First daughters and sons: The perils of growing up in the White House
As Sasha and Malia Obama come under fire, first daughters and sons have often been targeted by the press and their father's opponents
A television anchor said Chelsea Clinton had been "pimped out" by her parents. A radio talker called Amy Carter ugly. Susan Ford had her dates critiqued. Children of presidents back to Lincoln and beyond have been rhetorical targets - almost exclusively girls and young women in recent decades.
Now, the biting criticism of Sasha and Malia Obama by a Republican congressional aide has struck a new chord, particularly among African-Americans who hold up the first family as an icon of black family success.
"The symbolic nature of this president and this first family in many black households outweighs the substance of the presidency itself," said James Peterson, the director of Africana studies at Lehigh University. "I'm a substance guy, but the symbolic nature of this president is a force to be reckoned with."
Elizabeth Lauten, the communications director for Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher reportedly resigned on Monday after receiving a torrent of criticism in social media for a post on her Facebook page that caustically criticised the Obamas' teenage daughters the previous week during the annual pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey at the White House.
"Try showing a little class," Lauten wrote on Facebook. "Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar."