The Obama daughters are dressed for a bar. That’s the speculation according to a GOP staffer. The comment was made by Elizabeth Lauten, who is the communications director for Republican Representative Stephen Fincher.

The remarks were made in reference to Sasha and Malia’s attire during the televised national address where they appeared alongside their father. Lauten’s comments were made on her Facebook page where she described the two girls’ choice of wardrobe as “disrespectful.”

Many have also commented about the girls’ behavior during the president’s address. They were described as looking bored, unimpressed, and even embarrassed the way most tween girls would be when standing next to their dad.

Lauten, though, took notice of the smirks and eye rolls and was quite scornful of the first daughters. After critiquing the two girls, she turned to their choice of clothing and made the following statements:

“Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don’t make faces during televised, public events.”

The post about Obama’s daughters dressing for a bar drew a firestorm of critics, prompting Lauten to delete her post and issue an apology. She acknowledged that her words were hurtful and that she judged the girls in a way that she would never want to be judged herself. She has also since made her Facebook page private in order to prevent the scores of hate messages coming her way.

It’s a matter of opinion whether the girls were dressed inappropriately. The elder sister Malia, 16, wore a cream jumper with a mini skirt and black tights underneath. Sasha, 13, donned a cardigan with matching socks worn over bare legs.

Even the president’s biggest critics seem to agree that family is off limits and that the whole comment about Obama’s daughters dressing for a bar was uncalled for. While criticisms regarding policy should always be discussed, there is no advantage in bringing family into the argument especially if those family members involve minors.

[photo credit: Devon Steven]