Decoding why Melania Trump covered her head in Vatican and not Saudi

The choice of attire and whether to cover their heads or not during their visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican, have generated much discussion.

While reports in the press following the start of US Presidents first foreign trip as President have been dominated by a whole range of issues, the one which has taken up significant space in the media spotlight has been how the ladies accompanying him dressed up.

Though this might seem to be a question only the fashion police would seem interested in, the reality is that the issue has been a topic of discussion especially given the countries that the president decided to visit.

These include Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican. All three places have conservative religious beliefs belonging to three different groups, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity (Catholic).

This is why the choice of attires of the first lady of the US, Melania Trump, and Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, have garnered much attention as all the three states have a history of conservatism when it comes to choices such as wearing of headgear, colour and length, of dresses worn by women.

And the different choices that these ladies made in these countries have heated up the discussion on the reasons behind them. The real reasons, in reality, are anyone's guess, but they can surely be seen as a mixture of personal preference, diplomatic protocol and religious dictates.

Melania Trump wore a veil to the Vatican to meet the pope but refused to cover her head when she arrived in Saudi Arabia a few days earlier to meet the king of Saudi Arabia, a country where most women are supposed to cover themselves up from head to toe.

According to reports, a spokeswoman for the first lady said that she decided to wear a black lace veil known as a mantilla as it was in line with the Vatican protocol that women during an audience with the pope should wear long sleeves, formal black clothing and cover their heads. But in the case of Saudi Arabia, the country's government had not requested that she wear a head covering.

This assumes importance as Vatican's rules on attire are also not strictly enforced with many dignitaries in the past have visited the pope with their heads uncovered. These include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's top civilian leader.

There have also been instances where those accompanying senior leaders have been more brazen about their choices of attire in presence of the religious leader. Then British Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife had violated the protocol when she wore white for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Wearing white is a privilege only allowed to royals when meeting the pontiff. Also in 1989, during a landmark meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope John Paul II the Soviet leader's wife, Raisa Gorbachev, wore a bright red dress.

But generally many women wear veils out of respect and the fact that Melania is a Catholic can also be seen as a reason for her choice. This can also be seen with her action asking the pope to bless the rosery the moment it was presented to her by a Vatican official. All woman that were present in the US delegation wore a veil, including Ivanka Trump, who had earlier converted to Judaism before marriage.

In Saudi Arabia, the first lady and Ivanka did not cover their heads but chose to dress conservatively. Melania wore a black coloured suit on her arrival to the country, which resembled dresses that Saudi women and female residents wear. Her attire during the visit followed the protocol for high-level female visitors such as a modest dress, longer sleeves, higher necklines, pants and long dresses.

This was in line with other top female dignitaries who visit the country, who also chose to leave their heads uncovered, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Merkel, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. But interestingly when Michelle, the wife of former President Obama chose to do so in 2015 she was openly criticised by President Trump.

And in Israel, the Trumps visited the holiest site where Jews pray, the Western Wall. Even Trump, donned a skull cap when he visited the wall. He also chose to wear it during his visit Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, where it is not required there.

Ivanka Trump chose to wear a black head covering to the wall, while Melania Trump did not. As a sign of modesty, many Orthodox Jewish women choose to cover their hair.

So though many might choose to read between the lines to find the real reason for the choices that the three most visible members of the American first family made, no one but them would be able to say what statement were they trying to deliver through the choice of their headgear and dress, that is if they were trying to make one at all.

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