Poor Melania Trump can’t catch a break. Since first appearing in the political spotlight beside her husband, business tycoon-turned-45th U.S. president Donald Trump, the Slovenian-born woman has been labeled everything from a gold-digging hooker to an illiterate foreigner (she’s actually fluent in five languages, but whatever, Chelsea Handler). Honestly, the woman can't even cross her arms in a photo without being torn apart in the media.
This week was no different, with the First Lady now catching flack for wearing a short black veil to the Vatican to meet the Pope during her overseas trip with President Trump. The veil, called a mantilla, is in keeping with Vatican protocol, which stipulates that women wear modest dresses below the knee and a veil over their hair when meeting with the Pope.
But CNN (who ran with the headline, “Melania Trump wears veil, but not a headscarf”) seemed to take issue with the fact that the First Lady donned a veil in a church, but wouldn’t wear a headscarf when she and her husband toured Saudi Arabia, where women are required by law to wear headscarves.
The Hollywood Reporter was also quick to point out this dichotomy, chiding, “Are all modest religious head coverings created equal? Not according to Melania and Ivanka Trump.”
Because it’s apparently hypocritical to observe the clothing requests of a Christian church if you don’t also bow to the whims of a country that oppresses women and slaughters dissidents. Sure.
But you have to hand it to Melania Trump – at least she made a solid attempt at being modest while walking into a church. Check out what former First Lady Michelle Obama had on when she toured Tuscany’s Siena Cathedral this week while on vacation.
According to Vatican rules (and the generally understood rules of decency), women are to cover their shoulders when entering a church. Or wear something that's at least, you know, not about to fall off entirely.
Frankly, it's neither here nor there to me whether a woman wears a long-sleeved poncho or a strapless sundress into a church, so long as they show up. But it's worth noting that contrary to nitpicking every tiny stitch the current First Lady puts on, the Daily Mail hailed Mrs. Obama's more risqué attire as "flirty" and "glamorous." Hollywood Life praised the look as a "lovely" choice that showed off her "classic sense of style."
Looks like Melania Trump's choice of headwear isn't the only thing that's inconsistent.