Michelle and Barack Obama's daughter Malia admits she was 'terrified' for rare red carpet appearance — see photos

Malia Obama is ready to step out of her famous parents' shadows, and into the spotlight.

The eldest daughter of former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama , 26, grew up staying as far away from the spotlight as possible as a first daughter can, however since graduating college three years ago, she has been carving her own path in the public eye.

She marked a milestone in that journey this weekend, making her first major red carpet appearance on her own.

On Friday, September 6, Malia made a rare and unexpected red carpet appearance at the Deauville American film festival in northern France, for its milestone 50th opening ceremony.

For the special outing, the budding filmmaker looked both radiant and edgy, rocking a virtually make-up free look with her signature braids in a light brown, reddish hue, plus she donned a plaid Vivienne Westwoood corset with a mismatched but coordinating skirt along with knee-high boots.

On top of the rare appearance, she also had a brief conversation with Paris Match , acknowledging she has "never done anything like this."

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"I'm so excited," she said, admitting: "So [I'm] a little bit terrified, but mostly just excited."

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She also made a quick note about her look, hailing the late Vivienne Westwood as a "queen," and though she also confessed she doesn't "know as much about fashion," she was "happy" to be wearing the "cool" look.

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As videos from her appearance circulated on social media, fans were quick to gush over getting to see more of her, with one writing: "She looks just like her parents omg," as others followed suit with: "She looks amazing," and: "So good to see her outside!!!" as well as: "She is giving supermodel vibes!"

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Malia has been based in Los Angeles since graduating from Harvard University in 2021, and has worked on various film and television projects, including her own film debut, a short film titled The Heart, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

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She also previously worked as a writer on Atlanta creator Donald Glover's series Swarm , and he hailed her as "amazingly talented" in an interview with Vanity Fair at the time. "I feel like she's just somebody who's gonna have really good things coming soon," he shared, adding: "Her writing style is great."

He even joked about her status as the former president's daughter, telling the outlet: "We can't be easy on her just because she's the [former] president's daughter," though maintained: "She's very down to earth, and cool. So, it's not a problem at all."