Of all the people whose 2017 involved a move to the White House, Melania Trumpis easily the most popular.
The first lady’s approval rating soared to 54 percent last month, while only one-third of Americans said they had an “unfavorable” view of her, according to the results of a Gallup poll released Dec. 15. Thirteen percent claimed to have no opinion on the matter. She even captured a thumbs-up from 35 percent of Democrats polled, while only 8 percent of that group had a “favorable” view of President Donald Trump.
And it’s not a big leap to think that a number of those who say they don’t care for Melania Trump are thinking more about her husband when they say that. Because on her own, Melania Trump hasn’t engaged in any controversial behavior—aside from supporting the president, his critics would say—or really any headline-making behavior at all other than the requisite “the first lady went here, said this and wore that” stories.
On her own she’s your basic boring celebrity—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She always looks impeccably pulled together, and there are numerous blogs and Instagram accounts dedicated to chronicling her style. Her fashion choices have continued to be high-end and higher-end, with the handful of designers who stated early on that they wouldn’t dress her not making a dent in her wardrobe full of Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Christian Louboutin. She chose Hervé Pierre, who also designed for first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, as her fashion advisor. The French-American designer, who crafted Melania’s ivory Inauguration Ball gown last year, said in an interview, “In the news, we speak a lot of politics, so if for a moment we can forget about it and enjoy something else, why not?”
Her glamorous aesthetic has won Melania Trump comparisons to Jacqueline Kennedy in the annals of first lady style, a compliment she presumably has welcomed since years ago she surmised that, should she ever be first lady, she’d be “very traditional,” like Kennedy or Betty Ford.
