Rare glimpse of Barack Obama's daughter causes online stir

The rare glimpse of a personal side of United States President Barack Obama's oldest daughter, Malia Obama, shows her wearing a tee-shirt printed with the name of Brooklyn rap group Pro Era.

After years of careful White House control over her few public appearances, a mysterious online image of first daughter Malia Obama, 16, has gone viral.

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The rare glimpse of a personal side of President Barack Obama's oldest daughter shows her wearing a tee-shirt printed with the name of the Brooklyn rap group Pro Era.

The photo shows the lanky high school student -- or someone who looks very much like her -- mouth agape, looking directly into the camera as she arranges her long ponytail.

But no one seems to know who took the picture, or how it came to be circulated on the internet.

The viral dissemination of the image underscored the perils of life in the White House fishbowl -- particularly when its occupants are trying to raise children there -- in the age of the internet and social media.

The White House -- which has jealously guarded the Obama girls' privacy -- so far has not commented on the photo.