Just a
couple of days ago, the world was reeling from images of children in cages at the Texas border,
having been taken away from their parents due to immigration issues, with the
realisation that more than 2,300 children were separated from their
families between mid-April and early June. This sparked
shock the world over, with some 18.5 million dollars raised for RAICES in Texas, which serves
people in the region defending themselves against deportation in Immigration
Court, within days. Then came the announcement that President Trump had signed
an executive order to end family separations at
the border, seemingly in response to the public outcry.
And today,
the media coverage and furore around Mrs Trump’s choice of jacket when visiting
children separated from their parents and held at the Texas border has everyone
up in arms again.
Rightly so?
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The Zara
jacket in question says ‘I Really Don’t Care, Do U?’. A bold statement, in any
situation, but one that has been judged by many as crass and insensitive given
the appointment she was on the way to at the time.
But it’s
just a jacket! True, Melania is entitled to wear what she wants and may not
have given the jacket a second thought when she threw it on. In fact, I sincerely
hope she didn’t give it a thought when she chose it out of all the options she
must have had. Because do we really think she was consciously trying to imply
she did not care about the plight of the migrant children?
Regardless of the intentions, Melania must have seen or been made aware
of the media response when she was first spotted, on the way to meet migrant
children, but she still chose to put the jacket back on. This either means that
a) she indeed doesn’t care, this time to the response she garnered, and / or b)
the people around her can’t see the issue with the choice of clothing either,
and haven’t advised her differently. Perhaps they did, but Melania, in true
Trump fashion, stuck to her way of doing things. It seems this is how her
husband wants to spin it, since citing the choice of jacket as his wife’s
commentary on her views on the ‘fake news’ media.
This could be read as the Trumps
being accountable for their actions and not relying on a PR spin machine to
sort out their problems, and some will like the courage they have in their
convictions. But it could also indicate a PR team that also seems a tad out of
touch with popular feeling. The First Lady’s press team responded with: "It's a jacket. There was no hidden message.
After today's important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn't going to choose
to focus on her wardrobe,". Damage limitation or unapologetically defiant?
The intentions of Melania’s visit have been overshadowed by her wardrobe choice
– but everything someone of her stature is open to scrutiny.
Trump is a divisive person and there’s no doubt that his actions and
those of his wife will always cause controversy – but the lack of thought on
this particular issue, given the timing and sensitivity of the story, does more
to court negativity from those at home and overseas.
Contextual awareness and emotional intelligence are two qualities we
expect of our politicians and figures of authority and an instance such as this
undermines both. The swell of feeling is supported by fashion brand Wildfang
almost immediately launching an
"I really care, don't you?" jacket parody, which has already sold
out, with sales being pledged to a refugee and immigrant support service based
in Texas. I wonder how Zara’s sales will fare? Perhaps, from a reputational
standpoint, they should consider removing the item altogether, to reduce risk
to their own image because of the new context it has been used within.
It may be ‘just a jacket’, but it’s been a misstep for those who aren’t
fans of what Mr Trump stands for, and a misunderstanding for those who agree
with his stance – either way, it’s reinforced perceptions.
Post by Senior Lecturer in PR, Kelly O'Hanlon
Media interviews: BBC WM, Drivetime, 22.06.18
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