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Melania Trump is not a fan of PDA. She has been caught swatting her husband’s hand away several times, and today, standing straight in a crisp, white Michael Kors suit and a 10-gallon Hervé Pierre hat, she rebuffed his advances once again. During a photo op with the French President and First Lady Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, a sly cameraman zoomed in and captured Mrs. Trump refusing to reciprocate the hand-holding her husband so clearly wanted. Suffice to say, it got awkward. Memes, of course, were made (e.g. a side-by-side comparison of Melania and Beyoncé in the Formation video). FLOTUS’s refusal to give in to the typical lovey dovey political gesture is apparent not only in her stiff posture, but also in her protective wardrobe choices.
Take today’s wide brim hat, for instance. Mrs. Trump wore it dipped down low to cover the top of her brow, just enough to shield herself, perhaps, from the gaze of the President. At the inauguration last year, the First Lady teleported herself back in time to the late 1950s by wearing a Tiffany blue high-neck jacket and dress with matching opera gloves; no hand holding attempts can be made gracefully with those suckers on. Then there are all of the oversize and reflective sunglasses she loves to wear on the White House lawn, plus the giant handbags that can be used as protective barriers or weapons against POTUS, should he really step out of line. Mrs. Trump loves a safeguarding cape, too, one of which she wore today during the day out with the Macrons. She clearly loves fashion, even when she’s channeling the bubble boy. But it’s almost as if the First Lady’s fashion choices are making a different kind of statement: “you can look, but don’t touch.” With a husband who has been known to have a wandering eye—and hand—who can blame her?