Chenille suit precisely tailored, hair coiffed in a modest curl and campaign button pinned to the lapel: this is the carefully vetted costume of a political spouse.
She — because it’s normally a she — is a well-understood campaign tool. Every kiss for the cameras, princess wave to the crowd and polite golf clap from her seat is used to drive her husband’s image.
Respectful, supportive, modest and unthreatening, she’s the perfect package, but there is one thing she is not.
She’s not Melania Trump.
After Republican candidate Donald Trump’s recent belligerence toward women, his campaign hoisted Mrs. Trump onto the Wisconsin Primary stage. But in an attempted effort to win back the female vote, the peculiarity of both Mrs. Trump’s presentation and mere presence at the event was what resonated most soundly.
A pastel cocktail dress sported two ruffled sleeves, a flirty hemline — not a campaign button in sight. Brunette locks parted and flowed effortlessly past her shoulders to frame the face in proportion.
As the Milwaukee crowd chanted her husband’s name, Mrs. Trump stood behind the podium and stared back at the voters who had turned a 5-foot-11 model into the potential first lady of the United States.
Her rare appearances on the campaign trail was duly noted, as Mr. Trump has been known to attend rallies with his daughter Ivanka more often than with his wife.
So when Mrs. Trump was clearly summoned in the campaign’s time of need, it is only right to look at the political message and implications of her appearance.
Her remarks, read off of a prepared script, were vague but loyal.
Her posed demeanor could have doubled as a still photograph, as she spent most of her time in a singular model pout.
With a quick kiss on the cheek, Mr. Trump escorted her away from the limelight, and all was said and done.
In summary, Mrs. Trump acted more like she was attending a magazine shoot than a political convention.
Would it mean much to have a first lady who favors fashion over politics?
Normally, a candidate’s spouse finds a mix of both to represent herself as a unit with her husband.
A first lady’s suit, professional yet feminine, mirrors his own to establish an image of shared business.
Her campaign button is always pinned to the lapel to signify that even when she’s silent, she is supporting the cause all the way.
But Melania has never been the political spouse, and she didn’t become one in Milwaukee. She wasn’t the dutiful partner. She was the stand-in fashion model who only shows up for the picture.
Of course, fashion is part of a campaign because it plays one of the most influential elements of a candidate’s image.
Fashion can tell voters if a campaigner is confident, traditional, inventive or strong.
Tie colors, heel heights, flag pins and tailoring are chosen to convey this image and hopefully elevate the wearer in the public eye.
Melania was fashionable, yes, but her fashion was silent — it offered up no message or image. She wasn’t the partner, she wasn’t the spouse. She obviously wasn’t helpful to the female vote — Ted Cruz went on to win Wisconsin.
And, unsurprisingly, his wife, Heidi Cruz, sure does love those chenille suits.
bsaggese@indiana.edu
