Malia Obama turned 20 on July 4th. It’s fitting that one of the only first daughters I recognise was born on Independence Day. It may not have been a birthday celebration but Malia Obama was photographed living her best life in Paris on Sunday, strolling around with her boyfriend Rory Farquharson.

I was hard on Rugby Rory when it was first reported that he was dating Malia. I was hoping he was just a college hookup and not a serious boyfriend. We’re now eight months later and for 20-year-olds, eight months is a long time. They probably celebrate their anniversary each month – something grownups should never do. I stand by my initial assessment of Rugby Rory but I’m not worried about Malia anymore. 

I’m not worried anymore because I just read Beck Dorey Stein’s memoir From The Corner of The Oval. Beck was a stenographer during the Obama administration. She lived out her twenties in the White House and on Air Force One. Beck’s memoir is not your average political memoir. It reads like a rom-com. Along with documenting what it was like to be a fly on the wall during some of the most memorable moments in American history, Beck writes about her romantic woes. She writes candidly about the affair she had with a senior Obama staffer and all the dumb mistakes you make when you’re young and in love with the wrong guy. 

I produced Beck’s segment on The Social yesterday and she says she wrote about the romance, the drama, AND the work because oftentimes, working in your twenties comes with all three. She wrote it for her little sister and all the young women who may go through the same sh-t. I devoured this book. It is SO JUICY but it’s also a peek behind the most powerful political administration in the world – well, the people who worked for that administration. Turns out, everyone is just as horny and messy as the rest of us. 

Malia and her younger sister Sasha only make small cameos in Beck’s From The Corner of The Oval but I imagine that if one day they wrote down their experience of living out their teen angst with the backdrop of Air Force One rides and overbearing Secret Service agents, it might read a bit like From The Corner of The Oval. There’s obviously more pressure that comes with being a first daughter than a stenographer but my point is that you have to live to learn and that’s what Malia Obama seems to be doing – she just gets to live and learn in Paris with Rugby Rory. 

Malia and Rory were in Paris for Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On The Run II tour. They went to the show with Sasha and some friends. As we know, Sasha and Malia’s mom Michelle was there too with her new BFF and Miss Tina. Do you think the kids made sure they were in a different section than Michelle? Or is it OK to hang with your mom at a concert when your mom is MICHELLE OBAMA. 

My favourite observation from Malia’s concert experience in Paris is this video posted by Beyoncé Legion. 

A few people have pointed out the differences in Sasha and Malia’s friend groups. Sasha is going OFF with her girls while Malia and Rugby Rory sway awkwardly behind them. I can’t stop watching it. Do we think Sasha and Rugby Rory get along?