This week, we’ve extensive covered GOP aide Elizabeth Lauten and her shocking attack on teenagers Sasha and Malia Obama. She compared them to sluts sitting at a bar and suggested that they “show a little class” even though their parents don’t. See below:
Lauten?promptly faced a barrage of criticism and subsequently resigned her post.
The Obama girls received some strong support from a surprising source: the daughter of Pres. Ronald Reagan. See Patti Davis’s letter below.
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.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
