Melania Trump Exposed: Former NYC Roommate Dispels “Supermodel” Myth, Revealing Struggles Before Trump
The narrative surrounding Melania Trump’s past often highlights her as a “supermodel” before she met and married Donald Trump. This
Tristan Green
The narrative surrounding Melania Trump’s past often highlights her as a “supermodel” before she met and married Donald Trump. This point has been emphasized even by Donald Trump himself in recent interviews, indicating its significance to him.
However, a closer look at Melania’s background suggests a different story. Before her modeling pursuits, Melania had studied design at the University of Ljubljana. She did not complete her first semester and eventually transitioned into modeling. Her initial modeling career, though disciplined, wasn’t thriving, and she faced challenges due to what was described as her “stiffness” by a former roommate.
Back in 1995, Melania was discovered by a model scout in Milan, a friend of Trump’s, which led her to move to New York. She shared an apartment with a photographer named Matthew Atanian, who portrayed her as being dedicated to her career but not to an exceptional extent compared to her peers from the 1990s modeling era. Atanian noted that she even wore ankle weights around the apartment and adhered to a strict diet of “five to seven vegetables and fruits every day.”
It was in 1998 that Melania crossed paths with Donald Trump, which marked a turning point for both of them. Their partnership seemingly fulfilled their desires. Vanity Fair reported that Melania acquired a luxurious lifestyle and the opportunity to indulge in hobbies like Pilates and reading fashion magazines, along with a promise of a different future from her Eastern-European origins.
As their relationship developed, Melania gained further recognition when she posed for British GQ’s cover story titled “Sex at 30,000 Feet: Melania Knauss earns her air miles,” published in the January 2000 issue. The photoshoot, infamous for Melania’s nude appearance (with strategic covering), made waves.
Despite the subsequent attention and Donald Trump’s words of praise, Melania’s earlier career trajectory appears to challenge the notion of her as a supermodel from the outset.