Emerging from wherever the first lady likes to hide, Melania Trump donned an outfit more befitting of camouflage than courage to participate in her fifth International Women of Courage Awards ceremony. According to ABC News Melania was one of several world leaders who recognized women from around the globe, saying she is constantly inspired by “the women who are driven to speak out for justice, even though their voices are trembling.” However, the outdated coat dress Melania often chooses to wear accidentally revealed that she might not really care (much like another one of Melania’s controversial outfits).
First lady Melania Trump delivers remarks at the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony, says honorees “prove that love can inspire extraordinary valor.”
“Through their brave actions, they inspire us to embrace our own potential for change.” pic.twitter.com/bQcGW9ESt6
— ABC News (@ABC) April 1, 2025
During the speech, Melania stated, “Throughout my life, I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times.” But her look is lacking exactly that — love. Not only does this coat dress really, truly feel like something she’s worn before, but her hair and makeup are also a bold departure from recent images. Perhaps she got more work done. Perhaps she’s found a better spray tan artist. Whatever the case may be, it feels Melania lacked the ability to put any effort into her appearance for an event that just so happened to celebrate other women (and falls under the umbrella of fulfilling her first lady duties, from which Melania has notoriously wanted to disappear).
This is not the first time Melania Trump has shown her spots or stripes
In what has become a trend for Melania Trump, the first lady has taken to wearing outfits that might hold a hidden meaning — and most of the meaning is that she’s straight up not having a good time. There was the time Melania appeared to express her unhappiness on “Fox & Friends” by wearing an outfit that had her looking ready for anywhere other than a return to the White House. And, of course, there was the time Melania refused to change her stripes at Madison Square Garden, an outfit which echoes what she wore to the 2025 International Women of Courage Awards, making it appear to be a repeat offender and therefore not requiring any forethought or care. However, it’s also become a trend for Melania to use her style to prove she’s given up.
There was the dowdy and demure to the point of irony outfit that Melania wore to Jimmy Carter’s funeral, which makes it seem she’d prefer to be more buttoned up when she’s attending an event with her husband, President Donald Trump. Consider the Hamburglar hat Melania recycled for Donald’s inauguration — a bold suggestion that she would like to keep her body fully clothed and away from her husband. In fact, it seems events that revolve around him are the only time she seems to care about what she wears, possibly out of self-preservation. Whatever the case may be, hopefully she returns to her modeling roots and taps into some more unique outfits in the near future to break up the monotony for everyone.
