So what did that mean? Was she sending a message that her trip was all an exercise in deception, that she really couldn't care less about Hispanic children ripped from their parents by her husband's callous policy? Was it a message sent to her spouse, that she actually disagrees with his choices? Was it, as her spokesperson said, nothing but a jacket, with no meaning at all and we shouldn't even be talking about it? Or, as the president later tweeted, was it a sneer of contempt at the news media?
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't know Melania and I try not to have much of an opinion on her, though I have plenty on her spouse and none of them are very positive. For all I know, she may be a perfectly nice lady who loves kids and hates the glare of the international spotlight. She certainly wouldn't be the first decent woman in the world married to an all-out jerk. Just as with past First Ladies, she's worn things that made me go, "ohhh, that's lovely' and other things that made me cringe.
But here's one thing I'm pretty sure of---yesterday, as she was getting ready to depart, she didn't look out of the White House window and go, 'you know, it might rain and it's always cold on the plane so let me just grab a jacket out of the closet. Oh, darn, my favorite one is dirty! This one will do, and it goes with my slacks.' You know, the mental conversation we've all had with ourselves at some point? I seriously doubt that First Ladies flit out of the White House, especially on missions designed to raise their spouses' approval numbers, wearing 'some old thing' the way we ordinary ladies might if we had to dash out to grab a gallon of milk or put gas in the car. I'm also guessing that she doesn't have to dress herself, that she has a stylist on call or whatever the modern equivalent of a lady's maid is, to help her craft her image, and I'm betting that person always takes a look at Mrs. Trump before she steps out in public. (And, in the spirit of fairness, if I had that much money, I'd probably hire a 'dresser' as well, though hopefully NOT one who would get me in such a pickle!)
Which brings me to a larger point about my view of fashion. Do words and images on clothes matter?
I vividly remember when I first started to notice words and logos on shirts. I was in middle school, and suddenly everyone seemed to have a t-shirt with a rock band picture or a quirky slogan on it. I begged my mom for one; she thought they were crass and 'too much like a boy.' But that was what I wanted for my birthday---a 'cool' shirt and a pair of sneakers that weren't bright white! (In my humble opinion, the 70s were where fashion went to die, especially in the backwater of North Florida, but let's not go there, shall we?) Somehow, I got both to start school with, and I was so proud. My first t-shirt with 'something on it' was blue and said ADIDAS.
Since that time I've lost count of how many t-shirts I've owned with slogans or images emblazoned on the front or back. I had plenty during my marching band days and then at FSU and finally at Wofford. And some of them I'm so proud of because I think they're witty or spirited, or they help me connect with people I have common interests with, like Star Wars fans. One of my favorites came from Williamsburg, VA, and has a fake beer ad on the back--"Founding Fathers Lager." It's near to my heart because while I have tremendous respect for our Revolutionary leaders, I don't worship them as demigods, and it makes me smile to think that they surely tossed back a few cold ones as they were in the process of creating a nation.
However, I've noticed a trend in t-shirts, especially those aimed at teens and women in their twenties, shirts that sport attitude and sass. Things like 'Sorry Not Sorry' or 'I Run on Coffee and Sarcasm' or 'I Can't Adult Today.' And I always wonder, when I see them on some young woman's chest, is that really the message that she wants to send to the world? (And then I usually think to myself, 'good lord, Tracy, you are getting OLD!')
So here, finally, is my thesis---words and images on clothing matter, but when it's just words, those words speak the loudest. If I see a woman with a bird on her shirt, I might think 'she's a free spirit' or 'she likes birds' or 'what a cute shirt.' But if her shirt says "I LOVE EAGLES" then I know something concrete, don't I? She's a billboard for a certain belief. Sure, shirts with just words can bear more than one interpretation (irony, anyone?) but I think most viewers take them at proverbial face value. If your shirt says "I don't care" then a reasonable person is going to assume a reasonable thing about you...that you don't care and whatever you are doing while wearing that shirt is of no consequence to you.
I'm always arguing for dress that is appropriate to the occasion. I'd never say "a woman over 40 cannot wear a trendy jacket." I hate purely age-based fashion rules, and I know plenty of remarkably fashionable women who flaunt them. But as I've aged, I've begun to question when I can or should wear a shirt with words on it. I'm 54 years old, and while I'd love to be mistaken for 35 (dream on, Revels!) I don't want to be mistaken for an immature and shallow person of any age. I like being casual, but I don't want to be slovenly, and I certainly don't want anyone to look at me and think 'really, lady?' because of an ill-chosen script. I tell myself that a t-shirt with something on it is OK for the house or a quick trip to grab bread at Publix, or to show my solidarity with my college and my department (I love my shirt that reads 'Badass Historian'---wore it while giving Final Exams!) but when I'm truly 'in public,' maybe I need a different, more mature look.
So does Melania's jacket matter? In the long run, probably not, and yes, there are many more important things that we should be discussing. But for those of us who have an interest in clothes and fashion, I think it's a discussable moment. I would never say that clothes with messages should be banned or discarded completely after a certain age, because there's still that part of me that's turning 13 years old and is so excited about a new, somewhat daring thing in my wardrobe. But this First Lady kerfuffle is a good reminder that clothes TALK. They send messages whether we think about them or not. (Ever heard the old expression that the only way not to talk with your clothes is to go naked? Admittedly, that would send another signal entirely!) And, especially for people who are going to be in the public gaze, it might be worth taking that extra moment, before slipping into something, to ask 'What does this say? Is this going to send a message about me that I really don't intend it to send? Is this reflective of who I am? Is it just going to confuse people?' Melania's jacket left me scratching my head---though perhaps that was her intent all along.
