When Melania Trump strode purposefully onto the dais at yesterday’s second presidential debate, she was the very image of polished chic. The hair was blown out, the skin was bronzed, the stiletto was spindly and the blouse had a pussy bow.
Yes, you read that right. When Melania Trump, potential future First Lady, accompanied her husband Donald Trump to the debate she was wearing a bright fuschia shirt festooned with an un-missable pussy bow.
The reason all eyes were on Melania’s shirt was not because it was hot off the Gucci runway (pricetag: upwards of $1,100) but because of the unmistakeable namesake of that aforementioned bow. Pussy>. The colloquial term that her husband had said he loved to “grab” in video leaked just the day before the debate.
The Internet has exploded with theories: That Melania was trolling her husband, Hillary Clinton, the world; That Melania, who was so contrite in her statement about #TrumpTapes – “The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know” – was using her statement shirt to make a much more powerful statement; That Melania was using fashion as a passive aggressive weapon; That Melania, resplendent in bright pink, grinning her Cheshire cat grin, was demanding that she be seen.
Or… maybe it means nothing at all.
Melania herself has come out (via a spokesperson, since the Republican National Congress and the now-infamous speechgate Melania is seen but not heard) in response, saying that the choice of blouse was “not intentional.”
And let’s add to that line of thinking: it’s a Gucci blouse. You’d be hard-pressed to find an item in the entire Gucci collection that doesn’t have a pussy bow. Creative director Alessandro Michele is enamoured of them and their saucy librarian connotations. It’s not just on the racks at Gucci. You’ll find versions in almost every store, from Zara to ASOS.
Lest we forget, Melania loves fashion. On previous public occasions she’s worn Roksanda Ilincic, Chanel and Christian Louboutin. Perhaps she’s just slavishly following trends like the rest of the Gucci Army.
Although yes, the style does have its roots in ancient feminist wisdom. In the ‘70s upwardly mobile office workers were advised to put a feminine spin on the traditional necktie in order to succeed in their chosen careers.
And yes, it’s tempting to try and divine all manner of cosmic meaning from Melania’s wardrobe choices, mostly because we so rarely get to hear from her at all.
But the fact is: sometimes a blouse is only ever just a blouse. Even when it has a pussy bow.
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