https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/fashion/herve-pierre-melania-trump-fashion.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/fashion/melania-trump-hurricane-harvey-heels-texas.html
Hi Class,
Our discussion of Eleanor Roosevelt and her impact as a powerful First Lady made me reflect on the image of our current First Lady. Particularly, I thought of recent articles I have read about Melania Trump and how we perceive her. An article the NYTimes published about her stylist and the "legacy" he is creating for Melania was particularly fascinating. It detailed the high-end brands Herve Pierre dresses Melania in and how he pays attention to the reactions to her attire. Another recent article discussed how Melania's garb to visit the Hurricane Harvey disaster was inappropriate and sent a distant message to everyday citizens. I find these writings and press on focused heavily on her appearance and its effects to be quite interesting.
Melania is often criticized for appearing very distant from the majority of citizens, which starkly contrasts the way we understood Eleanor Roosevelt to be so close to everyday people that they would even ask her for personal favors. It makes me think about the many factors for the peoples' changing relationship with First Lady figures. Many people felt extremely close to Michelle Obama and inspired by her dedication to many health and education initiatives while in the White House. I think that Melania's case is interesting because the press displays her appearance to be out of touch with Americans, but this vision is also what reporters are referring to as her legacy. I am curious if she will attempt to pursue and be acknowledged for working towards greater initiatives with the power she holds as First Lady.
Thank you for sharing! I think that this is an interesting comparison, especially because so many are critical of Melania and target her to get to Donald Trump. I wonder why people are so inclined to criticize her for the actions of her husband (such her "distance", which you describe!)
ReplyDeletehttps://fashionista.com/2017/01/michelle-obama-fashion-emerging-american-designers
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/fashion/michelle-obama-first-lady-fashion.html
Super interesting articles! This idea of women's fashion styles as elements of their legacy is very intriguing, and it reminds me of the press Michelle Obama received surrounding her own fashion choices. In the above articles, the authors detail the role Michelle Obama had in helping up and coming fashion designers, as well as how she utilized her fashion choices to communicate solidarity with other nations.