Melania Trump’s changes have turned heads

Melania Trump is the statuesque, tanned, and charming "other half" of the 45th president of the United States. Gorgeously groomed to a shine, she is often perceived as shy and laid-back. She is chic about everything: mother, leader, philanthropist, and the president's unstinting partner. She has appeared in the world's spotlight and is immediately in the political spotlight. She is always ready to answer for her husband and herself, thereby proving to an entire country with entirely different perspectives that she is worthy of our admiration and can show women the way, which assumes both mundane values and vivid progress. It is a difficult task for any woman. And even for one who seems to have it all. The media has always been glued to her, ready to pick apart her personal story like a predator's catch. But despite being so petite, she has always been solid. Unsurpassed - a contestant willing to volunteer for any challenge while maintaining an inimitable confidence. Strong, strong-willed, and graceful. And the beauty that begins in her heart is a strength that cannot be beaten. So on Friday, January 20, 2017, she made her first appearance on the doorstep of the White House in Louboutin shoes, becoming the First Lady of the United States of America. Born Melania Trump Knauss in Yugoslavia on April 26, 1970, in the industrial town of Novo Mesto in the former Yugoslavia, she spent her early years in a small room of a communist-era apartment building, looking out the window at factory chimneys. The New York Times tells us that Melania's father, Victor, was a salesman, and her mother, Amalia, was a children's clothing designer. "I can tell you that the place where Melania lived was too small for her," childhood friend Mirjana Jelancic shared with the AP (via People). "Already since she was a little girl, she had dreamed of moving," and said her favorite subject in school was geography. Jelancic, the girls' elementary school principal, told ABC News, "She was a very kind and good student, and she was like an angel." Melania Trump had a passion for fashion from a young age.She pursued what would eventually become a lifelong hobby, even as a young child. In an interview with Parenting magazine, she talked about her childhood dreams: "I was always into beauty and fashion. My mother was a fashion designer. The first time I went on the runway when I was 5, it was a fashion show," she recalled. "My mom just loved fashion; we traveled a lot, going to Italy and Paris. I was very tall and thin from a young age. Sometimes I was teased, but I was never offended. I liked myself, and that was the main thing. I knew my purpose and what I wanted to do. I found my passion at a very early age. It helped me become confident in myself. Yana: Having had a great upbringing, the aspiring model had an edge over her peers-all thanks to her parents' tenacity and hard work. After school, she took gymnastics, and when winter came, she went skiing in Italy and Austria, according to Harper's Bazaar. She was also a good drawer and no doubt her mother was a credit to that, according to the GQ source. "Melania never went in store-bought clothes," a friend told the magazine. "She came up with original outfit designs and trusted her mother and her sister to sew. Melania Trump was discovered when she was 16Melania Trump grew from a little girl to a beautiful lady and was spotted by photographer Stein Jerko at 16 in 1987, according to GQ. The girl attended a high school of design and photography in Ljubljana, now the capital of Slovenia, and lived in an apartment her father bought for her, The New York Times reported. Photographer Jerko saw her as she waited for her friend after a fashion show; the aspiring model didn't immediately agree because "School was an essential thing for her," he told GQ. But true to her dream, the girl soon changed her mind. According to GQ, Jerko taught Trump to pose for the camera and had already started photographing her just a few weeks after the meeting. The shoot took place without shoes. "I didn't have the right shoes for her because she had a considerable foot size, and the other models had smaller feet," Jerko recalled in an interview with GQ. But he remarked, "When you have big feet, you live big."Soon after signing with a modeling agency in Milan, 18-year-old Trump quit architecture school for a career, according to The New York Times. The article also recalled her second place in Jana magazine's "Slovenian Face of the Year" contest in 1992. GQ said she became successful in Paris and Milan, but her eyes and dreams were fixed on - New York. When Melania Trump arrived in New York, things were more complicated than she thought.Thanks to her agent, Paolo Zampolli, Melania Trump finally made it to the Big Apple in 1996. Still, if an article in GQ magazine is to be believed, the 26-year-old model's grand plans lost their colors just as quickly as her American modeling contract and her visa. "It was a disappointing age for models, the late 20s, and it's not exactly a friendly industry," noted the girl's former roommate, Matthew Atanian, in the same GQ article. "Every day, Melania went to castings that didn't bring her the desired results. The girl said it wasn't like that in Europe; she was more successful there." Matthew continued, explaining, "She was frustrated about the job issue. Melania Trump was doing everything she could to get the model job she wantedEven after many setbacks, the determined Melania Trump didn't give up. According to GQ, "She attended auditions for alcohol and tobacco commercials, which her underage competitors could not get because of their age. She once appeared in an ad for Camel on a billboard in Times Square." Being naturally a homebody, she spent most of her free time exercising to maintain her figure. She ate seven pieces of fruit a day - her former roommate Matthew Atanian told the magazine that she could and did deviate from grueling diets by allowing herself more. "Once, she went away for a two-week vacation. She was a few extra pounds when she returned," he said. "She admitted it to me herself, said it was to get more work in her underwear." Her infamous nude publication in British GQ in 2000 draws particular attention. In a 2015 interview with Barbara Walters, Melania elegantly described her photoshoot: "I think people will always judge me, but that was my job, which I did as a successful model, and it's as good as what you see every year in Sports Illustrated. When Melania Trump first met Donald Trump, she refused to give him her phone number."I wasn't a star," Melania Trump told GQ about her first meeting with her future husband in an interview. In the magazine, she recalls, > Yana: Atanian's friend told GQ: "When they first met, Melania didn't trust him, but the universe was on their side, and soon the romance began again. In the same article, a friend from her hometown said, "I think it was all about strength, and she needed a strong man to patronize her like her father. How much did Donald Trump spend on an engagement ring and a wedding reception?A lover of expensive jewelry and bargain shopping, Trump bought his wife's 12-carat Laurence Graff diamond and emerald-cut ring for $1.5 million - at a fifty percent discount, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And on their tenth anniversary together, he traded in her small stone for a 25-carat one, according to Harper's Bazaar. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Melania's wedding dress plume sold thirteen feet, and her veil was sixteen feet. The bride "could hardly move" in almost three hundred feet of satin with ruffles -- but it was so chic that it made the cover of Vogue. The same article mentioned that Melania's sister Inez was a bridesmaid, wearing a dress by Vera Wang. New York designer Preston Bailey told The Hollywood Reporter that he created a "classic color palette in cream and white" for the bride, recalling how: "She said: "I want something exquisite, but not flashy." Next, the newlyweds hosted a reception that cost $35 million. That's a prominent figure for a woman who grew up wearing the clothes her mother of work forced her to wear. Melania Trump did not resort to the services of a nanny for her son Barron.In March 2006, Trump became the mother of her son Barron when she was 35 - the same year Melania became a U.S. citizen. The woman has a cook and a domestic helper. Still, she took over the upbringing of her son entirely without using a nanny, telling Parenting: "Everyone has different roles, and I would not want Donald to change diapers or put Barron to bed.Motherhood for the wife has always been a priority, and she told Parenting: "The most important thing is to listen … I do not impose my son's thoughts, likes or dislikes. For me, he must be independent. I think it is necessary to let a child make mistakes so he can learn from them ". Since the beginning of her husband's presidential career, Melania has always supported her son. "Of course, we're haunted by hateful comments, and I'm teaching my son the right attitude about everything that's going on … instilling in him the values of home," she told Us Weekly. She added, "We both miss Donald a lot because of his constant travels, but Barron understands, and he's doing great." > Yana: Melania Trump shared her philosophy on how to stay happily marriedMelania confidently told Parenting, "My life is ordinary - for me. Some people don't think so. But I'm sure of it. I know my husband well. We have a great relationship. We are both very independent. We know who has what role in our family life and are happy with that. She added: "I'm sure you don't need to be with your husband every minute of every day. Everyone should do what he likes and then get together in the mornings and evenings, share their experiences, enjoy life and have a great time together. You know the saying, "Work hard and play hard"? That's what we do in our lives." Before Trump became First Lady, she was always all about herself. From the source Harper's Bazaar, Melania produced a skincare line, collected jewelry, and even served as a guest host on The View. For a woman, raising a child and her personal life have always been a priority, unlike politics.Melania Trump, who became First Lady when her husband was president, always kept a low profile, rarely appearing on social media and giving prearranged interviews in her penthouse. In one such interview for 20/20 TV in 2015, Trump explained her absence from the campaign: "It's my choice not to be there. I support my husband one hundred percent, but we have a nine-year-old son, Barron, and I'm raising him, which is when he needs a parent at home." Even after the forty-fifth president's victory, Melania Trump remained in the shadows. Reportedly, for Barron to attend school through the end of the 2017 school year, the first lady and her son moved into the White House in July 2017. And even in 2019, she shielded Barron - like herself - from unnecessary public scrutiny. As Kathryn Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University who studies first ladies, told the Associated Press (via AOL). Usually, the president and first lady are superstars. Still, the expert noted that Melania Trump is one of the most secretive first ladies in United States history. Melania Trump admitted that she doesn't always make eye contact with her husband.But she always stands by her husband's side, albeit not in the literal sense of the word. When Walters was asked in an interview if she agreed that their marriage was equal, she said, "I would say yes. Donald Trump disagreed with that answer: "I would say no. I'm sure she's much more than 50 percent." > Yana: Melania later explained to Harper's Bazaar that her absence from the public eye was a strategic decision. "I decided not to do politics in public because that's my husband's job. I'm very aware of politics in person and know everything is happening. But I decided not to get involved in the campaign. I have my own opinions and my views on it all. I'm on my own, and I'm sure my husband likes that. Do you always agree with each other? "I always tell him my opinion; some days he accepts it, and some days he doesn't. Do I always agree with him? No". When there was a campaign, Melania was rebuked for her husband's rude, off-the-cuff insults to women. In her interview (via Fortune), she responded, "To me, the words my husband used in that situation are unacceptable to me; this is not the man I know . . and I have great faith that people will accept his apology as I do." Melania Trump is America's second first lady in history to be of foreign descent.Melania Trump became the first lady of the United States in January 2017 when she was forty-six years old. According to Harper's Bazaar, she was America's second first lady of foreign descent (before her was John Quincy Adams' wife Louise, a native of London). From the early days of her husband's campaign, Melania responded to criticism constantly. Not surprisingly, she was criticized for her husband's immigration platform-she, herself was an immigrant. Being under constant scrutiny for allegedly working illegally in the U.S. with only a single-entry visa, according to the Los Angeles Times, she quickly forgave herself in an interview for Harper's Bazaar, where she said: "I acted according to the rules." While the woman prefers her husband to take on all the hard work associated with politics, critics and journalists wonder what central value the next First Lady of America will bring to the White House. She speaks several languages fluently and has already been invited to "many different charities related to e different diseases of children," according to GQ, she should do a great job of being a true ambassador for causes like these.Can Melania Trump become like Jackie O?We can't help but bring up the topic regarding the closet of first ladies past and present. But no one has ever dressed like Melania Trump. Long before her husband was elected president, Trump was always the subject of scrutiny regarding her closet. "Melania wore a tight black sleeveless dress, a tone-on-tone coat, and Christian Louboutin heels," The New York Times wrote of Trump's November 2016 meeting with First Lady Michelle Obama. The journalist added: "I would say she looked chic, she was polished and professional, and she didn't try to draw attention to herself at all, which was always inevitable; she always collected admiring looks." It's worth saying that her early image created a Jackie O. vibe. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine, Trump admitted that she always admired former First Lady Jackie Kennedy. "She had a very gentle, elegant, simple, beautiful but feminine style," Trump added. Catherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University, drew a parallel between the two first ladies in a conversation with NPR in 2016. "She could be something like Jackie Kennedy," she said, "a perfectly dressed woman who would be popular in women's magazines but in life remains quiet and aloof in terms of her public image. Melania Trump made a candid statement about fashion.In the early stages, Melania Trump may have resembled Jackie Kennedy, but her closet quickly changed. In 2018, reporters spotted Trump boarding a plane headed for the U.S.-Mexico border, who was pictured wearing a green Zara jacket with the question, "I don't care, do I?" embroidered on the back. According to CBS News, many said it was, for the moment, an ill-timed outfit. > Yana: Because on that trip, Trump would meet with migrant children separated from their parents.In a statement to CBS News, Trump spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham revealed that Melania's outfit was nothing more than a "jacket." She also clarified, "No hidden agenda made sense, and the statements were exaggerated. At the same time, the current president took to Twitter to deny Grisham's statement, saying the words on his wife's jacket were just "fake news media. The president wrote, "My wife has realized how false they are, and she is no longer bothered by it!"A few months later, the first lady of the United States spoke about the lettering on the jacket in an interview with ABC News. "It was specifically made for disgruntled people and the left-wing media who criticize me all the time," she said, "and I wanted to show them that I don't care. Melania Trump is trying to make the world a better place.In May 2019, the first lady celebrated the first anniversary of her Be Best initiative. The goal of the program, according to WhiteHouse.gov, is to "draw attention to some of the major issues that children face all the time today, to teach children to be their best in the individual paths they take while teaching them the importance of social communication and emotional and physical health." From its earliest days, the program has primarily focused on "well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse." In 2018, Melania Trump made her first independent trip to promote her initiative. As part of her trip, she met with children and their families in Egypt, Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya. Trump still worked on opioid epidemic awareness and visited children's hospitals and Microsoft headquarters to get information about children's safety online.Naturally, as we all understand, Trump's "Be the Best" campaign has never been and is currently not immune to criticism. Donald Trump spoke out loudly in response to such objection at a conference in Washington, D.C. (via Newsweek) in November 2018, where he stated, "I am still as committed to addressing this issue as it will help create a better world for our children." > Yana: What Melania Trump's handwriting says about her characterIt's time to forget about palm readings a long time ago. From the words of Emma Bache, Britain's leading graphologist and handwriting expert, you can learn some pretty interesting facts about a person thanks to something as simple as their signature. After examining Trump's handwritten note, Bache told the Express that the president's handwriting tells us he is a master of strategic analysis. She said: "He can analyze, manipulate and keep his emotions to himself." But that's not all. "His signature is made up of many angles, so he wants to show others that he's the alpha male in charge," she claims. "He's quite a narcissist, but he's not vain. Stubborn, but not impulsive." Bache pointed out that the first lady has also begun to adopt some of her husband's signature techniques, "but she doesn't overreact either, and she keeps everything under control." Melania Trump's handwriting, like that of her husband, also suggests that she is "stubborn and determined. Finally, Bache said: "Her spousal last name speaks of tension and tightness." Melania Trump loves high heels.After becoming the 45th First Lady, Melania Trump may have revamped her closet and become a little more revealing, but one thing in her closet has never changed: her shoes. At a meeting with former first lady Michelle Obama in 2016 before leaving the White House to visit families affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and beyond, Trump was always in high heels. Former Vogue editor and longtime friend of Mrs. Trump, Andre Leon Talley, told Newsweek in 2017 that the first lady of the United States had never - well, except for an Easter egg hunt at the White House - been photographed without her Christian Louboutin or Manolo Blahnik high-heeled shoes. In 2018, Melania Trump wore high-heeled shoes to the White House tree-planting ceremony. And just like that, the first lady planted trees in her Louboutins. Trump uses his heels, even to make token statements. In June 2019, Footwear News reported that Trump seemed to be subtly paying tribute to France; she changed her shoes for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in the American cemetery of Normandy in the Western European country. And instead of classic Manolo Blahniks or Louboutins, she opted for heeled shoes from the French brand Roger Vivier. Is Melania channeling her inner Michelle Obama?Melania Trump has always received a lot of criticism for her outfits, but by June 2019, she was starting to receive commendable compliments on her closet. When she and her husband visited overseas, Trump would choose companies that made little allusions to famous royalty, like Princess Diana or the Duchess of Sussex. According to Kate Betts, author of "Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style," this tailor's approach to diplomacy was vital. "The best outfit choice, in this case, would have been to wear a piece by an English designer or a young American designer," the expert told CNN."The presidential family should represent our country with dignity and pride, but it would be very kind of them to recognize the British fashion industry." And, in the end, that's precisely what Trump did. InStyle noticed that during this foreign trip, the first lady also increasingly began to take Michelle Obama's approach to fashion.I wonder if Melania Trump's closet will continue to evolve to become more "Obama-esque."We'll find out more about this story as time goes on.