Melania Trump Dragged Into Jill Biden Patterned Stockings Criticism

The fashion choices of first ladies are often scrutinized. That was the case when Dr. Jill Biden was pictured getting off a plane on April 1, wearing an all-black ensemble that included a fitted blazer, pleated skirt, patterned stockings and black booties.

The outfit was debuted after Biden played an April Fool's prank on reporters and staff aboard the flight back to Washington, D.C. from California. According to a pool report, she had dressed up as a flight attendant and handed out Dove ice cream bars.

Pictures of the outfit as she got off the plane sparked a social media debate, attracting both praise and criticism for the first lady.

Several days later, her style is still dividing opinions—with some comparing Biden to former first lady Melania Trump, leading to the latter's name to trend on the platform on Monday.

One Twitter user claimed 69-year-old Biden is too old to wear "fishnets", while Trump "has the legs" to pull off the look better.

Reporter April Ryan described Biden's look as "sophisticated sexiness," while comedian Terrence K. Williams branded it "trashy."

Others defended the first lady by bringing up Trump's history of nude modeling.

"Republicans are really criticizing Jill Biden over fishnets when you couldn't ask kindergartners to Google Melania without porn showing up," tweeted Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow. "You can't make this sh*t up."

Another Twitter user added: "Dr. Jill Biden is a teacher. Melania was a soft porn star. Nuff said."

However, others condemned such criticism of Trump as sexist.

Jessica Ellis, a writer, tweeted: "If you think 'Jill Biden should be able to wear whatever she wants, plus Melania was slutty trash' I have unfortunate news for you about whether that is feminism."

Allison Galbraith, a former congressional candidate, tweeted that Biden was "rockin'" the outfit. "We can all say that without trashing Melania is all I'm saying," she added.

In another tweet, she said she hoped Biden "starts wearing all sorts of weird things to normalize wearing whatever you want AND mock folks for losing their minds over it. But by no means do we need to tear down *other* women, like them or not, to defend our own."

Others noted that Trump should be criticized for her character or actions, not for her modeling career.

"It's dumb and sexist to whore-shame women, regardless of which president they call their husband," the cultural critic Soraya McDonald added.

"Melania's a birther and that's plenty evidence of her character. I do not give one single solitary f**k that she's been photographed nude and neither should you."

Reporter J.E. Reich said: "Honestly, women are allowed to dress and do as they please, as all people are? If we're going to criticize Melania, it should be about her stance on, say, immigration and human rights—not about her means of making a living."