Every character and critter Melania Trump was compared to after making that 2025 inauguration fashion choice

There are Melania Trump‘s latest fashion choice and the infinite comical reactions that it originated.

Observing the First Lady’s outfit choice, and mentally comparing it to the pretty Jackie Kennedy-style light blue dress of eight years ago, reminded me of that one meme “How It Started vs. How It’s Going.” On a similar but less comedic note, the unusual fashion choice – one might expect it would look more suitable in a funeral than a presidential inauguration – might have been purposeful and well thought out.

As much as Melania is often thrown – partly by her fault, one might argue – into the box of “stay there, don’t talk, and be pretty,” that is not necessarily a reflection of her intelligence. Plus, from time to time, the Slovenian native can be a bit of “a mood,” as Gen Zers would call it (there is no forgetting that one time she full-on slapped her husband’s hand away on the Tel Aviv tarmac).

Writing for The New York Times, Vanessa Friedman also commented on the distinction between the dresses the First Lady wore in Jan. 2017 and 2025. While, during the first inauguration, Mrs. Trump “was making an effort to situate herself firmly in the continuum of first ladies who had gone before. This time is different.” This time, Friedman argues, “she is drawing her own borders.”

But whatever message Mrs. Trump may have taken into consideration when picking her outfit, the slew of memes and comparisons her choice has inspired was likely not something she foresaw or intended.

Countless comparisons and memes

Melania Trump’s 2025 inauguration dress gave rise to a plethora of comparisons, not only online but also on late-night TV. Jimmy Kimmel compared her to a “goth Al Capone” and Carmen Sandiego. Stephen Colbert monologued about her look behind reminiscent of “the guy from Spy vs Spy,” J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Carmen Sandiego (yes, again). Jon Stewart denominated her choice “Audrey Hepburn-esque.” You get the gist.

Perhaps because current times are so unsettling, netizens were having a field day contributing to the extensive list of characters Mrs. Trump seemed to be cosplaying. These characters were taken from every medium, ranging from video game franchises – Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat – to fast-food chain mascots – the Hamburglar from McDonald’s.

The First Lady’s severe look reminded others of iconic protagonists from cult classics, comedies and dramas alike, such as The Mask (1994) and V for Vendetta (2005).

The allusions to fictional characters also stretched into the realm of anthropomorphic animation:

In the category of real people, other comparisons included Michael Jackson in “Smooth Criminal,” actress Joan Collins (as Alexis Carrington in Dynasty), and even, WWE’s The Undertaker – the latter of which some find fitting for more than one reason).

To face what is a very uncertain future for many, we also need some lightheartedness and laughter to keep us going. Personally, while other moments and takeaways from the ceremony had me cracking a smile, Melania Trump’s fashion choice, especially during the moments when Trump was blabbering on stage and her hat-wearing head could be seen in the corner, wide brim casting a shadow over the upper half of her face, was deliciously funny to me.

One can imagine that the First Lady chose that particular hat so she could freely roll her eyes while her husband ranted on stage about deporting millions of migrants, g a law establishing only two nationally recognized genders, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, and other such Trumpy things that, if we ponder seriously about and let the implications consume our waking days, might steal away our laughter for good.