Melania Trump Is Nearly Unrecognizable In Curly-Haired Photos From The Year 2000

There's no denying that Melania Trump has transformed herself over the years, from growing up in present-day Slovenia, to living it up in Trump Tower, and now being the first lady for a second time. Along the way, she has curated her own style, which has sometimes led to serious makeup fails. And while her makeup and clothes, especially a scandalous jacket Melania wore, usually get all the attention, her hair has also gone through drastic changes since the early aughts. Melania's straight hair has become as much a part of her as her stern look and steely eyes, but there was a time at the turn of the century, before she became Donald Trump's third wife, that Melania rocked curly locks. 

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In the photo above, Melania Trump, then Melania Knauss, stepped out to the opening of the Broadway musical "Aida" in March 2000 showing off a lion's mane of hair. She and Donald went to the show together a few months after they temporarily broke up and reconciled. Aside from the voluminous curls on her head, Melania's looks haven't changed that much over time. Even then, she liked the soft smokey eye, but she did take part in the glossy lips look that was popular in the early 2000s. Even her sparkly dress in the throwback is similar to what she wore for New Year's Eve 2025, during her husband's second term in office.

Even more shocking is what Melania Trump looked like in April of 2000. Two years into her relationship with Donald Trump, and after their short separation, Melania showed up at a Mar-a-Lago Easter event with curly blond hair. She seemed to be wearing almost no makeup besides shiny lip gloss, and she wore a simple white tank top. Her much lighter hair is almost as shocking as seeing Donald without all his bronzer. It's hard to believe this is the same woman who looked like a movie villain at Donald's 2025 inauguration, which was a fashion nightmare for all Trumps. 

With her style forever immortalized in her brutally reviewed documentary, it's possible that the former model will take the opportunity to change her look up again. Melania started off 2026 with a MAGA makeover that included going back to blond, which suggests that she's looking for a change. Could a return to the curls follow? Or could she soon revert to her goth phase with the stark black hair that she wore in 2003? No matter what Melania chooses to do, it's almost certain that her style will always set her apart from her MAGA peers.