Melania Trump accompanied her husband, U.S. President Donald Trump, to Saudi Arabia over the weekend, and as is the norm for Western female leaders visiting the kingdom, she went without covering her hair.
Every time this happens, social media goes crazy with people cheering Western female leaders for "standing up against the patriarchy." British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama have all visited the kingdom sans headscarf in recent years.
But this time, many were quick to point out the irony of Melania visiting Saudi Arabia without covering her hair. Why? Because Trump actually tweeted his criticism of Obama when she chose to visit the kingdom without a headscarf back in 2015.
He said Saudis were "insulted" by Obama's decision.
That didn't stop many of Trump's supporters from cheering Melania for doing what most female Western leaders have been doing for years.
But interestingly, while many have been applauding these women for refusing to cover their hair when visiting the kingdom, few have criticized them when they covered their hair to visit the Roman Catholic Pope at the Vatican.