A lot has been made of Melania Trump’s body language on her husband’s on-going overseas trip. Twice she has appeared to swat away the president’s attempts to hold her hand in what were either efforts at culturally appropriate decorum or blatant rejections of his advances. No matter her intent, the video clips sent the Internet into a tizzy. 
 
 But beyond those viral moments, the first lady has, at times, looked unenthusiastic if not downright displeased as the first couple has been paraded through diplomatic protocol and photo-ops in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Rome. Her look is a stark departure from first ladies of the past, who, generally, have displayed permanent smiles while accompanying their husbands at public events. 
 
 No matter what you think of Melania Trump or her husband’s politics, there is a subtle strength in her stone-faced expression during these command performances. As the Washington Post‘s Robin Givhan puts it: 
 
 For a woman who was once a model, who ostensibly is practiced in the art of nonverbal communication, the willingness to forgo a grin seems less like an accident and more like the tiniest declaration of personal control and rebellion. She is here for you, but she is not going to perform for you. 
 
 In a way, Melania Trump’s countenance embodies the burden of being first lady—a ceremonial role, based largely on appearances, that is hoisted on a woman only because of her relationship to a powerful man. In calling for the office of first lady to be abolished in November, Politico‘s Jack Shafer argued that by giving the president’s wife a federal budget and nonstop press coverage, “we endorse a pernicious kind of neo-nepotism that says, pay special attention to the person not because she’s earned it or is inherently worthy of our notice but because of who she’s related to by marriage.” 
 
 But at a more fundamental level, Melania Trump’s facial expression is an affront to a society that still demands that women—rather than determine their own emotional state—always smile instead. 
 
 A version of this story first appeared in Fortune’s World’s Most Powerful Women newsletter. Subscribe here. ||||| Story highlights The pontiff blessed first lady Melania Trump's rosary at the Vatican 
 
 She is the first Catholic first lady in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy 
 
 Washington (CNN) It was a small moment, buried in the news of President Trump's brief audience yesterday at the Vatican with the Pope: the pontiff blessed first lady Melania Trump's rosary. 
 
 After shaking his hand and exchanging pleasantries, the first lady held her rosary beads in her left hand, extended to Pope Francis, who then blessed them, bending to make the sign of the cross, placing his right hand over hers. The entire exchange took less than 10 seconds, but for a Catholic, a blessing of beads by the Pope is a pinnacle of holy ceremony. 
 
 That Trump even had rosary beads was news -- practicing Catholics often use the beads for prayers, moving fingers along each bead to keep track of how many times each is said, and repeated. Although Trump was raised in Slovenia, a country whose religious population is predominantly Catholic, she married Donald Trump, a Presbyterian, in 2005 at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal church in Palm Beach, Florida, and has celebrated Easter services there as recently as this year. Her 11-year-old son, Barron, who was baptized at the same church, will attend St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, in the fall. 
 
 However, the first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, today confirmed to CNN that Trump is indeed Catholic. 
 
 Shortly after her visit with Pope Francis, Trump tweeted a photo, saying she was "humbled by the honor" to have visited with the pontiff. 
 
 Today's visit with His Holiness Pope Francis @Pontifex is one I'll never forget. I was humbled by the honor. Blessings to all. pic.twitter.com/NiomkFQqJb — Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) May 24, 2017 
 
 Read More ||||| Much of the narrative surrounding Melania Trump’s wardrobe has been about which designers deliberately aren’t dressing the First Lady — as well as those whose designs she’s worn, but without any of the breathless press and fanfare that typically comes with the First Lady’s outfit selections. (Melania has also purchased the vast majority of her looks during the campaign trail ,as well as during her time as First Lady, as opposed to designers creating and gifting her pieces.) A few indie brands, like Alice Roi and former Carolina Herrera designer Hervé Pierre, have shared their FLOTUS dressing credits. Now, a major brand has followed suit: On Wednesday, Dolce & Gabbana posted a number of shots of Melania wearing its designs on the brand’s official Instagram account. ||||| $11.77 per week * 
 
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 You will be billed $66.30 per month after the trial ends ||||| With the flick of a wrist, Melania Trump — the seldom seen and even more seldom heard first lady — made herself visible this week. 
 
 The news coming out of the Middle East about FLOTUS were the swats seen around the world. Caught on video, Melania seemed to reject on two separate occasions the extended hand of her husband, President Donald Trump, during their first foreign trip as first couple. 
 
 However, the first lady actually ended up signaling her power in a much more obvious and deliberate way. With her clothing. Specifically, her belts. 
 
 When she arrived in Saudi Arabia last week, she wore an oversized gold belt over a black Stella McCartney jumpsuit. The jumpsuit was respectful; Melania was almost covered from head to toe. 
 
 In fact, the jumpsuit could be seen as a Western riff on the traditional abaya — the long, black dress that Saudi women are required to wear. The abaya covers everything except a woman's hands and face. The jumpsuit might even be considered a show of solidarity with Saudi women, except for the giant, eye-catching gold belt that would have looked completely at home at a World Wrestling Entertainment event. 
 
 The belt signaled wealth, perhaps ostentatiously; or power in a menswear kind of way and rebellion, given the abaya reference. 
 
 Even when Melania switched to more traditional first lady attire, such as dresses and skirts, she was belted. 
 
 She wore a safari-shirt dress with a brown belt to an all-women GE facility in Riyadh where, without irony, she tweeted about "great strides being made towards the empowerment of women." 
 
 In Jerusalem, a sacred site for Jews, Christians and Muslims, she chose a virginal white skirt and jacket, and again there was the belt. 
 
 Wearing a belt to signal power is nothing new. 
 
 Photos through the years of Melania Trump, America's new first lady. 
 
 Comic book hero, TV show and now movie character Wonder Woman also wears an oversized gold belt. It's part of her famously formfitting, red, white and blue, superpowered suit. At the start of the 1975 TV series, all a villain had to do was take off Wonder Woman's belt and, poof, she would lose her powers. 
 
 Throughout history, belts have been a symbol of strength. According to onceuponabelt.com, Mongols exchanged belts to cement an alliance and the Franks believed they could take an enemy's power if they could take his belt. 
 
 And for women in the Middle Ages, before there was that other go-to accessory, the handbag, belts would hold their coins and their fans. Women took a break from belts in the 1920s as the flappers wore dropped-waist dresses and dropped the belt altogether. 
 
 But in the '30s women pulled on pants and belts were back. Since then, they have taken on different forms: thin belts in the '50s, low-slung belts in the '60s, chain belts in the '70s and the embellished belts of today. Belts have never left women's fashion scene. 
 
 The woman dubbed the "Queen of Belts" by popsugar.com lives not too far from where Melania made her gold-belted touch down on foreign soil as America's first lady. Queen Rania of Jordan is known for her stylish belts. It's possible Melania was taking a cue from the Saudis' neighbor. 
 
 This is not the first time the world has tried to read the tea leaves of Melania's clothing choices. 
 
 We cannot forget the infamous Gucci blouse with the pussy bow that she wore at the second presidential debate. That was in October 2016, just two days after the release of the "Access Hollywood" tapes of her husband bragging in 2005 to TV host Billy Bush that he could grab women by their genitalia and they wouldn't do anything about it because he's a celebrity. 
 
 It's unlikely that Melania's selection of that blouse was an accident. She's a former model who knows better than most of us that clothing sends a message and who probably knew when she chose it what that bow is called. The message of the bow still remains unexplained. 
 
 One could argue that a bow is just a bow and a belt is just a belt, but when we are awash in selfies and have curated social media sites of Kardashian proportions, chances are the first lady is telling us something about herself and her politics with her clothing. 
 
 And, to me, Melania's message is a cinch. It's that she has power and no one, least of all the president, should forget it. Or he just might get swatted again. 
 
 Caryn Ward is an assistant professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. ||||| Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship has hit the headlines over the past week for all the wrong reasons; a lack of hand holding, weird body language and the resurfacing of the ‘Free Melania’ hashtag. 
 
 But the couple has a long history of strange body language and awkward encounters that have left people speculating about how much the pair actually like one another. 
 
 Melania's face while dancing with Trump reminds me of the first time I went to the gynecologist pic.twitter.com/ilgyUWH3aC — Sofiya Alexandra (@TheSofiya) January 21, 2017 
 
 One awkward moment between the pair prompted social media users to start the hashtag #FreeMelania, after video from the inauguration showed Melania’s face falling after Donald turned round to speak to her. 
 
 The inauguration prompted several widely shared examples of Donald and Melania’s seemingly unusual behavior, with Donald appearing to leave his wife outside the White House as he marched in—leaving Barack and Michelle Obama to escort the incoming first lady inside. 
 
 Later, during the pair appeared extremely awkward during their inaugural dance as president and first lady at the Liberty Inaugural Ball—in stark contrast to the Obamas’ inaugural dance in 2009. 
 
 Perhaps this could be forgiven based on the gravity of the occasion—particularly given the rumors Melania was not keen to assume the role of first lady despite her husband’s presidential ambitions—but their awkwardness has continued at other public events. 
 
 Meanwhile the Free Melania hashtag has been used on t-shirts, at women’s marches and by a number of comedians, many of whom have suggested the first lady should flee her husband. 
 
 Most recently, the pair’s body language during Trump’s first foreign trip since his inauguration has been circulating in mainstream and social media. 
 
 Footage emerged of Trump appearing to have his hand swiped away by his wife as they arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on 22 May. 
 
 The pair was filmed in a similar situation days later in Rome, when Melania moved her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear just as Trump reached for her it. 
 
 Just weeks prior to the hand-swiping incident, Melania appeared to give her husband a quick elbow jab at the White House Easter Egg Roll, when he failed to put his hand on his chest during the national anthem. 
 
 Unsurprisingly pictures of the pair behaving awkwardly in public have promoted comparisons between the couple and former president Barack Obama’s relationship with his wife Michelle. 
 
 Indeed, Obama’s former photographer has started trolling the Trumps by sharing images of the Obamas acting warmly towards one another in contrast to the Trumps’ body language. ||||| MELANIA Trump has nailed her inaugural trip as First Lady with a string of hella cute outfits. 
 
 So far she’s been to Belgium, Israel, Italy and Saudi Arabia, where Melania decided not to wear a headscarf, something Donald Trump criticised Michelle Obama for doing in 2015. 
 
 She’s been channelling her inner Business Barbie and rocking a series of fabulous two-piece suits, complete with giant belts cinched in at the waist. 
 
 It was clear she had adopted that golden rule of style — find a look you like and stick with it. 
 
 In Brussels, the suit was beige, while she went with white for a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She swapped the suit but kept with the theme with several belted coat dresses. 
 
 Here’s a round up of all her fabulous, belt-astic outfits this week. 
 
 She stepped off the plane in Belgium wearing a Michael Kors wool coat and matching shoes.
– President Trump's first international trip has given the public its longest look yet at how President Trump and Melania interact as a couple, and the Washington Post assesses. "Do they hold hands? (Not regularly.) Glance at one another lovingly or roll their eyes? (Neither, at least before the cameras.)" But don't be too quick to buy the negative press. They've been together 17 years, and the story has plenty of quotes from insiders who say they are much happier than headlines suggest. Yes, this hand-holding fail went viral, but less noticed were the times they have held hands on the trip. 'Awkward'? Speaking of that negative press, a headline at Newsweek wonders if the Trumps are "the most awkward couple in politics," running through examples going back to the inauguration. Subtle trolling: When the apparent hand swipe emerged, Pete Souza, the official photographer in the Obama White House, posted an image of the Obamas holding hands More assertive: A Financial Times writer thinks Melania is finally coming into her own as first lady. Debate all you want about that maybe-hand-slap, but "less disputed is the fact that Mrs. Trump is gradually becoming a more assertive and visible figure on the political stage—one enigmatic gesture at a time," writes Courtney Weaver. It makes sense she has laid relatively low, given that, unlike her predecessors, she is new to politics. Poker face: Unlike most previous first ladies, Melania doesn't have a "permanent" smile on her face at public functions, and that's not such a bad thing, writes Claire Zillman at Fortune. "No matter what you think of Melania Trump or her husband's politics, there is a subtle strength in her stone-faced expression during these command performances." Fashion: A post at news.com.au runs through her outfits on the trip and is impressed. "She’s been channelling her inner Business Barbie and rocking a series of fabulous two-piece suits, complete with giant belts cinched in at the waist." Refinery 29 notes that Dolce & Gabbana is the first major fashion house to boast of dressing her. Those belts: Caryn Ward at the Chicago Tribune takes an admiring dive into Melania's fashion and sees much in her choices, particularly her use of belts. "To me, Melania's message is a cinch. It's that she has power and no one, least of all the president, should forget it. Or he just might get swatted again." Her Catholicism: One thing that hasn't gotten much attention is a nugget that emerged out of her visit with the pope—confirmation that the first lady is indeed Catholic, notes CNN. That makes her the first Catholic first lady since Jackie Kennedy.