Meryl Streep shares her hot take on Melania Trump's ‘I Really Don’t Care’ coat faux pas
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: During a conversation about style and public image, actress Meryl Streep talked about Melania Trump's controversial fashion moment with Anna Wintour.
Streep said these things during an interview with Vogue to promote ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2.' She talked about how the clothes we wear can have political and cultural meaning.
Streep highlights controversial jacket moment
Streep, who said that she had "so many thoughts about this," said, "I think the most powerful message that our current first lady sent was in the coat that said, 'I Really Don’t Care, Do U?' when she was going to see migrant children who were incarcerated."
"All dress is about expressing yourself, but we’re also subject to larger historical and political sweeps of expectation," Streep, 76, continued.
She suggested that such choices are often interpreted as statements, particularly when made by high-profile public figures.
The actress used the example to illustrate her broader view that clothing plays a role in shaping perception, especially for women in positions of influence.
"I’m stunned at how women in power have to have bare arms on television while men are covered in shirts and ties or a suit," the three-time Oscar winner continued.
"There’s an apology built into women. They have to show their smallness."
Discussion expands to expectations on women in power
The conversation also addressed how women in leadership roles are judged based on their appearance. Streep said that expectations for clothing often differ for men and women, with women facing additional scrutiny.
"It’s compensatory. The advancements of women in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of this one have been destabilizing. It’s as if women have to say, 'I’m little. I can’t walk in these shoes. I can’t run. I’m bare, not threatening,'" continued Streep.
Wintour, for her part, said that she doesn't think wearing a "power suit" to the office "is any way necessary."
"Think about the women that one admires: Mrs [Michelle] Obama comes to mind," Wintour, said.
"Whether she’s wearing J Crew or Duro Olowu or Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, she always looks like herself. I’m full of admiration for New York City’s new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage—young and modern and also entirely herself."
Wintour, in the same discussion, emphasized individuality in style, stating that public figures should dress in ways that reflect their identity rather than conform to specific standards. She included Melania Trump among those who maintain a consistent personal style.
"To be fair, Melania Trump also always looks like herself when she dresses," she added.
In June 2018, Trump wore the green coat when she traveled to the Upbring New Hope Children's Shelter in McAllen, Texas. She wore the coat on the way to the shelter and on the return trip, but took it off just before arriving at the shelter.
The first lady later said in an October 2018 interview with ABC News that it's "obvious I didn't wear the jacket for the children, I wore the jacket to go on the plane and off the plane."
