An in-depth analysis of Melania Trump's totally bonkers Vanity Fair Mexico cover

In light of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s cancellation of his meeting with Donald Trump yesterday and Trump’s subsequent proposed 20% border tax on Mexican imports (and this whole wall situation), it seems like US-Mexico relations are a maybe little tense. But the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico tells a different story.

This month, none other than First Lady Melania Trump is on the cover of the Mexican version of Vanity Fair, in all her glory, twirling a silver rope chain, possibly diamond-encrusted, on a spoon as if it was spaghetti. You know, stuff everyday Americans do. Clearly, she’s committed to continuing former FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s legacy, promoting healthy eating habits

It’s very weird timing, considering everything that’s going on, as well as Donald Trump’s huge feud with the American edition of Vanity Fair. The cover is also an unsettling exercise of soft power (honestly, it’s surprising that President Trump hasn’t tweeted about it yet) and as you would imagine, it’s far from popular with people in Mexico.

Interestingly enough, though, that photo wasn’t taken specifically for Vanity Fair. Shot by Douglas Friedman, the photos appeared in a GQ story on Melania last April, but that’s not the only similarity between the two features, both published in Condé Nast publications. The Vanity Fair cover, which hails her as the “New Jackie Kennedy,” includes a quote from Melania about Botox: “Rechazo el bótox y las inyecciones, creo que on perjudiciales para la cara y los nervous. Todo es mio.“

That translates to, “I reject botox and injections, I think they’re harmful to the face and nerves. It’s all mine,” which is a little…similar to the quote she gave Julia Ioffe for the GQ story: “I’m against Botox, I’m against injections; I think it’s damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It’s all me.”

So…this is clearly the same feature. Condé Nast publications are presumably allowed to share these sorts of things, but still…way to coast, Vanity Fair Mexico! It’s appropriate, though, given that one time Melania plagiarized from Michelle Obama. Everything is suspicious!