Ivanka Trump descended upon Bogota, Colombia, this week to talk about women’s empowerment and left us talking about her sleeves. They were voluminous, bell-shaped swaths of green fabric. As the first daughter stood in solemn formation with the Colombian vice president, the sleeves caught a draft and attempted to launch themselves away from her body. Midair, they formed into perfect circles, and this became the hallmark photograph of the trip. Ivanka Trump from the neck up was on a mission of benign diplomacy. From the neck down, flying saucers.
It’s shallow to call attention to a minor clothing malfunction, but this viral sleeve image is what alerted many people to the fact that Ivanka Trump — who, after all, is not an elected official with a dedicated press corps — was in Latin America at all.
To understand exactly what she was doing there, your best hope was to follow the itinerary she unspooled on Instagram: She launched the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, which, she said, was “designed to equip women with the practical skills they need to create sustainable businesses and to participate more fully in the global economy.” She participated in a wreath-laying ceremony. She met with Colombia’s president and vice president, and then she prepared to head to Argentina and Paraguay for more of the same.
View the complete September 5 article by Monica Hesse on The Washington Post website here.