Before Melania Trump became the First Lady of the United States, she had a flourishing career as a model. Born Melania Knauss in Slovenia in 1970, she began modelling at a young age and made her way onto various international runways and magazine covers. Before moving to New York in 1996, Melania - who speaks six languages - worked in Milan and Paris.
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Over the course of her modeling career, the former first lady - who has plans to take on the job differently this time - has done a lot of incredible work. However, one of her most controversial moments arose from a 1995 photo shoot, which resurfaced during her husband’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Melania Trump ‘stands proud’ behind her nude photo shoot scandal
In 1995, before meeting Donald Trump, Melania posed nude for a photoshoot published in the now-defunct French magazine Max. The images, which featured her posing naked with another model, resurfaced during Trump’s presidential bid and generated significant media attention.
In 2016, ahead of Trump’s presidency, The New York Post published some of these photos with sensational headlines, reigniting conversation over her modeling career.
Melania has consistently stood by her work over the years. The 54-year-old, who is set to release her memoir - Melania - next month, defended her work yet again. In a recent video posted on X to promote her memoir, she said:
Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work? The more pressing question is: Why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?
In a video that displayed some of the most recognizable nude artwork and sculptures of god and heroes, she urged that her nude work was also a ‘celebration of the human form,’ reports The Daily Beast.
https://t.co/ZCTwZSqZNDpic.twitter.com/FH9SRFQeUR
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 18, 2024
She emphasized that, throughout history, master artists have revered the human body, and her work should be viewed within that artistic context. Addressing the scrutiny, she questioned why the media focuses so heavily on these images, reports CNN. Melania added:
We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self expression.
Donald Trump defends Melania Trump’s work and urges people to buy her book
Not just Melania, her husband and former President Trump has also defended her work. During his campaign in 2016, Trump said of her nude photoshoot:
Melania was one of the most successful models and she did many photo shoots, including for covers and major magazines.
This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common.
More recently, he has urged people to buy her book hinting he may not have read it himself, as per The Independent. After Melania's announcement of her memoir’s release, Trump said during a rally at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale:
People love our First Lady. Go out and get a book. She just wrote a book. I hope she said good things about... I don’t know. I didn’t... so busy.
He added:
She just wrote a book called Melania. Go out and buy it, and if she says bad things about me, I’ll call you all up and I’ll say, don’t buy it.
Read more:
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Sources used:
New York Post: Melania Trump like you’ve never seen her before
The Daily Beast: Melania Goes Public on Naked Photoshoots for the First Time
CNN: Melania Trump says she stands ‘proudly behind my nude modeling work’
The Independent: Trump indicates he hasn’t read Melania’s new book: ‘So busy’
