Melania Trump is one of the most famous women in the world thanks to her status as the First Lady of the United States. She’s also a former model and fashion icon that’s been known to make some pretty bold (and downright controversial) choices when it comes to her style. And that includes the fact that she’s rarely seen without a pair of sunglasses.

Take a look at the Instagrammed evidence via Trump’s own account. If you spotted her “sightseeing traditional Basque Culture in Espelette” while on a trip to the Biarritz area in France, you might have noticed that she was wearing sunglasses, which is totally understandable since she was outdoors. And if you caught a glimpse of the First Lady spending time with “men and women in uniform on USS George H.W. Bush,” then you again saw her wearing sunglasses at a seemingly appropriate time.

However, you might have also spotted her wearing sunglasses at what some might consider moments when you should definitely take off your shades, such as the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and while standing by the graves of fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. Frankly, Trump has even been spotted wearing her sunglasses at night, as if inspired by the Corey Hart song.

So there’s really only one question left to ask: what’s up with Melania Trump and her sunglasses?

Melania Trump only wears the best

For starters, the First Lady doesn’t wear just any sunnies! According to Pop Sugar, “[W]e’re here to tell you that Melania Trump should not just be remembered as the ‘sunglasses at night’ FLOTUS, for she wears plenty of standout styles during the day, too. From Dolce & Gabbana shades to her mirrored aviator lenses and Saint Laurent tortoise rims, it seems as though Melania’s collection of sunglasses extends just as far as that of her bags or shoes.”

For instance, she selected a pair of square Gucci sunglasses (which will put you back around $360) for a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery that took place in January 2017. And while boxy shapes seemed to be her preferred choice, in July of that same year, she opted for cat-eye sunglasses (do you have $280 in your wallet?) while in Germany for the G20 Summit. Then she stepped out in visor top sunglasses (a style that can be in the $450 range) during her time in France that same month. To mix things up, that August, she selected gold-rimmed aviators (something she likely spent around $322 on) to go with her bomber jacket and Manolo Blahnik heels while accompanying her husband, President Donald Trump, to check in on victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Being politically stylish (or stylishly political?) isn’t cheap.

Melania Trump is shaded for her seemingly shady shades

Whatever you feel about the shades themselves, Melania Trump’s habit of wearing sunglasses at odd or arguably inappropriate times has resulted in criticism — which is either totally justifiable or overly-critical, depending on who you’re asking.

When the First Lady accompanied the President to pay their respects to allied forces in on the 75th anniversary of D-Day while in Normandy, France in June 2019, she failed to take off her sunglasses and wore them throughout the solemn ceremony. Many people were offended, claiming the act showed a lack of respect, and took to Twitter to express their feelings. One social media user stated that “Melania could not take off her big black sunglasses [to] show some humanity,” while another person commented on the fact that it was simply “rude!”

And that was not the first time people were raising their eyebrows over the fact that Trump had chosen to wear sunglasses during an event when perhaps she should have slipped them off. During that 2017 stop at Arlington National Cemetery, people were again quick to question the situation. “Why is #Melania Trump wearing sunglasses at the wreath laying ceremony at Tomb of the Unknowns? Is that even appropriate?” one person wrote. Another Twitter user asked, “Is Melania Trump part of secret service? Shouldn’t she have taken off her sunglasses?!?!? No one told her?”

One individual even noted that the sunglasses weren’t needed, writing, “Sunglasses not a good look for Melania, especially not on overcast January afternoon at [a] national cemetery.”

There may be an unexpected reason for Melania Trump's sunglasses

According to an expert, there may be more to the trendy-yet-iffy eye-shading lenses than you might expect. Fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen told the Mirror Online (which was reported via its Daily Express subsidary) that Melania Trump may have a very specific reason for wearing sunglasses, even at odd times — perhaps especially at odd (and difficult) times. “She tends to wear sunglasses and hats to shield herself from the public eye,” Karen explained. “As she’s stated in previous interviews, she often feels as though she is being bullied.”

This theory is backed up by the fact that Trump admitted during a 2018 conversation with ABC News that she considers herself to be one of the most bullied people in the world. That’s perhaps why sunglasses aren’t enough. Karen also thinks that the First Lady’s habit of adding hats to her outfits is another way to shield herself, saying, “I believe that the hat serves as armour of some sort. When she’s looking out into the audience, she cannot see the entire crowd due to her sunglasses or her hat.”

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