Melania Trump’s disappearance is not scandal, it is progress, experts say

Melania Trump’s disappearance has been generating at least curiosity among the American population. According to the New York Times, the first lady was only 14 days at the White House since her husband’s inauguration in January. The newspaper claims that it has spent most of its time in New York or Florida.

However, journalists and researchers specialized in the subject see the disappearance of Melania as a sign of progress.

For Bloomberg columnist Nia-Malika Henderson, former Slovenian model would be resisting the compulsory role of first lady, “one of the most bizarre and unforgivable non-paid works in the world.” “Not every wife of a president likes it or should be forced to do so,” he says.

By not acting as expected, says the journalist, Melania at the same time gets rid of this compulsory work and transforms the role of first lady.

Resistance symbol

In a video published in January this year, YouTuber Kamilo Jurado recaps as a supermodel at the height of his career had to take on the US first lady’s “terrible role”, but did so with creativity and firmness of character. He cites as an example the episode in which Melania positioned herself in favor of abortion, going against the Republican Party and her husband – a post that considered a sign of integrity.

“Despite the internal and external tensions, she showed that she was committed to a deeper purpose than the political spectacle surrounding her. She became a figure that fought to preserve her voice and principles and turned into a symbol of resistance,” says Jurado.

Researcher Tammy Vigil of the University of Boston, author of the book “Melania and Michelle: first ladies of a new era” said in an interview with the BBC, right after the election of Trump, who sees something unique in Melania. “She does things the way she wants to do it, not the way she has to do it,” he says.

According to the researcher, the role of first lady has evolved over the years and Melania, now in her second term, would choose “how much she wants to be active in public.” “And I think she’ll do it more intentionally,” he said.

Free Melania

One of CNN Kate Bennett’s former Melania biographers says the first lady likes the role despite the initial reluctance. In 2019, Bennett published “Free Melania: The Unauthorized Biography” (Melania Free: The Unauthorized Biography).

The title refers to a campaign in which netizens speculated that the first lady would be contrary to her husband’s political positions and would be living in “prisoner” conditions in the White House.

In the book, Bennett states that Melania “is not a trophy woman.” The author, who was corresponding in Washington dedicated to covering exclusively the first lady, once asked Melania why she didn’t smile at the photos. She replied, “I’m not false. I’m not someone who smiles just because there’s a camera in front.”

Serving looks

Experts also analyze the message that Melania goes through through their style. In 2018, during her husband’s first term, she shocked the US by appearing wearing a jacket with the words: “I really don’t care, and you?” During a visit to a shelter of immigrant children who had been separated from their parents.

In the current term, he chose a black tuxedo for his official portrait, suggesting a business woman profile, more concerned with profiting from her memecoin than giving a sweet and maternal image. The ambitious vein, says Henderson, goes against the first other American ladies, which usually donate to charity the recipe generated with their work, such as the sale of books.

Bennett says Melania wears “man clothes” when she is brigade with her husband, “since he prefers women wearing tight, short and sexy women.”

“In the first term, Melania’s life seemed to be defined by a single purpose: serving look after look,” says Jury. “But behind this facade, she always tried to communicate her true principles.”