The First Lady is one of the most unappreciated roles in American society. These women support their husbands through many tough times, including wild sexual controversies (like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump’s alleged sexual affairs). They also have to be the perfect hosts for any White House party while also serving as figures who inspire the entire nation.
If that’s not enough, these women have to look absolutely stunning at all times. Fortunately, these women have an army of designers and fashion experts to help them craft the perfect look. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned, and the FLOTUS ends up making a fool of herself in front of the entire nation.
Don’t think that happens? Or maybe you just want to see how bad things can possibly get? Just keep reading to discover the worst First Lady outfits in presidential history!
Melania Trump and the optics of a colonial hat
Context is always key when it comes to fashion. In some cases, it’s not what someone wears that makes for an awful outfit…rather, it’s where they wore it. And that’s something Melania Trump learned the hard way when she took a solo trip to Kenya in 2018. The trip was a big deal: she ended up meeting with Kenya’s own First Lady, checking in with the U.S. embassy, and touring cool places like Nairobi National Park.
Her outfit, consisting of a white shirt, beige pants, and high boots, was both fashionable and functional. Unfortunately, she topped it off with a Pith helmet that is famous (some would say infamous) for being what the British colonizers of Kenya wore. Just like that, Melania’s simple diplomatic visit became a major international controversy because she dressed like the oppressors who haunted Kenya’s past.
RELATED: The Priciest Outfits Ever Worn By Melania Trump
The shorts Michelle Obama never forgave herself for
First Ladies may have access to all kinds of designer clothing, but there’s a catch: American citizens generally expect a FLOTUS to be dressed in a fancy outfit for almost every occasion. That means you can’t just dress comfortably without getting called out for it. Sadly, this is something that Michelle Obama discovered when she made the fashion faux pas of wearing shorts to visit the Grand Canyon alongside her famous family.
For the average citizen, there’s nothing all that remarkable about wearing shorts for such a visit…honestly, Arizona gets pretty darn hot, so shorts are a great way to beat the heat while staying very flexible. However, Michelle Obama was FLOTUS when she and her family visited the Grand Canyon, and many critics felt the shorts were so informal that she was basically insulting the office of the presidency. Even Michelle agreed, later dubbing these shorts the worst fashion decision she had ever made.
Jill Biden dressed like a fruit bowl for New Year’s
Compared to other First Ladies, Jill Biden usually dresses very conservatively. She wasn’t a fashion trendsetter like Michelle Obama, nor was she a former model like Melania Trump. Instead, you can usually count on Jill to dress like a church lady who wants to really impress her preacher. But we’re not sure who the heck she was trying to impress when she wore this bit of colorful craziness to New Year’s Eve 2023.
She didn’t just wear this to a small party…instead, this is what she decided to wear when she appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. There, she was absolutely glowing with charisma as she encouraged everyone to be excellent to one another. Sadly, her sweet message was buried under all the online comments wondering why she dressed like a walking, talking fruit bowl to such a major media event. It’s possible that Jill learned her lesson: not only had she never worn anything this crazy before for New Year’s Eve, but she would never again wear an outfit so crazy.
RELATED: Has Jill Biden Secretly Had Plastic Surgery?
Michelle Obama: (bare) armed and dangerous
As we said before, First Lady fashion faux pas are usually context-specific. For example, nobody blinks an eye when Melania Trump wears fashionable heels…except when she wore them to tour flooded areas of Texas in 2017. Similarly, nobody is surprised when Michelle Obama wears a tasteful black dress. But when she wore a dress that exposed her bare arms for her first official portrait as FLOTUS, the entire internet lost its collective mind.
As with the aforementioned shorts, some critics hated this look because they thought it was way too informal for a First Lady. Others thought it was odd that she was rocking bare arms in wintertime when this photo was taken. Honestly, we think she looks pretty good here, but the damage was done: whether the critics really hated her outfit that much or whether they just had beef with Michelle Obama, this remains the most controversial look in FLOTUS history!