Melania Trump’s choice of jacket caused a stir yesterday.
The former-model from Slovenia wore a jacket that said ‘I really don’t care do u?” [sic] to visit child migrants.
This was interpreted by many as a badly judged sartorial decision.
Professional body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk how she interprets Melania’s body language after the mother-of-one’s one month public hiatus.
She believes Melania has grown in confidence since earlier times as First Lady.
“If there’s a change in Melania’s body language since her operation it is that she seems to have gained slightly in terms of confidence and status signals, and has begun to assert herself as an individual and in her role, perhaps following in the shoes of previous first ladies of recent years and even risking upstaging her husband at last,” Judi said.
At a recent event with her husband at the Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters, Melania showed “subtle independence”.
Judi said: “Rather than standing Sphinx-like at his side or even behind him as normal, Melania stands in front of Trump here with her head facing him, her torso facing front, but her feet facing away.
“This pose suggests a degree of support for her husband although the direction of her feet suggest some form of distancing, which could be about her voicing her views rather than any increased marital distance.”
Will Melania be embarking on a more vocal episode of her career as First Lady?
She has been credited as a driving force in encouraging her husband to change policy regarding the separation of child migrants from their parents.
Judi claimed that Melania and Trump looked “relatively relaxed and upbeat” recently.
She said: “Their smiles look mirrored, suggesting like-mindedness, but in fact there are still strong differences to suggest two very individual personalities.
“Trump’s eyes still look watchful as he laughs and his open mouth seems to be communicating as much as it is smiling.
“Melania’s eyes look positively lit up here and her wide, open-mouthed smile looks more congruent than her husband’s.”
Applauding a member of the audience at the event Melania showed a different side, Judi claimed.
She said: “Her rounded cheeks suggest the smile is genuine and the way she has pulled her upper arms into her torso to do a high clapping gesture suggests a desire to be liked by the audience.
“This warmer version of Melania hasn’t always come across in her body language, but here it seems to upstage her husband and present her in a more high-profile way in terms of her audience and possibly her public.”
Melania wore the jacket that caused uproar, £29 from Zara, yesterday.
She chose to wear a pair of sunglasses over her eyes to partially obscure her face for the cameras.
Her hair was in its usual blowdried style, although it looked a little windswept.
