Melania Trump’s Airbrushed Look In Official White House Portrait Faces Accusations of Filter and Heavy Photoshop
First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, 54, unveiled her official White House portrait on Jan. 27 following her husband, President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, who photographed Mrs. Trump for her official portrait in 2017, also took the new black-and-white image of Melania.
She posed for her latest portrait on Inauguration Day (Jan. 20) in the White House residence’s Yellow Oval Room with The Washington Monument in the background.
Melania wore a black Dolce & Gabbana pantsuit with a white shirt for her new White House picture. However, the former model’s face is what garnered a lot of attention.
The image was shared on the verified FLOTUS, POTUS, and White House Instagram pages. All three accounts have a combined 27.6 million followers.
However, many social media users seem to believe the image has been altered, accusing the Slovenian-born first lady of heavily modifying her photo.
“Airbrush and a filter on an official portrait… baby we know the face is sinking,” someone tweeted in reaction to Melania’s photograph.
Another person joked, “The 50 layers of Facetune.” Additionally, a third person wondered if the photo was artificial intelligence created by asking, “Does it look like AI only to me?”
“This is so over-softened on her face and touched up that it is almost AI-like. I thought the world had moved on to more real, less Photoshop use in images, but it seems not for the Trumps,” read another tweet.
The “Melania” memoir author’s portrait also received positive reviews. Many of her supporters praised her look.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad photo of her, she’s so gorgeous!” a fan declared.
A like-minded person added, “That portrait screams confidence! Love the classic black-and-white vibe – totally chic!”
“She is not playing around this time,” one of Melania’s backers proclaimed. “She is so much more confident I’m telling you now. You do not want to mess with this woman.”
Previously, Melania faced allegations of excessively editing her 2017 White House portrait during her husband’s first term as president.
“Melania’s official portrait reminds me of how I once used iPhoto’s retouch feature to ‘airbrush’ my college photos into blurry oblivion,” one person tweeted in April 2017.
While detractors focused on the possibility that both of Melania’s official portraits were purposely altered to make her look better, there were also major differences between the two images.
The first photo was taken in color and showcased Melania with her arms crossed. The Be Best anti-bullying campaign promoter appeared in the second monochrome photo with her hands pressed on a table.
When political analyst Robert Collins spoke with Newsweek, he explained how Melania’s background as a former fashion model helped in what some described as her powerful moment.
“The black-and-white choice is designed to communicate the seriousness of her position, which indicates that she might be planning on taking a more active role in the administration,” Collins stated. “Or at least more active than she did in the first term.”
The BBC spoke to Mahaux on Jan. 27 about being the photographer behind the camera for Melania’s two White House portraits.
“I was really honored to be chosen to shoot this official portrait for the second time,” Mahaux told the British outlet. “As an artist, to work with such an inspiring woman is a great privilege. She is a perfectionist and is really involved in the creative process.”
Melania plans to extend her Be Best initiative as part of her second-term agenda. But the public seems far more interested in the first lady’s appearance than her goals at the moment.
Before talk about her new photo developed online, Trump’s current wife got mixed responses for her outfit at his Inauguration ceremony in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20.
Melania’s decision to wear an Eric Javits-designed wide-brim navy blue hat alongside the then-president-elect Trump drew comparisons to McDonald’s Hamburgler character.
Her dark ensemble also had observers sarcastically claiming the mother of one looked like she was attending a funeral for the United States after Trump defeated now-former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
