Yesterday, the White House released Melania Trump’s official portrait. The image will be used in an official capacity for the next four years (hopefully less) and it shows the absentee FLOTUS looking directly at the camera. (Check out that rock! A little too much bling for First Lady, no?)
Compared to recent First Lady portraits, the head-on image is something of a departure. Perhaps the most striking thing is how similar Trump‘s portrait is to that of Nancy Reagan. In her own official White House portrait, Reagan was shot head-on in front of the exact same White House window as Trump and whether intentional or not, the images‘ compositions are almost identical, down to the fact that both women are wearing a “pussy bow”. To say nothing of Photoshop (not invented when Reagan was in the House, but both women did and DO like to shop.)
And say what you will about Nancy Reagan, she at least did her duty (and then some) as First Lady, as opposed to our current one who has yet to even move into the White House. And as has been noted, Melania remaining in Trump Tower is costing NYC and the government a small fortune, whether or not it is equal that to the NEA, which Trump proposes to eliminate.
By contrast, Michelle Obama‘s first official portrait was her standing in a black sleeveless dress and at the time, Obama‘s arm-bearing garment choice caused a fair amount of controversy, as critics accused her of showing too much skin. As with her husband, the non-troversy was blown out of proportion. Forget baring arms, we’ve all seen Melania naked. Another FLOTUS first.
(Photos, The White House; via Vogue)