First lady Melania Trump has been receiving nasty criticism from the public for her background, career accomplishments, physical appearance and relationship to her husband of more than 10 years, President Donald Trump, ever since he announced his candidacy.
Women have made most of the unfavorable remarks across all social media platforms. It is not the comments themselves that are peculiar, but rather the fact that they are being made so publicly. In a time when feminism is at the forefront of political debate, women have vowed to stand together, unite and support one another. Why is this support not given to Melania Trump?
She is perhaps the most unique first lady the United States has ever had. She grew up humbly in Slovenia, and is the first immigrant to be first lady since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams. She attended the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia before leaving her studies to pursue a full-time modeling career. She is an intelligent, articulate woman who speaks five languages — Slovene, French, German, Serbian and English.
While the definition of feminism can take many forms, there is one aspect that is consistent.
Feminism supports a woman’s decision to marry, have children and seek an education, so long as it is her own choice. Melania Trump should not be scrutinized for her marriage, the way in which she raises her child or her success story.
At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, co-host Gigi Hadid impersonated Mrs. Trump by pursing her lips at the camera, speaking in a slow Slovenian tongue and exaggerated her facial expressions to poke fun at the possible first lady. The audience erupted in laughter, showing their approval for the mockery. Rather than praise her on her bravery to move to America at a young age and make a name for herself, some find it amusing and completely acceptable to make fun of her accent.
Melania Trump, or any woman for that matter, is not to be made fun of, objectified or looked down upon. So far, she has remained calm, dignified and graceful. She has confidently answered most, if not all, interview questions with strength.
While parts of Mrs. Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention were seemingly plagiarized from Michelle Obama’s 2008 DNC speech, the responsibility was not hers, but her speech writers’. This controversy became an example demonstrating Melania Trump’s difficult relationship with the media and the need for her to be separated from her husband. Like all other political figures, she has a team of writers, assistants and coaches, whose jobs are to prepare her for the media. She is as significant of a political figure as first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
Recently, the popular twitter account Common White Girl, whose 9.12 million followers consist mostly of women, tweeted a photo of the first lady at her husband’s Inaugural address looking somber, accompanied by the caption, “When all you wanted was a sugar daddy & now you’re the First Lady of the United States.” The tweet received more than 11,000 likes and 2,000 retweets. As a reflection of the so-called feminist ideologies for which our society advocates, this was a failure.
Why is Melania Trump less respected than fellow models such as Kim Kardashian or Emily Ratakowski? To make an assumption of Mrs. Trump such as accusing her of marrying her husband for his wallet is nefarious. A woman’s decision to marry her husband is her own, and her relationship should not be judged by anyone.
Melania Trump is poised, well spoken and makes her own decisions, including removing herself from most of the campaign to focus on her son, Barron. In addition, she has decided to postpone her move to the White House in order to care for him until he finishes school later this year.
Feminism cannot be maintained until all women and men support one another and respect the decisions they make.
Unfair criticism of Melania Trump echoes unfair criticism of Hillary Clinton. Neither of their husbands are perfect nor hold a clean record in reference to their treatment of women. A woman is a separate entity from her husband and should be treated as such. Both women are successful in their own regards. While Clinton achieved success as a lawyer and senator, Melania Trump became known for her high fashion career as a model and later, owner of her own jewelry and skincare line. Sure, their triumphs could not be more different, but they are triumphs nonetheless.
In order for feminism to become a permanent part of society, every woman, regardless of career, background, or marital status should be respected and supported through all of her endeavors, no matter how surprising or unconventional they may be. Melania Trump is not her husband and therefore should be regarded as her own individual, making her own choices and abiding to her own values.
