Malia Obama was seen in Los Angeles this week, stepping out with a striking new hair color. The 26-year-old daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama appeared after a yoga session, her first public sighting in some time.
Malia, a filmmaker and writer based in LA, wore a casual outfit: a gray oversized sweatshirt, black leggings, and black leather clogs. She carried an orange yoga mat over her shoulder. Her hair, styled in braids and tied back in a ponytail, was noticeably dyed a brighter shade of rusty red—an evolution from the lighter brown hue she debuted at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2023.
The appearance comes shortly after Malia became the center of an online debate following accusations of plagiarism. Her latest work, a Nike ad featuring WNBA star A’ja Wilson, is being compared to Grace, a short film by independent filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris.
Harris, whose 14-minute film competed against Malia’s The Heart at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, noticed the similarities while browsing Instagram. She said she was surprised by the ad’s opening, which showed two people playing pat-a-cake—an image that closely resembles a scene from Grace, a Southern Gothic story about a young Black girl facing questions about identity and faith.
“I saw Malia at Sundance during events like the director’s brunch,” Harris told Business Insider. “I don’t blame her directly. I’m raising concerns about how the system favors well-known names over independent artists, which stifles originality and innovation.”
Harris, a graduate of NYU, said she has not received a response from either Malia or Nike. She admitted she was initially hesitant to speak up. “It’s hard criticizing a project tied to a former president’s daughter, a major brand like Nike, and the WNBA, which means a lot to me,” she said. “But I’ve invested too much in my work to stay silent.”
As of now, neither Malia Obama nor Nike has commented publicly on the allegations.
