But not the cover girl of «Vanity Fair» – Melania Trump continues to hide

It had started promisingly with Melania Trump and the fashion world. After her husband's inauguration in Washington in January, there was one major topic of conversation: the First Lady's headwear. She wore an enormous black hat with a white band. The brim was so large, she was barely recognizable underneath.

But the hat, and indeed her entire appearance, also demonstrated that the fashion world had come to terms with the Trumps. Melania Trump's hat was designed by New York designer Eric Javits, her coat by Adam Lippes. Jill Biden had also worn Lippes' designs. The situation was quite different during the Trumps' first inauguration in 2016: Back then, designers debated for weeks whether or not to dress Melania Trump.

Now, there's another rapprochement. The new editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair wants to feature Melania Trump on the cover, according to the tabloid New York Post.

Mark Guiducci, 36, has only been at the helm of Vanity Fair for a few months. He is the magazine's first Global Editorial Director, which means he will also be responsible for the magazine's international edition. According to US media reports, he plans to change Vanity Fair's direction. It is said to include more political content and opinion pieces. The political newsletter "Semafor," written by a former New York Times journalist, even suggested that Guiducci wanted to reorient the magazine's relationship with power. And now, he's also featuring Melania Trump on the cover.

But the editorial team rebelled against the plans of their new editor-in-chief. According to the New York Post report, several journalists threatened to resign. One senior editor told the Daily Mail that he would leave the magazine immediately if Melania Trump were featured on the cover. His team members would follow suit. He said that there would be no attempt to normalize this despot and his wife.

Others said it was just talk. No one would give up a well-paying journalism job to protest a magazine cover, the New York Post said.

The First Lady on the cover of a fashion magazine is a tradition. Vogue magazine has reserved at least one cover page for the First Lady of the United States since 1929. In 2008, Michelle Obama was on the cover of Vogue, with the caption "The First Lady we've all been waiting for." Another cover read: "The First Lady we all fell in love with." Jill Biden, wife of Joe Biden, has also appeared on the cover of Vogue several times, as have Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Reagan.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden have both been on the cover of Vogue several times.

Melania Trump, however, was not featured on the cover in 2016. Apparently, this was at the behest of former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. The First Lady hasn't appeared on a Vogue cover this year either. She has now received a request from Vanity Fair.

Vanity Fair magazine is owned by the same publisher as Vogue, Condé Nast, one of the largest media companies in the United States, which also publishes magazines such as The New Yorker and GQ. In the 1990s, the golden age of magazine journalism, Vanity Fair published extensive investigative reports on current events, such as the murder trial of former football star OJ Simpson and the child sex abuse of Michael Jackson.

Today, the magazine increasingly focuses on people journalism, and it has lost relevance. Guiducci's predecessor, Radhika Jones, had advocated for more diversity in the pages of Vanity Fair during her time as editor-in-chief. However, she also focused primarily on reporting from Hollywood.

That's supposed to change under Guiducci. But what Guiducci really intends to do with Vanity Fair, besides the Melania cover, remains a mystery for now.

The media's relationship with the president has become even more complicated this year. For months, Trump has been cracking down on media outlets that report critically on his presidency; just this week, he threatened to revoke NBC and ABC's broadcast licenses. Condé Nast is also referred to as Condé Nasty in parts of the Make America Great Again movement. "Nasty" means something like disgusting or nasty.

Perhaps a cover shot of Melania would have changed this reputation. But she declined long ago. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, she has barely appeared in public and given interviews. She told Vanity Fair she didn't have time for a cover story. She had more important things to do.