Michelle Obama and Melania Trump, the seven differences
The two women have opposing styles that distance them, despite maintaining a cordial relationship
A new American president, a new first lady in the White House. A truism that does not avoid the comparison with its predecessor, although it is far below the thousands of analyzes that have already been made evaluating the personalities of Donald Trump and Barack Obama. The protagonism of this article is for the double "M", that of Michelle and Melania, two of the women who appear in the spotlight of the news news.
One, "the boss mom," as she described herself shortly after becoming first lady, leaves. And her legacy has not been precisely one of those that rest in the shadow of her husband. Michelle was recently meeting in the Oval Room of the White House with Melania, with whom she shared tea and opinions. A cordial meeting, judging from the tweet that Trump himself made assuring that his wife had liked Michelle very much.
Beyond these words and the declarations of kind intentions, an adjective that does not tend to hang frequently on the figure of the new president, the truth is that it is not necessary to take off the title of official analyst to realize that the outgoing and entree have more differences than common ground. Without wanting to tip the balance on either of them, these are the aspects that, today, separate the two women.
1- The political weight
Attending to the most obvious, the political plane, the differences between Michelle and Melania are abysmal. The still first lady has proven on more than one occasion to be a person of strong convictions and an overwhelming personality, be it at political rallies, campaign events or at university graduation parties. A media prominence that, at least initially, does not seem to share Trump's wife who has been seen little in the campaign since her husband announced his candidacy in June 2015.
Without going any further, in the last - and controversial - Trump press conference - in which some of her children did attend, Melania was one of the absences that attracted the most attention. A little political role that has little to do with Michelle's charisma, much more used to moving around this scene, being active and influential. In an interview for Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Melania acknowledged that she did not want to be a politician publicly: “That is my husband's job. I am very political in private ”.
2- The charisma
And if one thing has been emphasized about Michelle Obama in recent years is her charisma and popularity, to the point that many see her as a good Democratic candidate to be president of the United States for the next elections. Her character has also been enhanced by a recognized sense of humor, as evidenced by her participation in the successful television program Carpool Karaoke, where the first lady seduced the audience by giving a fun interview where she had no problem singing and playing. with the presenter. Melania Trump does not start with an advantage in this chapter, a discreet woman who many have described as cold and spare. There are those who even go further and suggest that she is a puppet in the shadow of her husband, something that Michelle did not have to go through.
When she spoke at the Republican conference last July, Melania Trump's speech caused quite a stir, and not precisely because of its political content or because of her intentions. The future first lady was harshly accused of having plagiarized Michelle's ideas, something that did not help to forge a different personality.
3- The trajectory
Michelle Obama studied Sociology and African American Studies at Princeton University in New Jersey. Later, she obtained a law degree from Harvard, until she was considered one of the ten best lawyers in the United States. In her hometown, Chicago, she began working for a law firm, where she would meet her future husband.
This career contrasts with that of Melania Trump who enrolled at the University of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana, although she only completed the first year. At the age of 16, she began her modeling career discovered by a local photographer, and in 1996 she moved to New York in search of the American dream. Two years later, she met her current husband, whom she met at a private party.
4- Her love stories
The relationship of the two couples, especially in the early stages, is also very different from each other. Michelle met Obama at the law firm for which they worked, and their first romantic date, including ice cream, has gone public, to the point that a movie has been made: Southside with you. The Obamas married in 1992 and have two daughters, Sasha and Malia, who were seven and ten when they moved into the White House.
In 2004, Melania and Donald made their relationship public in the famous reality show The Apprentice, after meeting at a private party, although everything seems to indicate that in their case it was not a crush on the same night, since he asked for the phone number but she didn't give it to him that day. They married in 2005 and, for another year, they had Barron, their only child in common. The former model is the third wife of the new president, having previously married Ivana ZelnĂcková (1977-1992) and Marla Maples (1993-1999). With the Czech model she had her three oldest children, Donald Jr (1977), Ivanka (1981) and Eric (1984). From his relationship with the American actress, Maples, his fourth daughter was born in 1993: Tiffany Ariana. Donald Trump also has eight grandchildren.
5- Unique first ladies, but for different reasons
Both Obama and Trump can boast of having contributed a differential fact as first ladies. Michelle will go down in history as the first black woman to become the first lady of the United States, a position from which she has defended inclusion and promoted actions in favor of the defense of equal rights. For her part, Melania will not be remembered for being the first ex-model to live in the White House, since other first ladies like Pat Nixon and Betty Ford were also, but she can assure herself that she is the first to have posed nude in a magazine and the only third wife of a president. It's something.
6- The style
Melania Trump, 47, is 1.80 tall and has a figure that fits perfectly to a Spanish size 36 or 38. An exuberant appearance that contrasts with that of Michelle Obama, 52, who in addition to exceeding 1.80 in height, proudly wears a size 44. If we talk about style, it is true that both have become references for fashion and for all kinds of women, although each with its own particular stamp. Obama prefers dresses with a flared skirt, which highlight her curvy figure, and are usually colorful. On the other hand, Melania opts for the straight cut and the white color in her clothes that highlight her stylized figure.
They are also usually different in shoes. Melania is usually faithful to her high-heeled Louboutins, with light colors or sparkles that she combines with long dresses or minidresses. Michelle usually combines any shoe with the dress she wears, although her favorites are the versatile nude colored pumps. Finally, in the hairstyle they also differ. While Michelle is a lover of look changes, Melania always sports her loose hair with waves at the ends. She is rarely seen with updos or other hairstyles.
7- Presence in social networks
The future first lady also does not share one of the great hobbies of her husband and Michelle Obama: their presence on social networks. In fact, it's one of the vices that she would like Donald to give up, especially after he's already gotten into some trouble, like when he recently criticized Meryl Streep. In a speech five days before the campaign, Melania referred to the harassment suffered by children, especially online: “It is terrible when (harassment) happens in a schoolyard, and it is completely unacceptable when someone does it without name, which is hidden on the Internet. We have to find better ways to honor and support the basic goodness of our children, especially on social media. "
Michelle Obama, very influential in any communication medium, is much more activated in social networks, either through her official account as first lady or her personal account. In her own, she accumulates almost seven million followers, for the 700,000 that Melania has on her Twitter. Also on Instagram the difference in followers between the two is abysmal.
