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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSeeing red: why Melania Trump's crimson Christmas trees are so jarring
Seeing red: why Melania Trump's crimson Christmas trees are so jarring
The first ladys meme-ready holiday decorations detach viewers from nature, according to psychology experts
?itok=uN-yjARyy pioneer Dr Toby Israel of Melania Trumps holiday decorations, made from red berries.
Im not going to recognize that is a tree, said design psychology pioneer Dr Toby Israel of Melania Trumps holiday decorations, made from red berries. Photograph: Andrea Hanks/Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock
and then there was last year's . . . .whatever they were:
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Shortly after Melania Trump unveiled the White Houses Christmas decor on Monday, one key design element a forest of cone-shaped, crimson trees spurred tongue-in-cheek uproar on Twitter. These 40 meme-ready trees were compared to car-wash brushes, juxtaposed with iconic blood waves in Stephen Kings The Shining and photoshopped to don white bonnets a clear reference to the long-suffering women in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale.
While much of the lampooning was surely prompted by disdain toward her husbands policies, several psychology experts told the Guardian that Trumps holiday aesthetic may just be inherently jarring for the human psyche.
Dr Toby Israel, a pioneer of design psychology, said the heavily red set-up detaches viewers from nature, thus the psychological comfort associated with the natural world. So, for example, we have a green Christmas tree, thats about nature and the best that nature has to offer, whereas with these towering red plants: Im not going to recognize that is a tree, [as] something that connects us to the universe. The red trees also have the association of not just being different, but blood or rage, shock during an era that feels particularly violent and divided, Israel said.
The Washington Post pointed out that per the first ladys office: The choice of red is an extension of the pales, or stripes found in the presidential seal designed by our Founding Fathers. It is a symbol of valor and bravery.
. . . .
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/28/melania-trump-red-christmas-trees-white-house-decorations
RockRaven
(15,019 posts)Not tree-like at all, but solid cones. That's what looked weirdest to me.
Claritie Pixie
(2,199 posts)She is fake, the entire family is fake. No surprise she'd choose those hideous trees.
redstatebluegirl
(12,265 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,636 posts)then maybe that would have softened them. Otherwise they look unfinished and unnatural, which only accentuates the monotone.
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)This could have looked beautiful and more holiday-like.
madaboutharry
(40,231 posts)The Trumps are tasteless and gaudy people. Subtle and serene isnt in their wheelhouse. I am surprised there arent gold disco balls hanging from the ceiling.
CozyMystery
(652 posts)bdamomma
(63,930 posts)and no class, but you would think they would gravitate to green=money. Which is all that matters to these greedy treasonous bastards.
lunasun
(21,646 posts)Radiation will detach most life from nature ....
I also think of this local artist here in Chicago Nick Cave and his soundsuits
https://m.
I dont think either of my thoughts were the WH inspiration though....valor and bravery huh? Trump? No
niyad
(113,600 posts)C_U_L8R
(45,021 posts)They certainly aren't Santa red. They look more... demonic, like fountains of blood from the fiery evil pit.
niyad
(113,600 posts)Sugar Smack
(18,748 posts)WhiteTara
(29,728 posts)niyad
(113,600 posts)Hekate
(90,849 posts)Retrograde
(10,163 posts)Do U?
Hekate
(90,849 posts)Does she hire a dropout from an interior design school? A third-rate avant garde artiste? I mean really, what the hell gives with that stuff? Inquiring minds want to know.
eleny
(46,166 posts)They feel more like ...
dalton99a
(81,635 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,468 posts)Demovictory9
(32,479 posts)niyad
(113,600 posts)Demovictory9
(32,479 posts)where you buy those branches by the bucket full.
niyad
(113,600 posts)Demovictory9
(32,479 posts)I love it. just hate the crowds and parking issues.
malaise
(269,211 posts)samnsara
(17,650 posts)rzemanfl
(29,571 posts)Blue_playwright
(1,568 posts)rzemanfl
(29,571 posts)Blue_playwright
(1,568 posts)July
(4,751 posts)The identical trees or branches line a narrow path where Bolonia has her picture taken as she shows off her bizarre fashions.
Although I question whether Mrs. Chump was ever a serious haute couture model, as she claims to have been, she seems to be comfortable only when posing as a fashionista, whether in the White House or in Cairo. That's the skill that earned her a "genius" visa! Or was she just a pretty young escort who knew that a little enhancement could buy her a repulsive sugar daddy and a green card?
What a comedown she is from Michelle Obama, whose speech she plagiarized.
Ilsa
(61,700 posts)"Blood-red" trees.