Melania Trump defended her nude modeling pictures in her latest promotional video for her forthing coming memoir, comparing them to the work of ‘master artists.’
‘Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work?,’ she says in the 45 second video posted to her social media accounts on Wednesday morning.
‘The more pressing question is, why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human forum in a fashion photo shoot? Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body?’
The video is just a voice-over of the former first lady. And while she doesn’t show any nude photos of herself, she does use photos of famous pieces of art, such as Michelangelo’s statue of David, in the video.
‘Throughout history, master artists have revered the human shape, evoking profound emotions and admiration. We should honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self expression,’ she says.
It marks the fourth video Melania Trump has posted to her social media accounts ahead of her memoir’s launch on October 1. It’s been an unusual marketing strategy to get people to pre-order her book.
Melania Trump has been posting videos online to sell her forthcoming memoir
It comes four days after a second assassination attempt on her husband Donald Trump. Melania Trump has yet to comment on Sunday’s incident, when a suspect was found hidden just outside of Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf club as he played a round.
In a previous video, Melania Trump demanded answers to the first attempt on her husband’s life.
The first video focused on Melania herself, where she teased it is time to give her perspective: ‘the truth.’ The second focused on her husband Donald Trump, where she questioned law enforcement’s role in the assassination attempt on her husband. The third video focused on her son Barron, where she talked about the challenges and rewards of motherhood.
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Her book, simply titled ‘Melania,’ will be released on October 1st. It is available for pre-order on Amazon for $30.
She is selling two editions: a $150 collector’s edition featuring 256 pages in full color throughout, with each copy signed by the author. The memoir edition will be 304 pages and available for $40 with signed copies available for $75.
The former first lady has been the subject of many biographies and books but this is the first time she is telling her story.
It is unclear if she worked with a co-author and if she will go on a book tour.
Photos of Melania from her modeling career surfaced in the 2016 election, the first time Donald Trump ran for president.
In 2000, British GQ published photos of Melania in various forms of undress. None of the published photos showed full frontal nudity. The pictures were taken on board Donald Trump’s private plane.
She was not married to Trump at the time. The two were dating and he allowed her to use his plane for the shoot to help further her modeling career.
She is the only first lady known to have posed naked for publication.
Antoine Verglas, the French photographer who did the shoot, told ABC News during the 2016 presidential campaign that he turned down ‘tens of thousands of dollars’ to license the Melania photos to other magazines.
He said Melania insisted there be no ‘full nudity’ in the pictures used by the magazine.
‘Melania was a very reserved person. She was definitely not someone who you would see in nightclubs or going out a lot,’ he said. ‘Pretty down to earth, very nice, very warm.’
Melania Trump worked as a model before she married Donald Trump in 2005
Melania Trump’s memoir will be released on October 1st
She also posed nude in a photo spread for a French adult magazine in 1995, a decade before she married Donald Trump.
The New York Post published the photos during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The images were originally published in the January 1996 issue of Max, a now-defunct men's magazine. They did not surface online until the 2016 election.
At the time, Donald Trump and his campaign defended her.
'Melania was one of the most successful models and she did many photo shoots, including for covers and major magazines. This was a picture taken for a European magazine prior to my knowing Melania. In Europe, pictures like this are very fashionable and common,' Donald Trump said.
And top campaign adviser Jason Miller told CNN: 'They're a celebration of the human body as art. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. She's a beautiful woman.'