On Pitying Melania

Did you see the gif? The one that features Melania Trump, the newly installed first lady of the United States, radiantly smiling as her husband gazes upon her … and then, as he turns away, allowing the grin to melt into a frown? Grin-grimace, grin-grimace, grin-grimace, looping into eternity.

Call it a : The image seemed to reveal, in its frozen fluidity, an unspoken truth—about Melania, about her marriage, about all of us. During a time of Much News, it quickly became conversation fodder. “A Detailed Forensic Analysis of Melania Trump’s Creepy, Devastating Inauguration Smile/Frown.” shared it with the sardonic declaration that “.” magazine did a fact-check of the video the gif came from , finally, that “That Awkward Clip of Donald and Melania at the Inauguration , but warned that the video is inconclusive when it comes to its ability to reveal Melania’s emotions.) # trended.