One Of Melania Trump's Biggest Fashion Mistakes Gave Her More Than She Bargained For Online
Melania Trump has committed more than her fair share of fashion fails. She's stepped out in outfits too ill-fitting to ignore, statement coats that would have been better off keeping their mouths shut, and plain old inappropriate attire. And who could forget the ambiguously intended message she delivered by wearing a jacket printed with the words "I really don't care, do u?" on a trip to a migrant child detention center? Clearly, her judgment is as questionable when it comes to style as it is with everything else.
But one particular 2020 mistake loomed large, if only on the internet. At the Republican National Convention, Trump appeared alongside her husband wearing a flowing Valentino dress in a shade reminiscent of a green screen. Do you see where this is going? If not, you've had the good fortune never to find yourself at the mercy of expert Photoshoppers. Videos of the dress, altered to display images and clips unflattering to the president, took social media by storm.
Melania Trump's green dress became a meme
Poor Valentino. Few took note of the pleated detailing or caped shoulders of the sleeveless A-line crepe dress he styled for Melania Trump that August evening. Instead, amateur editors went straight to their Adobe Suites, projecting images of COVID-19 death reports, crowded migrant detention facilities, and even a weather report onto the dress. Late night comedy shows had the most fun: On a segment of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," the host presented a video featuring images of then-president Joe Biden, Donald Trump's mistress Stormy Daniels, the Black Lives Matter logo, microscopic images of the coronavirus, and the words "I'm with stupid" rotating across the dress, commenting, "That is so generous of her to provide the blank canvas." Meanwhile, "The Daily Show" tweeted a video simply imposing footage of Donald Trump interacting with Jeffrey Epstein onto Melania's dress.
Melania's fashion choices always send a message pic.twitter.com/FvriwnX0fR
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) August 28, 2020
It's hard to imagine the Trump team didn't see such an obvious snafu coming. In fact, it's possible that they were banking on it, choosing the dress as a publicity stunt. The first clue: Lime green is an unusual color for the typically neutral first lady whose boring outfits often have us yawning. The Trump administration also has a long history of such stunts and an "all press is good press" attitude. A less likely but much funnier possibility is that Valentino played a prank on them. Though he didn't care for politics, he also may not have cared for the Trump administration's treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.