Recently, GOP staffer Elizabeth Lauten took to social media to criticize and berate Sasha and Malia about their attire and demeanor at the White House turkey pardoning event. She has sense apologized for her comments and resigned from her position as communications director for U.S. Representative Steve Fincher (R).
Someone who knows a great deal about the scrutiny that comes with being the child of the President of the United States is former President Ronald Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis. She showed her support by penning a letter to the current first daughters, sharing her experiences in this letter:
Dear Sasha and Malia,
Here is a story you might find interesting given the latest unprovoked (and undeserved) attack on you by Elizabeth Lauten, who I, by the way, had never heard of before.
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.
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.
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.
