Following Elizabeth Lauten's insult towards Sasha and Malia Obama on her personal Facebook page, President Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, decided to write an encouraging letter to the president's children.
She published the letter on her website, Books by Patti Davis, and aptly named the post "Dear Sasha and Malia." She begins the letter with a story of an event she attended hosted by Queen Elizabeth while her father was in office. She recalls being chastised by the press, similar to the way Lauten critiqued the girls.
When my father was president there was an evening event in Los Angeles for Queen Elizabeth, hosted by my parents. The dress was "cocktail attire" which, to my thinking, is a somewhat broad category. There was a clothing line called Laize Adzer then and it was quite popular and fashionable — a sort of high-end peasanty look that required all the pieces — belt, scarf, etc. — to look like the magazine ads. I splurged on one of the dressier outfits and wore it to this event. In the broad category of cocktail attire, there was indeed a broad spectrum of fashion statements there. One woman was dressed sort of like a flapper. Another looked almost slutty, in a poofy sort of way. But I was singled out by a journalist who wrote the next day: "There were 150 people there. 149 of them were properly dressed. Patti Davis..." I can't even recall the rest of the assault, only that there was one.
Davis went on to alert the Obama girls of the harsh criticism they are up against. She says in this instance, the girls won, in part with the help of social media users.
As First Daughters, you can't win. There will always be bitchy people sitting at their keyboards, seething with anger at their own lives, ready to take it out on you. But in this case, I think you did win. The internet exploded with rage at Elizabeth Lauten and in defense of you. People have suggested she should lose her job, be exiled to a desert island, and other harsh recommendations that I won't print here. Many have pointed out how appropriate you both looked as the teenagers you are — "normal" is what a few have said.
The former First Daughter says while the life they're living may not be normal, they can still do things other teens do, despite what others may think.
And while there isn't anything normal about the life you are living right now, you still can be. An adult woman attacking you the way she did is despicable. Take it for what it is and be glad you are the smart and well-adjusted girls you are. And if you ever see Elizabeth Lauten sitting at a bar dressed like the teenager she isn't ... just walk past and resist the temptation to say something snarky to her. Trust me, you're light years ahead of her.
Lauten, a former communications director and aide to Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher, resigned from her position after deleting a post scolding the Obama sisters' very teen-like behavior during the president's "turkey pardoning" speech on Thanksgiving.
In a Facebook post, Lauten wrote, "Dear Sasha and Malia, I get that you're both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class."
Lauten even threw in a jab at President Obama and the First Lady, who, in her opinion, don't respect their positions or the nation.
"Then again your mother and father don't respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I'm guessing you're coming up a little short in the "good role model" department."
What do you think of Patti Davis' note to Sasha and Malia Obama? Sound off in the comment section below.
