Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
146 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Looks like someone got a kidney tune-up ahead of her (Original Post) Tanuki Friday OP
Her knees are looking kinda lumpy. Ocelot II Friday #1
+1 dalton99a Friday #4
Barbie Doll feet. Melania is now in her mid 50's. ProudMNDemocrat Friday #15
to be fair, she probably spends a lot of time on them. Meadowoak Friday #29
Was that really necessary? niyad 14 hrs ago #128
Y'a, given that "woman" makes one question. arthritisR_US 12 hrs ago #134
I despise her, but the sexism displayed in this thread is disturbing. niyad 5 hrs ago #136
The knee Rebl2 Saturday #73
Sign of arthritis. AloeVera Saturday #78
Know all Rebl2 Saturday #90
I'm so sorry to hear that. AloeVera Saturday #91
She's aging Mossfern Saturday #79
Mutton dressed like lamb, as the saying goes. Ocelot II Saturday #81
You and I think and dress alike. appleannie1 Yesterday #110
Her muscles could be weak and those shoes do not look comfortable. LeftInTX Yesterday #95
Those unnatural shoes are instruments of torture. Toes get royally squished. nt allegorical oracle 4 hrs ago #138
One would think that a former "model" would know how to dress in niyad 14 hrs ago #129
He looks ill malaise Friday #2
He's looked pretty poorly for a long time now. Ocelot II Friday #7
Well bdamomma 15 hrs ago #124
She must be 6'4" , she is taller than the 6' 3" 215 lb god chicoescuela Saturday #64
Remember the outrage when Michelle wore a sleeveless dress? madaboutharry Friday #3
That's what I was thinking LOL!!! Her silicone is showing! BComplex Saturday #53
... Or it's a good support bra... fierywoman Friday #5
.... Tanuki Friday #11
How many psi dalton99a Friday #6
Those poor kidneys! LeftInTX Friday #10
Melania enid602 Friday #16
After Trump rubs on his face bronzer, he must wipe his hands off on his hair. chia Friday #19
Looks very uncomfortable 🥺 Meowmee Saturday #47
Is that her aureola peeking at us? travelingthrulife Saturday #66
That's perilously close to the sort of wardrobe malfunction Ocelot II Saturday #84
One's about to get loose! bamagal62 Saturday #87
I think Trump is on Ozembic Beaverhausen Friday #8
Common Ozempic side effects milestogo Friday #13
some folk get "Ozempic face" Skittles Friday #18
He still has a vagina neck Historic NY Friday #42
Message auto-removed Name removed Saturday #92
Yikes. I'd choose being overweight over those side effects. nt spooky3 Friday #30
I've never taken Ozempic, but... greatauntoftriplets Friday #40
LOL!! Snort!! BComplex Saturday #55
Why he wears a diaper...never know when that diarrhea will hit. No wonder people lose Bengus81 Saturday #58
I had to switch to Rhybulsis due to ozempic causing.. yourout Yesterday #109
Yes I believe the same thing biophile Friday #26
Yep, I guessed he was taking Ozempic when they recently said Tanuki Friday #32
My guess is that he was warned by his doctors... keep_left Saturday #69
He does have Ozempic face now mainer Saturday #86
Maybe bdamomma 15 hrs ago #125
Excuse me, I have to DaBronx Friday #9
I predict a wardrobe malfunction on her upper right side. milestogo Friday #12
The happy couple 🙃 Deuxcents Friday #14
I wonder bdamomma 15 hrs ago #126
So nice Figarosmom Friday #17
Post removed Post removed Friday #35
Sort of reminded me of that Wallflower song, "One Headlight" Walleye Friday #20
One wrong move BigMin28 Friday #22
If I hadn't seen a Flotus dressed like that, I wouldn't of believed it Walleye Friday #23
As a French newspaper observed re. John Singer Sargent's "Portrait of Madame X" ... eppur_se_muova Friday #24
I thought of that painting too! Sanity Claws Friday #37
Or Queen Henrietta of England, wife of Charles I. Tanuki Friday #38
And then there was Agnes Sorel, mistress of France's King Charles VII Tanuki Friday #39
All that money BigMin28 Friday #21
From this angle it looks like they could only afford one... Hugin Friday #25
I was going to post the same thing. Irish_Dem Friday #27
GMTA and such... Hugin Friday #28
And our minds are in the gutter? Irish_Dem Saturday #50
We're bowling strikes as usual. Hugin Saturday #60
I think she is advertising for husband #2. Irish_Dem Saturday #62
The dress is reportedly from Versace's Medusa 95 collection and features Tanuki Saturday #68
Melania is a fashionista who sends messages with her clothing. Irish_Dem Saturday #77
She's a fashionista who can't wear fashion Retrograde 21 hrs ago #115
Interesting comments, thank you. Irish_Dem 20 hrs ago #116
I'm bdamomma 15 hrs ago #127
So are Putin and Xi. Irish_Dem 8 hrs ago #135
Well the right one was subjected to such high exposure in that black ... magicarpet 23 hrs ago #111
Normally the wife is jealous of the girlfriend. Irish_Dem 23 hrs ago #112
Wardrobe malfunction.... viva la Friday #31
Message auto-removed Name removed Friday #34
Classy. Iggo Friday #33
Looks to me she Traildogbob Friday #36
This message was self-deleted by its author Chin music Friday #41
Skank Sugarcoated Friday #43
Nothing says First Lady like pre-Nup UTUSN Friday #44
The poster children of the soulless. CentralMass Friday #45
Imminent wardrobe malfunction. 3catwoman3 Saturday #46
You don't seen to know iemanja Saturday #48
See a few posts down from yours (#57) where the kidney context is explained AZJonnie Saturday #80
I suppose you tell yourself iemanja Saturday #88
I admire your ability to defend the honor of even a woman as vile as Melania Trump AZJonnie 13 hrs ago #132
YIKES! They don't look good. StarryNite Saturday #49
What is a "kidney tune up"? Takket Saturday #51
it's the excuse given when she dropped out of sight onethatcares Saturday #57
She's advertising for her next husband? Irish_Dem Saturday #52
We get to watch Melania physically deteriorate over the next four years, becoming more and more decrepit sop Saturday #54
Yeah, we're already seeing it. GoCubsGo Saturday #75
If there was a significant amount of natural breast tissue remaining there, that'd be possible AZJonnie Saturday #82
Oh my claudette Saturday #56
He looks almost like he is dead Botany Saturday #59
I'm beginning to think he's Undead. Ocelot II Saturday #83
Whoa - that's quite a kidney! Vinca Saturday #61
Ugly dress Ritabert Saturday #63
Agreed. I wasn't a fan of that asymmetrical neckline Tanuki Saturday #65
I can't stand asymmetry in dresses Ritabert Saturday #72
I don't mind asymmetry if the design is simple. Ilsa 14 hrs ago #130
His face is more grotesque than ever. That orange make up is almost frightening... CTyankee Saturday #67
She has a snake face. My husband said that about her Nixie 3 hrs ago #139
Looks like Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. nt allegorical oracle Saturday #70
Lol... don't give her any ideas! God only knows Tanuki Saturday #71
Her offensive, tone-deaf "colonialist chic" was bad enough Tanuki Saturday #74
It's almost as if whoever dresses Mel hates her guts. n/t area51 Saturday #76
Both of them are creepy looking motherfuckers. ismnotwasm Saturday #85
Message auto-removed Name removed Saturday #93
This thread provides an opportunity iemanja Saturday #89
And what are those views in your estimation? BannonsLiver Saturday #94
That women are "skanks" iemanja Yesterday #96
That's probably overthinking it. BannonsLiver Yesterday #98
as I said iemanja Yesterday #100
And some women are making some of the comments in the thread. BannonsLiver Yesterday #101
And? iemanja Yesterday #104
The point is your opinion is not shared by the women posting in the thread. BannonsLiver Yesterday #106
I oppose misogyny and sexism iemanja 16 hrs ago #119
I'm not seeking permission BannonsLiver 3 hrs ago #140
OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb here ..... Mossfern 2 hrs ago #143
I'm terribly sorry you underwent that assault iemanja 41 min ago #145
This is not comtempt for women Mossfern 17 sec ago #146
Message auto-removed Name removed 5 hrs ago #137
Do you think it's appropriate for people to poke fun at Trump's orange hue? BannonsLiver Yesterday #102
Are you suggesting iemanja Yesterday #103
It's mocking appearance, is it not? BannonsLiver Yesterday #105
There are no comparable words for men iemanja 16 hrs ago #118
That's your opinion and HIGHLY subjective. BannonsLiver 3 hrs ago #141
Ah, still unable to address the point. BannonsLiver 3 hrs ago #142
I don't actually make comments about men's weight iemanja 57 min ago #144
Melania is doing a damn good job of objectifying herself. Ocelot II 23 hrs ago #113
I don't give a shit about how she or any other woman dresses. iemanja 16 hrs ago #121
Haute couture died sometime in the 1980s Retrograde 16 hrs ago #123
Our feelings are about a person who is evil and part of destroying our country, democracy, and Americans. Irish_Dem Yesterday #107
One can criticize all of those things iemanja 16 hrs ago #120
Melania is fucking trash but so are most of these comments thebigidea Yesterday #97
Our tasteless comments match the recipients. Irish_Dem Yesterday #108
"There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of $ucc$$." Lord Acton Ping Tung Yesterday #99
I guess I'll have to quit calling her the First Nude and call her the First Boob, or First Nip Slip. Autumn 23 hrs ago #114
Meh. Almost all of the first ladies in my lifetime Unladen Swallow 20 hrs ago #117
If I was a Trump supporter I'd REALLY be worried about him from that photo jmowreader 16 hrs ago #122
what a strange picture -- i hardly recognized him; he looks like a ghost of himself nt orleans 13 hrs ago #131
It looks like his face has been photoshopped inside a smaller head and then the head GoodRaisin 12 hrs ago #133

AloeVera

(2,093 posts)
78. Sign of arthritis.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 01:22 PM
Saturday

It's what happens. My slim knees are long gone too. Aging is harder on women. I almost feel bad for her, then remember who she is.

Rebl2

(15,042 posts)
90. Know all
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 05:44 PM
Saturday

about swollen knees, hands, feet, elbows. I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was nine years old. I pretty much have never worn high heels in my life because of it. I see these women in really high heels and think to myself, you are going to be sorry later in life.

AloeVera

(2,093 posts)
91. I'm so sorry to hear that.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 06:37 PM
Saturday

Pretty much my whole family suffers from arthritis too. Only my Mom has rheumatoid arthritis, the rest were "lucky" with osteo. She's 87 and still bakes with her arthritic hands, standing on her arthritic feet and knees. But most of us weren't struck until middle age. I was one of the stupid ones wearing high heels, I'm now embarrassed to say. But I soon learned quick.

Nine years old is so young...

Mossfern

(3,279 posts)
79. She's aging
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 01:50 PM
Saturday

and not dressing appropriately. The new kidneys make her look matronly too. Notice the skin on her arms have lost elasticity too. The tight skin on her chest and face don't match the rest of her.

Not being catty, just observant. I'm way beyond her age and have long ago made the accommodating changes in my wardrobe.

It's time for her to dress more modestly.

Ocelot II

(121,671 posts)
81. Mutton dressed like lamb, as the saying goes.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:00 PM
Saturday

There's no shame in aging, but it's quite possible to look beautiful and glamorous without calling attention to all your lumps and sags and wrinkles, which at some point not even plastic surgery and new "kidneys" can improve. Jill Biden, for example, looks great without hanging her boobs out like she's at Mardi Gras.

appleannie1

(5,210 posts)
110. You and I think and dress alike.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:59 PM
Yesterday

I used to wear shorts in summer. I now wear capri length. I only have a couple dresses, for special occasions. All come below the knee and are flowy instead of tight. I quit wearing skinny, real high heels years ago. And I have received compliments from strangers.

niyad

(120,877 posts)
129. One would think that a former "model" would know how to dress in
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 12:23 AM
14 hrs ago

something that does not look like it came off a rack at a thrift store.

Ocelot II

(121,671 posts)
7. He's looked pretty poorly for a long time now.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 07:11 PM
Friday

And yet, zombie-like, he still walks the Earth...

madaboutharry

(41,403 posts)
3. Remember the outrage when Michelle wore a sleeveless dress?
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 07:06 PM
Friday

Imagine the apoplexy if she showed up somewhere with a boob hanging out!

Ocelot II

(121,671 posts)
84. That's perilously close to the sort of wardrobe malfunction
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:12 PM
Saturday

that caused such a scandal at the Superbowl awhile back. Looks like a bit of nip there.

milestogo

(18,406 posts)
13. Common Ozempic side effects
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 07:19 PM
Friday

include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation, upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, loss of appetite, runny nose or sore throat, stomach flu symptoms or headache, dizziness, tiredness and low blood sugar.

Response to Historic NY (Reply #42)

Bengus81

(7,534 posts)
58. Why he wears a diaper...never know when that diarrhea will hit. No wonder people lose
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 08:58 AM
Saturday

weight on that shit.

yourout

(8,153 posts)
109. I had to switch to Rhybulsis due to ozempic causing..
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:59 PM
Yesterday

2 days a week of throwing up with diarrhea.
Now going to have to stop that for the same reasons.
Probably gastroparesis made worse by GLP-1s but either way I have to do something different.

biophile

(477 posts)
26. Yes I believe the same thing
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:40 PM
Friday

He’s definitely lost weight and we all know he has no self control. Plus he has that haggard Ozempic-look face

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
32. Yep, I guessed he was taking Ozempic when they recently said
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:04 PM
Friday

that RFK and Melania were "encouraging him to eat a healthier diet." There's no way he'd listen to them, but he wanted a plausible explanation for the pounds melting off.

keep_left

(2,557 posts)
69. My guess is that he was warned by his doctors...
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 11:35 AM
Saturday

...if he didn't lose significant weight, he wouldn't survive another term. And we know that his diet is still atrocious based on this recent picture. (I've heard that Ozempic makes such food unpalatable, but he's clearly still wolfing down the Micky D's--at least occasionally).

Response to Figarosmom (Reply #17)

eppur_se_muova

(37,770 posts)
24. As a French newspaper observed re. John Singer Sargent's "Portrait of Madame X" ...
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:11 PM
Friday

Last edited Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:58 PM - Edit history (1)

"One more struggle", wrote a critic in Le Figaro, "and the lady will be free".



Sargent later painted the strap in its current position; originally, it had been shown slipping down her shoulder.

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
39. And then there was Agnes Sorel, mistress of France's King Charles VII
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:39 PM
Friday

Last edited Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Hugin

(34,856 posts)
25. From this angle it looks like they could only afford one...
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:31 PM
Friday

She’ll get the other if she sticks it out for four more years.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
27. I was going to post the same thing.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:43 PM
Friday

She can only afford one store bought boob at a time.

Hugin

(34,856 posts)
28. GMTA and such...
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:47 PM
Friday

I’d like to attribute it to our highly attuned sense of observation and induction. But, it’s pretty obvious.

Hugin

(34,856 posts)
60. We're bowling strikes as usual.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 09:32 AM
Saturday

It’s Melly’s choice of wardrobe (if she’s even allowed to, I’d guess it’s part of the transaction for her showing up.) and how the fabric falls on the shelf. It’s obvious that the kidneys don’t match.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
62. I think she is advertising for husband #2.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 10:11 AM
Saturday

And yes something is off about that plastic surgery job.

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
68. The dress is reportedly from Versace's Medusa 95 collection and features
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 11:35 AM
Saturday

a golden medallion clasp of the famed snake-haired Gorgon at the exposed shoulder. Maybe she is signaling her husband that if he so much as looks at her he will be turned to stone!

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
77. Melania is a fashionista who sends messages with her clothing.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:50 PM
Saturday

She is wearing the Medusa gown for a reason.
Yes probably a warning to her hated husband.

Retrograde

(10,763 posts)
115. She's a fashionista who can't wear fashion
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 05:02 PM
21 hrs ago

I don't know if it's ignorance or she just doesn't care, but for someone who was supposedly a top-rung runway model she just doesn't look comfortable in anything she wears. Her outfits aren't tailored to her figure, they emphasize her short waist, they don't fit in places. For someone married to a billionaire (and who reportedly has millions of her own) she dresses like someone shopping the discount racks at TJ Maxx. A bigger problem than her clothes (she writes, sitting here wearing an old t-shirt and comfy old-lady pants - at least I've had some exposure to couture sewing) is her apparent love of plastic surgery - there's no smile in her eyes, and she usually looks like she's smelling something bad.

Asymetric styles are particularly hard to wear if you're mostly plastic - they need some vivacity and movement to make them look other than silly.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
116. Interesting comments, thank you.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 06:21 PM
20 hrs ago

It is possible she only wears freebie loaners from the designers
and has to return them, so she cannot get them altered.
She is merching the gowns for the designer.

This is not uncommon in the wealthy, but cheap set.
Or celebrities who are not as wealthy as they want us to believe.

Or she just doesn't care and does not get her clothing properly tailored.

She was the kind of "model" more interested in taking off her clothes, not putting them on.

There is not much she can do now about the short waist problem.
When you have a short waist and then add huge breasts, you no longer have a torso.
It is all boobage. That is why women get a breast reduction, to give them balance and a torso area.

I find the Trump women and plastic surgery to be quite sad.
They all have the same look. Huge breasts, distorted facial features, huge lips, tons of long hair extensions.
It is really scary.

Laura Loomer and Kim Guilfoyle are good examples. They were actually pretty women before they disfigured
themselves with all the plastic surgery.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
135. So are Putin and Xi.
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 06:46 AM
8 hrs ago

Both of them insist on the high dignity of their office and demand total respect and reverence.

So they install into the WH a complete buffoon and sex worker who parades around half naked.

Xi and Putin are making the US into a laughing stock.

magicarpet

(17,136 posts)
111. Well the right one was subjected to such high exposure in that black ...
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 03:14 PM
23 hrs ago

... New Year's eve gown. Might just as well inject the silicone in the right one being that it is so front and center and out in the open for all to see.

The left one can be blown up like a balloon when the grifting proceeds from trDUMP 2.0 start flowing in more generously.

With all thems legal fees,... finances at the trDUMP household are a bit tight presently.

Besides don-OLD's eye is wandering in the direction of Ms. Loomer. Might be time for a trade in - upgrade for Daddy.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
112. Normally the wife is jealous of the girlfriend.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 03:19 PM
23 hrs ago

But I don't think Melania gives a damn who Trump sleeps with.

Ha that is an idea. Inflatable boobs.

viva la

(3,881 posts)
31. Wardrobe malfunction....
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:00 PM
Friday

They look like they had a massive argument about 10 minutes earlier.

Response to viva la (Reply #31)

Response to Tanuki (Original post)

3catwoman3

(25,783 posts)
46. Imminent wardrobe malfunction.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:42 AM
Saturday

Even with the most industrial strength push up bra, real breasts don’t have sharp edges like that. Makes me think of the old Lay’s potato chip commercial - “Ruffles have ridges.” Ruffles do, but breasts don’t.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
48. You don't seen to know
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 01:17 AM
Saturday

Where in the body kidneys are located. They are several inches below where your eyes are fixated.

AZJonnie

(106 posts)
80. See a few posts down from yours (#57) where the kidney context is explained
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:00 PM
Saturday

Also, I'm thinking a soft-core porn participant like Melania got the giant fake boobs installed and then wore this outfit because she's fine with people ogling her decolletage, but maybe that's just me.

AZJonnie

(106 posts)
132. I admire your ability to defend the honor of even a woman as vile as Melania Trump
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 01:22 AM
13 hrs ago

Not something I could personally do, so keep up the good work

onethatcares

(16,603 posts)
57. it's the excuse given when she dropped out of sight
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 08:49 AM
Saturday

for a while during the first term. She came back with a new rack and the msm reported she had a kidney op of some type. You could also google "N.E. Patriots/Bill Belechick/Tom Brady/under/over inflation.

sop

(11,762 posts)
54. We get to watch Melania physically deteriorate over the next four years, becoming more and more decrepit
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 08:41 AM
Saturday

as she undergoes all kinds of cosmetic procedures to avoid the ravages of time. This won't be a rerun of the Camelot years.

GoCubsGo

(33,216 posts)
75. Yeah, we're already seeing it.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:18 PM
Saturday

Although, I don't think she had more "kidney" surgery. At her age, she's likely in the throes of menopause. She looks bigger all around, and like many women, The Change isn't being kind to her waistline. I say that as someone whose boobs (and hips) got bigger than they already were when I went through it. Good thing she said she'll be spending all of her time in NYC, where nobody can see it.

AZJonnie

(106 posts)
82. If there was a significant amount of natural breast tissue remaining there, that'd be possible
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:06 PM
Saturday

But I don't think there is enough remaining for such a dramatic change from natural causes. Safer bet that she sized up at the surgeon, IMHO.

Ocelot II

(121,671 posts)
83. I'm beginning to think he's Undead.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:09 PM
Saturday

We keep thinking he's going to drop over dead because he looks so terrible, eats junk and doesn't exercise, but maybe that's already happened and he's become a zombie?

Vinca

(51,307 posts)
61. Whoa - that's quite a kidney!
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 10:05 AM
Saturday

Do kidneys have nipples because if they do one is perilously close to popping out.

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
65. Agreed. I wasn't a fan of that asymmetrical neckline
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 11:22 AM
Saturday

when Taylor Swift sported it recently, and I Iike Taylor.

Ilsa

(62,302 posts)
130. I don't mind asymmetry if the design is simple.
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 12:31 AM
14 hrs ago
.webp

I don't care for that look of one breast being jacked up and the other one cupped in a tight bodice. Taylor Swift's dress is ugly, IMO. Malignia's dress looks like two dresses sewn together.

Nixie

(17,423 posts)
139. She has a snake face. My husband said that about her
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 11:30 AM
3 hrs ago

and I saw it, too. She has a reptile face. Very harsh features. It’s like a reptile tongue will come slithering out.

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
71. Lol... don't give her any ideas! God only knows
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 11:46 AM
Saturday

what kind of get-up she'll wear if she makes an official visit to Africa in the next four years!

Tanuki

(15,434 posts)
74. Her offensive, tone-deaf "colonialist chic" was bad enough
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:03 PM
Saturday

when she traveled to Africa in the first Trump administration

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/fashion-trends/a23657403/melania-trump-africa-clothes-style/

..."Take the pith helmet. That’s a hat with a history—a violent, racist history. It was widely worn by European colonial armies in Africa and Asia and by the end of the 19th century had also become common civilian wear for Westerners in the tropics; it is considered by many a symbol of colonial oppression. Why, one can’t help but wonder, would the first lady of the United States want to lift up that rock?
...
I'll start with her “I’m off to Africa” departure outfit, in which she disembarked from her SUV at the Andrews Airforce Base in Maryland and headed for her plane. Her stilettos were leopard print, her skirt leather, her coat suede, in a warm ocher color that would have blended nicely with the red-earth airstrips of the African bush. Leopard print, animal skins, semi-safari colors—why these sartorial clichés?
It was an excellent outfit for many occasions except, in my opinion, when you’re off on a diplomatic mission to the African continent, and to countries, moreover, as diverse as Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt.

Africa, writ large, is not safari land. It is reductive to exoticize it that way. It has vibrant and varied cities, where increasingly the majority of the continent’s immense population lives. It has its problems for sure, but also rich and exciting contemporary art, music, food, and fashion scenes and cultures."... (more)

Response to ismnotwasm (Reply #85)

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
96. That women are "skanks"
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:19 PM
Yesterday

and all the other epithets thrown in this thread. People think it's okay because she is a Republican, but would you be calling a black Republican the N word? I think not. Women are fair game for every insult under the sun, and it reveals how people think of women in general, not just Melania. And they wonder why we can't get a woman elected president.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
98. That's probably overthinking it.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:23 PM
Yesterday

It’s looks like people just t’ng off on Melanoma. I don’t see anyone else mentioned.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
100. as I said
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:31 PM
Yesterday

It's the same thing. She is a woman, and the insults are about women. I won't apologize for thinking about the obvious.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
101. And some women are making some of the comments in the thread.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:32 PM
Yesterday


As long as we’re talking about things that are obvious…

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
106. The point is your opinion is not shared by the women posting in the thread.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:52 PM
Yesterday

Some women may have no problem with calling out melanoma in ways you may not approve of. I don’t think that makes them terrible people.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
119. I oppose misogyny and sexism
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:12 PM
16 hrs ago

Not all women do. Some women regularly defend rapists, sexual assailants, and molesters, particularly if the perps are Democrats. I don't share the view that equal rights apply only to people I happen to agree with politically. I believe to do so is to abandon equal rights. Obviously, many disagree with me. I believe them to be wrong. You would seem to be among them, but why you are seeking my permission for your behavior, I have no idea.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
140. I'm not seeking permission
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 11:40 AM
3 hrs ago

I'm saying you're worried about niceties while these people are dismantling our democracy, which is of course quite silly. I'll continue to call these people whatever I want.

Mossfern

(3,279 posts)
143. OK, I'm gonna go out on a limb here .....
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 12:20 PM
2 hrs ago

This may have been addressed further down the thread, but -

I am a survivor of a horrible and violent rape and just by mere chance got away with my life. Being that it was in the early 1970's, the police and others (including my parents!) thought that somehow I was culpable.
For heaven's sake I was in the shower in my own home with the doors locked!!! Even had a police lock engaged on my front door.

Think the shower scene in Psycho.

That being said, I have absolutely NO ISSUE with calling Melania a skank.
I do consider myself somewhat of a feminist, but I gotta call them as I see them.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
145. I'm terribly sorry you underwent that assault
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 02:17 PM
41 min ago

and that rape culture ensured the rapist wasn't punished.

I disagree with you about insulting Republican women. Republicans feel entitled to insult Democrats, and Democrats feel entitled to insult Republicans. That means that no women are treated justly. Their dress is given as an excuse for ogling them and that follows that other behavior would likewise be so justified.

You have defended a scenario in which no women have equal rights, and the fact one disagrees with them justifies making misogynist comments. That is not the world I want to live in, but alas I know that I have no choice given prevailing views.
A great many people have an interest in keeping women subjugated, so we are. How a woman dresses is given as an excuse for rape. Contempt for women from both sides of the isle ensure a woman can't be president and that passing the ERA never happens. So you defend insulting half the nation with sexist comments, while the other half defends the same toward you and me. Is that really the circumstances under which you want women to exist?

Mossfern

(3,279 posts)
146. This is not comtempt for women
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 02:59 PM
18 sec ago

it's contempt for a particular woman.
I have no contempt for her because she's a woman.
I'm capable of having contempt for particular men as well, but not all men.

The way Melania is dressed for the occasion shows no respect for the office or the people whom her husband is about to be charged with serving. As for calling her a skank ... well, she fits the description. What do you think she was doing in Jeffrey Epstein's circle?

That doesn't mean that I believe that she should be a target of sexual assault

Response to BannonsLiver (Reply #101)

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
103. Are you suggesting
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:44 PM
Yesterday

that is the same as calling a woman a "skank"? I disagree. It's not something I myself do because I find it childish, but your suggestion that it is the same is off base.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
105. It's mocking appearance, is it not?
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:47 PM
Yesterday

What if someone suffering from carotenemia is hurt or offended? What if there are obese people offended by constant weight jokes about Trump? I’m just saying one should be consistent. It’s okay to make those comments, but pointing out Melenoma is trashy is not, apparently.

And to be clear, I’m in the no boundaries camp when it comes to describing people actively trying to destroy our country, our rights etc. if people want to police the terminology in light of that, that’s on them but one should not expect others to do the same.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
118. There are no comparable words for men
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:07 PM
16 hrs ago

to display utter hatred based on gender. That is because white men are not oppressed or marginalized. I'm not interested in your excuses for why people should be able to insult women.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
141. That's your opinion and HIGHLY subjective.
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 11:42 AM
3 hrs ago

Couldn't help but notice you either did not, or were unable to address my point, though.

BannonsLiver

(18,291 posts)
142. Ah, still unable to address the point.
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 11:44 AM
3 hrs ago

So you're fine with making comments about weight and other things when it's a man involved, but criticizing melanoma is off-limits. Got it.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
144. I don't actually make comments about men's weight
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 02:01 PM
57 min ago

Because I don't give a shit. I make comments about their character and policies.

It's hardly a gotcha point. It's a point in which you whine about how hard men have it, that insulting women as skanks, whores, and sluts is exactly the same as commenting about a man's weight. I understand you feel terribly oppressed as a man and consider that oppression comparable to women. It is not. White men have all the privilege in the world.

Ocelot II

(121,671 posts)
113. Melania is doing a damn good job of objectifying herself.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 03:30 PM
23 hrs ago
Haute couture apparently involves women's dresses that are essentially the professional uniforms of sex workers. If a woman wants to be a sex worker and is not being trafficked or exploited, which is too often the case with that line of work, that's her choice. But if you're not a sex worker why would you dress like one? - Unless it's because you've bought into the objectification of women's bodies that requires you to expose as much of your "wares" as you can without being nicked for indecent exposure, even if you're not actually selling. Melania's dress is designed to show as much boob as possible without exposing an entire nipple, and is slit high onto her thigh. She's advertising even if she isn't selling; but why does a woman in her 50s accept the notion that fancy dress = acres of exposed flesh? The men who came to that same event didn't show up in hot pants or without shirts (thank god for that, considering her escort). That extreme, contrived sexuality seems to be especially required of Trump-adjacent women and Fox show hostesses - have a look at Kimberly Guilfoyle, all cleavage and puffy lips and crotch-length dresses, for example; she really does look like the proprietress of a tacky brothel. I have no hesitation to call out women who contribute to the depiction and objectification of women as "skanks" by dressing themselves as caricatures of the same.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
121. I don't give a shit about how she or any other woman dresses.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:18 PM
16 hrs ago

And I find the obsession with it to be unfortunate. I don't care if they wear a burka or a bikini, as long as it's of their own choosing. People objected to Republicans commenting on Michelle Obama's arms, so they decided to do worse. I can't control who they are. My influence is limited to myself.

Retrograde

(10,763 posts)
123. Haute couture died sometime in the 1980s
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:58 PM
16 hrs ago

Haute couture as it was practiced by the older Parisian fashion houses was a very laborious and time-consuming niche, aimed at those who could afford the trips to Paris to be measured and fitted for that year's models. And they tended to be women in their middle ages and older, since they were the ones who could afford it. It entailed a lot of handwork - I subscribe to a magazine called Threads, aimed at home sewers: each issue features a garment from the 1960s or earlier that shows how much attention to detail was paid to high-end (and sometimes medium-end) fashion. Eventually the styles trickled down to more ordinary women, often with cheaper fabrics and trimmings.

The fashion industry is following the same trend as other luxury class goods: it's becoming commodified. It's disposable. It's aimed at younger people. But a woman with clout, like the wife of a former US president and current president-elect, should be able to get a fashion house to do something custom for her that would flatter and actually fit. I didn't like all of their choices, but Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and others going back as far as I can remember managed to look fashionable, comfortable, and appropriate at official functions. But I don't think Melania cares.

Irish_Dem

(60,067 posts)
107. Our feelings are about a person who is evil and part of destroying our country, democracy, and Americans.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:57 PM
Yesterday

The fact she is a porn model and sex worker who lied on her visa is not the issue.

That she is a First Lady who pretends to be better than other women but prances around half naked
flaunting herself with store bought huge boobs is also not the issue.

The fact she hates the US, hates Americans and has to be paid to show up for any official
events is also not the issue.

Or the fact she hates the US so much she tore up Jackie Kennedy's famous Rose Garden and installed
concrete over it is also not the issue. Or put up blood red Halloween decorations at Christmas time
in the WH as a big FU to Americans is also not the issue.

The fact she is part of destroying our country, killing Americans, and ending our democracy is the issue.

We are in fact being kind to her.
What we would like to say to her and about her is much worse than we can print.

iemanja

(55,000 posts)
120. One can criticize all of those things
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:14 PM
16 hrs ago

without resulting to sexist insults. People express themselves in ways that reveal who they are. That applies as much to me as anyone.

thebigidea

(13,329 posts)
97. Melania is fucking trash but so are most of these comments
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:21 PM
Yesterday

have some fucking TASTE, people

Ping Tung

(1,479 posts)
99. "There is not a more perilous or immoral habit of mind than the sanctifying of $ucc$$." Lord Acton
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 02:30 PM
Yesterday

MAGASwoon

Autumn

(46,748 posts)
114. I guess I'll have to quit calling her the First Nude and call her the First Boob, or First Nip Slip.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 03:44 PM
23 hrs ago

At least till she gets the other done.

Unladen Swallow

(319 posts)
117. Meh. Almost all of the first ladies in my lifetime
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 06:49 PM
20 hrs ago

have been beautiful in their own unique ways.

jmowreader

(51,659 posts)
122. If I was a Trump supporter I'd REALLY be worried about him from that photo
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:33 PM
16 hrs ago

I support throwing Trump in a concrete box for the rest of his days and even I'm worried about him. He looks extremely ill, his skin problems have advanced to the point where he's going to have to upgrade from makeup to house paint to cover them up, and his wife looks even more pissed with him than she normally is. She didn't like living in the White House the last time he made her do it, and now she has to go back?

orleans

(35,352 posts)
131. what a strange picture -- i hardly recognized him; he looks like a ghost of himself nt
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 01:03 AM
13 hrs ago

GoodRaisin

(9,669 posts)
133. It looks like his face has been photoshopped inside a smaller head and then the head
Mon Jan 6, 2025, 02:33 AM
12 hrs ago

placed on a smaller body.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Looks like someone got a ...