Melania Trump’s memoir is due to hit the shelves in October, and while she was frequently camera-shy and reclusive when First Lady, she is now forthcoming about her life.
The former First Lady sees herself as a victim of lies and misrepresentation and wants to correct that. Her memoir, titled “Melania,” aims to clarify the facts and share her perspective on events during her time as the First Lady of the United States. Widely seen as a shallow woman, she has expressed that the memoir is a deeply reflective journey for her. The book blurb describes it as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.”
Few would argue that she has carved her own path, many would question how much adversity she has had to overcome. The last in-depth look that the public had of Melania Trump was in Stephanie Grisham’s 2021 book, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now.” The portrait painted by the senior aide to the Trump couple was not a flattering one. According to Grisham, Melania Trump was so “sequestered” in the executive residence, the Secret Service gave her the nickname “Rapunzel,” “because she remained in her tower, never descending.”
Grisham describes the endless hours that the First Lady spent on “self-care.” “She believed that relaxation was central to one’s beauty regimen, as were, of course, spa treatments and facials.”
Rather than engaging in activities traditionally associated with the work of a First Lady, Grisham says Trump’s main “work” during her White House years was the countless hours she devoted to collecting everything that was said and printed about her. She had set up Google alerts for herself and missed nothing. She curated her image meticulously and composed copious and detailed photo albums. Grisham says hundreds if not thousands, of photographs of her time in the White House were pored over with a jewelers’ loop, and categorized and painstakingly placed into albums –a practice that she has followed for decades. To say that she is self-involved is an understatement.
The inevitable conclusion to be drawn was that while Melania did not care to carry out any social or political work, she did care deeply about her image and what the public thought about her. It also suggests that she read every word of criticism about what she thought of as her photography art work and others simply called her “porn career.”
Now she would like to correct that image and redeem the value of her “nude work” by placing it in the context of the esthetic value of “Art”.
In her post on X, Melania asks, “Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body? Throughout history, master artists have revered the human shape, evoking profound emotions and admiration.” She adds, “We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self-expression.”
Some would question whether being photographed nude on Trump’s plane or in same-sex couples engaging in risque actions qualify as art, but this is not the place to debate the time-worn question of what kind of nudity constitutes valuable art. For social media users there is an even more compelling issue in Melania’s history as “nude model” and it stands at the core of the Republican platform of political issues.
Melania Knauss first came to the US in 1996, by entering the country on a tourist visa and then illegally working as a professional model. Vox writes, “It’s an ironic twist for a presidential campaign that’s marked itself by casting aspersions on immigrants in general, and “illegal” immigrants in particular…”
A plethora of users on social media have latched onto this irony and comment.
“The Trump campaign is running on immigration while Melania sells a book promoting her nude modeling. Problem is it exposes a gap in her own immigration. The photo shoot was in NYC in 1995 and she couldn’t legally work in the US until 1996.”
“I really don’t care that you were a nude model. What I do care about is the fact that you worked as a nude model while in this country on a visitor visa, that’s illegal. You had the audacity to attack President Obama, who was born a U.S. citizen, about his birth certificate and push racist lies.”
For others, even her illegal immigration was not the primary issue, it is the Republican hypocrisy and double moral standard they would like to apply:
“I don’t take issue with her posing nude for any reason. My concern lies with the MAGA crowd who overlook her nude photos while criticizing and shaming other women for doing the same. The level of hypocrisy is remarkable.”
“They bash the First Ladies of Democrat presidents for far less. They are harassing Kamala relentlessly for far less. The hypocrisy is disgusting!”
Melania makes no policies and she holds no political office; yet when you’re a public figure associated with banning books, promoting Christian fundamentalism, enforcing morality, banning abortion and curbing women’s rights, you can’t forget that the standards you wish to enforce apply to you too.
One user summarized the issue: “Right, her husband posted a meme suggesting Harris gave blowjobs to get where she is.”
