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Since becoming first lady, Melania Trump’s style selections have been questioned on several occasions, most recently after she wore a white pith helmet in Kenya — viewed by some as a symbol of colonialism.
Past criticism for style choices include a Zara jacket that read, “I really don’t care, do u?,” worn in June while visiting immigrant children at the border with Mexico, and stilettos while boarding a plane last year before visiting Hurricane Harvey victims. (When she arrived, she disembarked wearing sneakers.)
Following the stir about the “I really don’t care” jacket, the first lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said, “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe.”
Similarly, after criticism over the pith helmet, Trump aimed to minimize fashion and instead focus on her trip, saying, “I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear.” She said her message for the continent was “that we care and we want to show the world we care.”
First ladies have long been under scrutiny for various reasons. But why does it matter what they wear?
Why do people analyze a choice to grab one item from a closet instead of another?
We talked to Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Fashion Design, about what clothes symbolize and whether Trump can escape scrutiny.
This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Q: What do you think about Melania Trump’s choosing to wear a pith helmet in Kenya?
A: I think that she can’t have her cake and eat it too. There is a context to clothing. There are items of clothing and accessories that invoke a sense of history. I’m not really sure why people aren’t doing their homework a little bit better. I think what clothes signify for people in power is extremely important, and I don’t think we should give anybody a pass.
I think it shows in a similar way with her jacket, “I really don’t care.” It speaks to me of a cavalier attitude to her position of power.
Q: What about those who believe her intentions were not disingenuous — it’s just a hat, or jacket?
A: I think that fails to recognize the difference in reach and also position. She represents the United States of America. And so there seems to be a dramatic difference in position versus if I just grab a hat from my closet. I’m not the first lady, and I do not rep- resent the American people. It doesn’t really matter what she feels at the end of the day. What matters is the actions that she’s taking, and there’s a very dramatic disparity between the things that she’s saying she’s doing and the
appearance.
Q: First ladies have long been under scrutiny about what they wear. How do you feel about her comment that she should be looked at for things other than her style choices?
A: First ladies have historically been scrutinized. It is definitely not a new thing.
To her comment, I should be looked at for the things that I do versus what I wear, that’s true. Yes, sure.
Q: Any advice for the advisers who might be helping her choose her wardrobe?
A: Listen rather than reject the criticism out of hand. Maybe give it a minute, and think about it. I guess my advice is stop pretending that the choices don’t matter when they do.