A Look At Malia Obama's Many Hairstyle Changes Post-White House

Malia Obama's personal style has flourished since the Obama family left White House living behind. Malia spent most of her teenage years at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, sporting a conventional look defined usually by long, bone-straight hair (and the occasional bun or ponytail). It may not have been her preference, but it's what was expected — even former President Obama has acknowledged the pressures and stressors put on his daughters to uphold a particular aesthetic. "I mean Malia'll talk about black girl's hair and will have much opinions of that," the politician said during a conversation with Misty Copeland in 2016 (via Time). "And she's pretty opinionated ... that it costs a lot ... that sometimes girls can be just as tough on each other about how they're supposed to look." 

Michelle Obama even cited her need to acclimate to mainstream beauty standards when discussing the reason she gravitated towards straightening her hair while in the white house, The Hill.  Fortunately, Malia still managed to develop a more daring personal style in recent years. Actually, Malia and her sister, Sasha Obama, have rocked some bold looks since their father transitioned out of Washington D.C. Seriously, their style is perf! Malia, however, has shown more of her personality through her ever-changing hairstyles over the years. And they're all so fabulous, we're having trouble choosing our favorite look!

Malia Obama's hair landed somewhere between dark brown and black while she was a resident of the white house. However, In 2017, just a few months after Barack Obama completed his second term as president, Malia was photographed in New York City's SoHo neighborhood experimenting with a pop of color. In the photo seen above, Malia was seen wearing gorgeous ombre curls, which was one of the most popular hair trends that year. 

On a different day, Just Jared caught Malia wearing a similar color combination in her hair — except this time, she sported longer, beachy, relaxed curls that were partially hidden underneath a fur-trimmed maroon hood as she headed to her internship with the Weinstein Company. These photos popped up a couple of months after The Hollywood Reporter announced that Malia, who's since entered into the screenwriting profession, would be interning for controversial producer Harvey Weinstein.

Malia Obama is indeed her mother's child. Just as Michelle Obama has graced the world with her braided glory in recent years, Malia, too, has often opted for chic braided looks. In 2018, for example, Malia wore thick, curly box braids, which appear to be a deep shade of brown, per Stylecaster. The then-college student styled her look by gathering half of the braids into a messy, curly bun while the back half hung free. 

According to HOLA!, Malia wore brown butt-length braids with blond highlights in March 2023. Of course, these braids were much skinnier and accented by crimped, wavy ends to cap off the look. She wore a similar look one year earlier while visiting a museum with a friend, per TMZ. Finally, Malia also wore braids in the above photo as she chatted with a different friend. However, she stuck with a color closer to her natural shade. She also styled the braids in a loose bun placed near the back of her head, allowing a few braids to frame her face.

Malia Obama ended 2023 as a beautiful redhead. She debuted her new color in October 2023, according to Marie Claire. The Harvard Graduate enjoyed a night out in Los Angeles, wearing her hair styled in loose waves. The simplicity of the style allowed her red hair to be the star of the show. Of course, Malia's comfy-casual outfit definitely scored a well-earned spot in second place. Her new look came a few weeks after photographers captured her smoking cigarettes on a sidewalk, according to OK! 

A couple of weeks later, Page Six photographed Malia wearing the same hair color, styled in a slightly different manner. As Malia enjoyed an outing at Silver Lake Meadows Park, her hair flowed in more defined ringlets that shined beautifully in the late Autumn sun. No wonder it seemed that the fellow park-goers were sneaking glances. Okay, this is our favorite look from Malia!