A wooden statue of Melania Trump has been erected in her honour — but it’s not exactly going down well with her supporters.
The “conceptual” statue — and we’re using that term generously — was built in Slovenia, near the First Lady’s hometown of Sevnica, a small town in the foothills of the Slovene Alps.
The artwork, commissioned by US artist Brade Downey and created by artist Ales Zupevc, was supposed to depict her wearing the iconic blue outfit she wore to President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
But locals have jumped to criticise the statue, deeming it a “disgrace” and saying it bears no resemblance to Ms Trump.
In the interest of fair and balanced journalism, we’ll sit back and let you be the judge. Here’s a photo of the First Lady at the 2017 inauguration:
… and here’s the statue:
Need some further comparisons? Again, here’s the real Melania, strutting with purpose:
… and here’s the statue of her, staring pensively out into the distance:
Here it is surrounded by a nice sprinkling of greenery:
And here, to haunt you for the rest of your days, is another close-up of its face:
Locals have complained about the wooden sculpture, deeming it a “disgrace” and saying it poorly portrays the First Lady.
“It doesn’t look anything like Melania,” one local told ITV. “It’s a smurfette. It’s a disgrace.”
Another said: “It’s not okay. It’s a disgrace. That’s what I have to say.”
But others actually took a positive view of it. Sevnica resident Katarina Klenovsek told the BBC the artwork represented fulfilling the American Dream, or something.
“You know what makes her resemble Melania? Look at how high she climbed to the top, just like real Melania, who rose to the top of America. A little girl from Sevnica. Hats off to her,” she said.
Mr Downey told Reuters he wanted to “have a dialogue” with the US political situation.
Ms Trump’s hometown has experienced a massive tourist boom since she entered the White House.
Slovenia is not shy about taking advantage of her high profile, with the country’s official website now featuring the tagline “the homeland of the new First Lady of the United States of America!”
Guided tours have sprung up to take tourists to sites associated with Mrs Trump’s early life, including her childhood homes in Sevnica, her former high school and places she worked during her 20s as her modelling career was taking off.
Locals decorated their homes with the stars and stripes during the presidential campaign and a large American flag has been raised in Sevnica’s Liberty Square.
Hopefully this sculpture will see those tourists continue to flow in.
