Black History Month is closing out with President Donald Trump declaring DEI dead during the State of the Union address. More outrageous, his rhetoric around immigration and ICE during the speech left little doubt about how his administration feels about Black and Brown communities.
Then, many might remember how earlier in the month, the president posted a video portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as animals, prompting Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green to hold up a sign during the SOTU address that said, “Black People Are Not Apes.”
Yet somehow, bronzed skin, fuller lips, curves, and hip-hop influence remain very much in style on that side of the aisle.
This is why social media is having a field day with Karoline Leavitt’s photo op moment with the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team.
View on Threads
The 28-year-old press secretary showed up polished — black top and bottom, a white Peter Pan collar, powder-blue trench coat as she stood between Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes and White House deputy director of communications Margo Martin. But the internet noticed something the stylist apparently missed. Her face and hands read noticeably tanned, while her ankles, peeking out just below the hemline, told a completely different story.
Threads users wasted no time weighing in. “Nearly spit out my oatmeal,” joked one person.
“Gotta take that Jergens natural glow all the way down down to your cankles,” one person wrote.
Another quipped, “Such white ankle trash.”
A third chimed in, “I thought self-tanner when pregnant was a no-no.”
“Looks like she’s been playing in daddy’s makeup drawer,” one commenter posted.
The moment reopened a familiar conversation about cosmetic presentation in this administration.
Donald Trump’s long-discussed bronzed complexion has been the subject of commentary for years. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, speaking on the podcast “Advisory Opinions,” once recalled seeing Trump apply his own makeup on himself during campaign travel, confirming suspicions that the glow is deliberate.
When attention drifted away from tone, it settled on tailoring.
Leavitt may be the youngest person to hold the press secretary position, but critics frequently say her wardrobe leans decades older.
“She’s criminally unstylish,” one user joked.
Another added, “Why doesn’t she have a stylist. Such frumpery.”
That scrutiny isn’t new. A pink tweed ensemble posted last summer on her Instagram triggered similar reactions. People called her frumpy and said that the outfit aged her significantly. In fact, they said she was wearing a “grandma outfit for her old man” in the photograph.
In the hockey photo, standing beside players close to her age, the structured collar and classic coat amplified what many view as a generational disconnect, even sharper.
By the time you read through the Threads, many commenters settled on a simple explanation: white nylon stockings. That would account for the sharp contrast from ankle to face.
But even if hosiery explains the optics, it doesn’t quite address the bigger question floating through the replies: why is this blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman so tanned in this picture?
The internet may have solved Karoline Leavitt’s stocking mystery. The tan and her desire to have one, however, are still up for debate.
