First Lady Melania Trump’s new official White House portrait channels power, dominance and her husband President Donald Trump’s role in The Apprentice, experts say.
Melania’s second portrait unveiled by the White House is black-and-white and shows her standing in the Yellow Oval Room wearing a business suit and with her hands on a reflective desk. The Washington Monument is the background.
The portrait taken by the Trumps’ favorite photographer, Régine Mahaux from Belgium, and released on Monday, is a marked departure from Melania’s first official portrait.
In 2017, Melania smiled slightly and had her hands crossed in the color portrait, but swapped that softer expression for pursing her lips and flashing an intense stare ahead.
‘”I have my own yes and my own nos” was her point and, as an intentional gesture in terms of emphasizing that very different brand, this new official portrait nails it to the point of overkill,’ body language expert Judi James told Metro.
‘This monochrome portrait could actually be from a pitch for her husband’s role in The Apprentice. It’s corporate, boardroom, CEO from top to toe and her dress and body language exude high levels of perceived and projected power.’
James noted that Melania’s hair was sleeker and that her expression suggested ‘shrewdness’.
‘She poses as though she’s at the head of a boardroom table, which is the power seat,’ said James.
‘Her arms are splayed now, showing confidence and emotional strength and her fingers are also splayed out onto the table, suggesting leadership and challenge.’
James referenced the president’s official portrait which many likened to his infamous mugshot, and that many might expect Melania to balance it with a warmer shot.
‘But she looks as formidable as her husband here, suggesting a more immersive teaming and a more even status balance as she adopts the role of a very hands-on FLOTUS,’ James concluded.
Another body language expert, Darren Stanton speaking on behalf of Betfair Slots, said Melania’s suit sends the message, ‘I’ve come to do business, I’m not a pushover.’
‘The look is quite masculine, this whole photograph is about power and the assertion of power. She’s not going to be in the shadows or in the wings this time,’ said Stanton.
Melania’s portrait signals that she has a stronger sense of her identity and is prepared to leave her mark.
‘She didn’t like being in the limelight last time, but I think this time around, we’ll see a lot more,’ he said. ‘Not in terms of being with Donald more, but we’ll see her create her own projects.’
Melania’s hands on the table pose is ‘a dominant posture, she’s telling us that she hasn’t come to play’, Stanton added.
‘It’s an extension of the reverse staple gesture that Donald Trump makes, which is when you make a bridge out of your hands and then turn it upside-down,’ he said.
Stanton described Melania’s expression as passive aggressive.
‘In psychological terms, it’s an anger micro expression,’ he said.
After Trump won the November election, there were questions around whether Melania would live full-time in the White House and some even speculated that she would serve as a part-time first lady.
But so far, Melania seems poised to embrace the role and make it her own – in what will likely be an untraditional way.
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