sure, she made a common teenage mistake, but aren't we all guilty of that? Sorry America that she isn't the American Girl Doll you envision, or that she can't stand to always act overtly moral 110% of the time.
Hence, she shouldn't live a dull life because she's the President's daughter. She was raised to be a hard-working person, and she deserved to get into Harvard with her diligence and intelligence. She's a legacy student, she's been socially active, and has displayed excellent character in all other ways. So what if she wants to have fun once? Let her live, and stop belittling her for wanting to try to live like a normal teenager every now and then.
I personally wish her the best when she embarks on her amazing journey to Harvard in the future, as she continues to represent a hard-working and motivated young woman, who I know will find great success from all which she has worked towards. She is only following her successful parents' path of going to the same school her father attended, and as the daughter of an alumni, she thrives for the same amount of success and a great-working ethic. Let her live, America, because she's under enough pressure already to not deal with bigots who have probably only done half the world she has in the past few years, in their whole life.
