Malia Obama emerged in a rare public sighting earlier this week sporting a subtle but bold change to her appearance.
The 26-year-old daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama is currently a writer and filmmaker living and working in Los Angeles, California with her younger sister Sasha, 23.
Earlier this week, Malia was spotted heading out of a yoga class in LA sporting a gray oversized sweatshirt, black leggings and fashionable black leather clogs, with her orange yoga mat slung on her shoulder.
© BACKGRIDMalia's new look
However, it's her hair that commands attention, now dyed a much brighter shade of rusty red, a further step into the color palette after debuting a lighter shade of brown at the Deauville American Film Festival last September.
Her off-duty style paired well with her hair, styled in braids and tied into a gathered ponytail. Malia seemed to be having an encouraging conversation on the phone.
Nike controversy
The appearance comes just days after the young filmmaker fell into controversy over a major career milestone, having been accused of alleged plagiarism regarding her recent ad with Nike.
© ShutterstockThe commercial starring the WNBA's A'ja Wilson is drawing comparisons to Natalie Jasmine Harris' short film Grace, particularly over its opening scenes, with the independent filmmaker speaking out about it in a conversation with Business Insider.
Natalie's 14-minute short competed against Malia's directorial debut The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, and she recalled her experience with the young director while there. "I'd met Malia at Sundance in 2024, when 'Grace' and her short film 'The Heart' were both in competition. We saw each other at the director's brunch and a couple other events."
She opened up about first discovering the striking similarities between the two projects. "Earlier this month, at the Denver airport on the way home from a TV directing mentorship program, I was scrolling on Instagram when Malia Obama's Nike ad with the basketball star A'ja Wilson appeared on my feed."
© Getty Images"At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real," Natalie continued. "It featured two people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene from my 14-minute short film "Grace," which is a Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who's being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend."
The problem with the system
Natalie specifies that she doesn't specifically blame Malia, but instead is attempting to highlight the shortcomings of the system at large, "of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling."
The New York University graduate stated that she hadn't received a response from Malia or Nike, and was hesitant to bring the issue forward in the first place. "I would like for there to be some acknowledgment."
© Getty Images"I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president's daughter and a beloved brand like Nike," she continued. "Criticizing something involving the WNBA was also hard because it means a lot to me personally, and it already gets such a lack of a spotlight."
"But I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch." Neither Malia nor Nike has addressed the issue as of writing.
