Why Malia Obama Is A Positive Role Model For Girls
Posted by: Ami Angelowicz
Filed in:
news
12:30PM, Thursday November 5th 2009
While many 11-year-old girls are busy worshiping Miley Cyrus, swooning over the Jonas Brothers, and coveting Juicy Couture, Malia Obama just wants to learn. Proud papa, Barack, recently told a story about how she came home from school with a “C” on a science test and felt crappy about it. How did she deal? Certainly not by zoning out with an episode of “The Hills.” By hitting the books. When she came back the next day with an “A” she was proud—saying to her father, “I just like having knowledge.”
Well I’ll be darned. A young girl who values her intelligence? As a former teacher, I know this type of statement is sadly rare. But it’s the kind of thing that girls need to hear one of their peers saying. Malia seems to understand that the coolest accessory is self-esteem. She’s a ‘tween who values her accomplishments above her appearance, ideas above her possessions, her pride above her status. A nation of girls will no doubt be watching as Malia navigates through the treacherous terrain of her awkward teenage years, with hopefully more grace than Chelsea Clinton. Here’s hoping that she will continue to inspire other young girls to seek smarts rather than handbags. [Newser]
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xifeng882
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:44 pm: [report]
The Obama girls in general seem wonderful, they have high values, morals and great self-esteem. I hope that girls everywhere look to them as role models, the ones they seem to be looking up to now are really only going to damage American society and culture.
lea322
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:48 pm: [report]
What did Chelsea Clinton do wrong? I thought the Bush twins came across as less graceful than Chelsea did, but maybe I’m just not remembering something.
Goldfinch86
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 12:59 pm: [report]
I wish more young girls were like her or at least looked up to her. Beauty used to be fleeting so all you really had was your brain, but with all this surgery and possessions beauty and status are more valued than real talent or intelligence because you can fix your way to the top. Some surgery here, some injections there and voile! The next Parisite Hilton or Miley Cyrus.
QTKT
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:09 pm: [report]
What’s with the knock on Chelsea!?! Sure, maybe a little awkward with the braces and really curly hair… But who didn’t look like a dweeb in middle school? Cut the girl some slack. At least she wasn’t trying to ditch her secret service agents or relying on them to get her out of trouble like the Bush twins.
jimnist10
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:27 pm: [report]
Yeah, I totally disagree with the Chealsa Clinton knock. I’m recalling her being an akward kid/teen as the First Daughter, but studious and well-adjusted and is now an intelligent, well-adjusted woman. If the only thing Chelsea Clinton did “wrong” as First Daughter was to look like a dork during adolesence (like most of us did), then you’re practically contradicting your praise of Malia Obama’s desire to be studious. What? Only pretty, non-akward tweens who choose books over looks should get kudos? Not cool.
spatula
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:34 pm: [report]
I, too, would like to know what Chelsea Clinton did that was so grace-less. Certainly it can’t simply be her appearance you are referring to.
unbounded
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 01:43 pm: [report]
Same comment here - loved the idea of Malia Obama as a role-model for tween girls, but what the heck did Chelsea do wrong?
silvergurl
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 02:09 pm: [report]
awww. my heart feels warm and fuzzy now.
Laurel
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 02:38 pm: [report]
@Ami—seriously, what did Chelsea do wrong??
VeronicaVaughn
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 03:38 pm: [report]
I whole heartly agree. I always tell my little sister to stick to her books and try not to get caught up in the whole high school drama thing. Way to go Malia Obama!
Hustle Roses
wrote on November 5 2009 @ 06:02 pm: [report]
@jimnist10: I couldn’t have said it better myself!
jmcfan
wrote on November 8 2009 @ 07:03 am: [report]
There was no reason to knock Chelsea at all. Malia may very well be a nice girl but it seems silly for you to knock chelsea and commenting on young kids swooning over miley and jonas, seeing how michelle just took them to a miley concert and how the jonas brothers were waiting for mailia and sasha in the white house after daddy got elected.