I came across this article a couple of days ago. It links the choice of clothing by Melania Trump on her first trip to Houston to the vacuous gaze she, and also Ivanka Trump, so often project as part of the Trump administration's image.
https://www.thecut.com/2017/08/melania-trump-hurricane-heels-and-the-artifice-of-fashion.html
And here are my thoughts.
45's trip to Houston #1
The entire trip to Houston by 45 and his wife was nothing but a photo-op. And their clothing, especially hers, showed it. (The FLOTUS hat!) What he wore, what she wore told the world that they weren't going down in the trenches and help. It told that they were there to say a few words, take a few pictures, and then leave. That is exactly what they did.
But the writer is also saying that this was more of the norm for this White House family than the exception. The choice of garb--and the garb has always throughout history been used as a symbol of power, money, and status--has been important for this family, especially for women.
They are not alone. Jackie Kennedy wore hers to perpetuate the idea of the Kennedy White House as the American Camelot, Michelle Obama wore her clothes to show American wholesomeness, especially because there were those who doubted, Trump comes immediately to mind, that the Obama White house was legitimately American.
The writer takes this a step further. She makes a foray into a dissection of the photo-op obsessed mind. And why not? Photo ops are exactly what they are--they create an image, a mirage of a package that tells a story of your making. So what is the story?
Though the article seems to be about clothing, it is about more than that. The clothing is just a symptom of what is wrong with the White House right now. In that sense, the blank stare that you get from Melania is not really about the clothing or even about her former career as a model. It is a symbol for what is so tragic about this administration: the vacuousness, the lack of honesty, the lack of character. It is the story of an American tragedy.
What is sad is that women are made to be the purveyors of this empty message. But that is hardly surprising.
About Me
- SHINY to you!
- I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend all the time. I am also many other things most of the time. I am a registered yoga teacher and practice yoga when I can. At the and time I am also politically vocal because one should live according to one's passion and conviction. Professionally, I am an instructor at the local community college, which keeps me involved in things academic and challenged in intellectual pursuits. I am grateful to have this balance ubetween family life, work, and happiness.