A communications director for a Republican congressman has faced calls to quit or be sacked over comments she made on Facebook about President Barack Obama’s daughters

Elizabeth Lauten, spokeswoman for Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, criticised Malia and Sasha Obama, 16 and 13, for looking bored while attending a public event with their father on Wednesday. In the post, since deleted but widely reproduced in screen grabs, Lauten told the girls to “try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play.”

The girls stood beside their father as he issued the annual Thanksgiving turkey “pardon”, saving two birds from the dinner table. The teenaged sisters’ underwhelmed expressions sparked mainly amused comment on social media. Lauten’s remarks were more caustic.

“Then again, your mother and father don’t respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter,” Lauten wrote. “So I’m guessing you’re coming up a little short in the ‘good role model’ department.

“Nevertheless, stretch yourself. Rise to the occasion. Act like being in the White House matters to you.

She added, in a reference to the length of the girls’ skirts: “Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.”

The post quickly drew ire on Twitter and elsewhere, with many calling for Lauten to be fired, even after Lauten deleted it and posted an apology.

“After many hours of prayer, talking to my parents, and rereading my words online I can see more clearly just how hurtful my words were,” Lauten wrote on Facebook in a post that was also widely reproduced before she made her page private.

“I’d like to apologise to all of those who I have hurt and offended with my words, and I pledge to learn and grow (and I assure you I have) from this experience,” she added.

Star Jones, a lawyer and television personality, was among those unimpressed. Using Twitter, she said: “I’ve seen tacky people … but rarely seen someone as tacky as ElizabethLauten for slamming the children of the POTUS.”

Many directed their tweets to Lauten’s boss, as the hashtag “#FireElizabethLauten” went viral.

