First Lady Melania Trump disembarked from Air Force One on Saturday, her long brown hair blowing in the breeze as she arrived in Saudi Arabia alongsid
First Lady Melania Trump disembarked from Air Force One on Saturday, her long brown hair blowing in the breeze as she arrived in Saudi Arabia alongside President Trump. The pair were greeted warmly at the King Khalid International Airport in the capital city of Riyadh, but the First Lady’s fashion choices are causing a bit of stir.
Under the kingdom’s strict dress code, Saudi women and female visitors including foreign dignitaries are expected to be fully covered including their hair and head. While the first lady did mostly cover up in a conservative black ensemble and chunky gold belt, she opted to forego donning a headscarf or veil.
Covering one’s head isn’t required for foreigners, and Western women who have visited the country often choose not do so. Michelle Obama decided against it when she accompanied then-President Barack Obama on a 2015 condolence visit following the death of King Abdullah, something Trump railed against at the time.
Meanwhile, Melania’s decision not to cover her head earned mixed reactions on Twitter, some vehemently speaking out on behalf of the former model, others critiquing her.
Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also passed on covering their heads. As Obama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton also decided not to wear a head scarf, as did Laura Bush during her tenure as first lady.
