An Oval Office Photo with FLOTUS and the shame of Anna Wintour’s Censorship

For First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday, the West Wing posted a photo depicting the First Lady in the Oval Office. Mrs. Trump was posed off -center with a quizzical look completely ignored by a gaggle of reporters and photographers.

Criticism from political experts (who wouldn’t know a Richard Avedon from a Steven Meisel) across media and twitter was universal.  “AWKWARD”, “White House posts ‘deeply weird’ photo for Melania’s birthday,” cried MSN, “This is SO STRANGE” posted Mia Farrow.  Then of course, the photo was commercialized and set to ridiculous memes across the internet.

But, in fashion photography, the world that the First Lady comes from, the photo depicts a landscape. The elegant form of the period lamp, the First Lady’s beauty, and the brilliant yellow color in bouquet all align. They are against a gaggle of photographers oblivious the artistic elegance before them. The photograph speaks to how those operating the cameras miss beauty around them in their zeal for political coverage.

Sadly, if not for the censorship of Anna Wintour, this pictorial landscape would be explained and celebrated as a milestone for fashion photography now in the epicenter of the political world-the Oval Office.

Wintour could readily explain that “fashion photography is the uneasy mix of art and commerce.” For fashion photography giants like Cecile Beaton, the focus is about staging a compelling model or scene. Steven Meisel said of his iconic work: “My favourites are the ones that allow me to say something…But it’s not because they are controversial that I like them, but because they say a little more than just a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress.” The seminal work of Davina and the Elephants by Richard Avedon is “weird” and “strange”. Yet, the juxtaposition of the elephants and the beautiful model provide a photographic masterpiece of  form.

In the West Wing photo, there is a striking contrast between the artistic line of the of the lamp, First lady and flowers against the gaggle of cameras overcome with the politics of the Oval Office that they point away from and miss the line of form, beauty and color before them.

Melania Trump uses fashion as a statement and presents images from the political world in an artistic manner.  From her in your face green jacket to rocking Chanel at the Pyramids, it’s not just about wearing a designer or a particular dress. Both she and Ivanka Trump come from the fashion world. Both found their voices walking the runway and carrying art.

Shamefully, instead of embracing their fashion roots and aligning with the First Lady and Ivanka Trump to promote and achieve goals like paid leave for parents, the forced censorship by Ms. Wintour lays waste to an opportunity to celebrate self-expression through fashion and beauty.

But for a moment, we can celebrate the photographer who saw this little scene and captured it to honor the First Lady and the art that she represented in her career.