Malia Obama's Sundance Debut Has Us Focused On One Thing
My, how Malia Obama has grown up — and up...and up! The eldest daughter of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Malia has gone from a cute little girl to a woman on the rise, right before our very eyes. And her appearance at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival showed just how much she has matured.
Having spent her formative years in the White House, Malia graduated from Harvard in 2021 and is well on her way to establishing a career in Hollywood as a writer and director. After interning on "Girls" on HBO and writing for Donald Glover's Amazon series "Swarm," the former first daughter, working under the name Malia Ann, embarked on her own showbiz journey by writing and directing the short film, "The Heart." The movie was screened at both Telluride and the Chicago International Film Festival, where it won an award for best live-action short.
The 18-minute film was also accepted at Sundance. Malia walked the red carpet in January 2024, one of her first official public appearances in a while. She wore her hair in long braids and textured waves, and her gorgeous smile shined bright. While Malia's focus was on celebrating the film, we can't help but zero in on how tall she has gotten. Really, really tall.
She's even taller than she was as a teenager
When Malia Obama was just 13, she was already well on her way to matching her dad's height. During a speech in 2011, as reported by ABC News, then-president Barack Obama joked about his young daughter's growth spurt. "Even though she's five-nine, she's still my baby." Since then, the aspiring filmmaker appears to have shot up several more inches.
For the premiere of her movie "The Heart" at Sundance, Obama paused on the red carpet, showing off her long and lean frame in a white blouse, short skirt, tall boots, and an oversized jacket and scarf. Though there isn't any definitive word on how tall she's gotten since her last official measurement noted by her dad, her height was very noticeable on the red carpet. She towered over several other attendees with whom she was photographed.
Malia's height is no surprise, though, given her parents are above average in the vertical category, too. Mom Michelle Obama is 5'11", and dad Barack is 6'1".