Malia Obama's Height Transformation Is A Sight To See

Truly, Malia Obama's transformation is a sight to behold. Or perhaps we should say a height to behold because this former first daughter has quite literally grown up in front of our eyes. Most of the world first met Barack and Michelle Obama's eldest daughter around 2008 when he ran for president and won, making history in the process. Malia was just 10 years old when her family made the big move into the White House, and she went on to become one of the tallest (and arguably most gorgeous) first daughters ever.

Malia really started coming into her own during her family's time in Washington, D.C., as she did a lot of growing up physically during her dad's two terms in office. In fact, the Daily Mail reported in 2010 that Malia was already starting to give her parents a run for their money in the height department. The outlet shared photos of the then 12-year-old walking with her mom and the two women appeared to be almost the same height already. That's no mean feat considering Michelle is one of the tallest first ladies in history at 5'11".

Malia Obama's impressive stature was something her parents knew was coming for a while. Barack Obama revealed just how quickly his daughter was growing during a speech in Kansas back in 2010 as he confirmed her exact height. "Even though she's 5ft 9in, she's still my baby," he told the crowd (via the Daily Mail). "And she just got braces, which is good, because she looks like a kid and she was getting [...] she's starting to look too old for me." However, being a tall tween and teenager didn't necessarily guarantee Malia would also be a tall adult.  

Dr. Gary Berkovitz, The University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine's chief of pediatric endocrinology, explained to ABC News that puberty and how tall her parents are could both influence whether Malia continues gaining inches or if she's eventually going to slow down in the height department. "How tall a girl is at any point isn't enough to say where she's going to end up," he said. "A girl who's very tall at 12 but who's already had periods for two years is going to stop growing soon, but a girl who's 14 who's never had a period will keep growing."

Despite some speculation over whether Malia Obama would stay tall, she continued adding inches as she grew up. In 2023, the Daily Mail shared candid photos of Malia hanging out with a few friends — and she certainly seemed taller than most of her pals. At that time, the outlet put her height at 5'11". Malia then made another public appearance four months later. The former first daughter showed just how much she's grown, quite literally, when Malia made her red carpet debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024. 

Malia walked the red carpet in support of the short she wrote and directed, entitled "The Heart," and it was evident that she was still just as tall and gorgeous as we remembered. In one memorable snap, seen above, Malia towered over movie producer Ayesha Nadarajah. The former first daughter's stunning height is just one of the things fans love about her with plenty commenting on it on social media, marking it as one of her most attractive traits. 

"I just [saw] Malia Obama at the airport yall and she is so tall and gorgeous in person," one person gushed on X, formerly known as Twitter. Others have shared how important it is to them to see taller women represented. "I love seeing more tall women like me in media. Megan Thee Stallion, Malia Obama, Zendaya, and Lizzo are all the same height as me," another user shared.