Malia Obama Faces Backlash Over Nike Ad Accusations Of Plagiarism

There’s backlash on Malia Obama following filmmaker Natalie Harris’s charges of plagiarism over what was purportedly Obama’s first directed advertisement. After Harris exhibited her film “Grace” at Sundance a year earlier, she just couldn’t ignore the won-too-many-similarities opportunity that lay in front of her between her project and Nike’s Obama spot. Hence the storm of responses on the Internet, some demanding lawsuits and others just laughing the accusations off.

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She added, “It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films or original storytelling,” further hinting at court proceedings, when asked whether she would contact an attorney: “We shall see…” The New York Post fed the incredulity with the scoop that the two had met before at Sundance. This only added fuel to the speculation that perhaps Obama had actually drawn inspiration from— or worse—from Harris’ work.

The backlash erupted immediately thereafter. A user titled, Barefoot Pregnant, declared, “Independent artists deserve respect, not overshadowed by famous names,” expressing a sentiment that many independent creators have been holding for quite some time. Others like AmooAmy had less patience for ambiguity: “She did the original artist dirty. It’s clearly a rip-off and not a coincidence. That’s a real shame. I hope Miss Harris sues.”

But, not everybody was convinced. Others including The ChadFather were questioning the greatness of black girls playing patty-cake, i.e., does that actually constitute intellectual property? KOJO cautioned: “Let’s support independent artists, but also let’s not jump to conclusions or attack someone just because of their last name.”

With that, political undertones emerged as it spilled into the domain of Obama family critics. Dexter pretty much went on to say, “The Obama’s are all frauds!!,” while Kelly G professed, “Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m done with buying Nike.” Others, including David Anderson Sr., also poured another handful of partisan issues in this one: “Oh look another Democrat Plagiarist go figure.”

One user, The Gas Stove, brought up Melania Trump’s past plagiarism scandal, dragging the debate into strange directions, while Sussyrua jumped to conclusions with a racialized remark given Obama is Black.

Nike did not issue a statement at the time of the accusation, leaving this in the hands of the public-will it actually turn into a legal battle, or will it be one of many viral controversies and just as quickly fade away. For now, the present discourse served to point out a deadlock between big brands going for big established names and the independent artists working their way up for recognition—and originality.

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It has yet to be seen whether Malia Obama really did intend to copy Harris’s work, but this outcry certainly lends voice to the increasing bitterness towards gifted access in the creative fields. One commenter, wisefool, put it well: “When things like this happen we lose out on new real talent.” The ball is now in Nike’s and, possibly, the court’s court.