There is apparently such a thing as too much makeup in MAGA America, although nobody seems entirely sure where the limit lies.
That's surprising for a political movement whose most recognizable women sometimes look as if they have been assembled by the same cast of makeup artists and plastic surgeons. Somewhere beneath the contouring there are individual faces. Above it, though, the distinctions become considerably harder to make.
Katie Zacharia, President Donald Trump's new White House press secretary, has somehow crossed an invisible line.
Following Zacharia's 14-minute debut briefing on Tuesday, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly criticized her heavy makeup, long curls and revealing neckline, suggesting she needed to present herself more professionally.
"You're not there to turn anybody on. You're there to look like a professional," Kelly said.
One might reasonably wonder how this political culture has suddenly developed such delicate sensibilities about excessive glamour.
The MAGA Face Has Become a Political Uniform
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The MAGA face could almost have its own dictionary entry. Definition: enormous hair, an improbably smooth forehead, dramatically full lips and a tan. Somewhere between a former Miss Universe contestant and a woman who has just sold a particularly expensive condominium.
Consider Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose tenure as ambassador to Greece ended this week. Her public appearance has long suggested that the diplomatic corps might benefit from a formal partnership with Miss USA. With heavily contoured cheekbones, dramatically lined eyes, glossy lips and a wardrobe of plunging necklines and figure-hugging gowns, she has cultivated an aesthetic that almost screams MAGA.
Her appearance was evidently no obstacle to her appointment. If anything, she fit the role.
Kristi Noem offers another interpretation of the same look. The former Homeland Security secretary's carefully sculpted makeup and polished public presentation helped the nickname "ICE Barbie" stick.
Then there is Alina Habba, Trump's former personal attorney, whose immaculate hair and heavily defined eyes made the courtroom look occasionally like an annex of the Mar-a-Lago beauty salon.
Fox News host Lara Trump, Eric Trump's wife, offers the television-presenter version of what might be called MAGA Pageant Chic: cascading blonde hair, immaculate makeup, dazzling white teeth and the permanently camera-ready expression of someone waiting for a close-up.
And Karoline Leavitt, Zacharia's predecessor, embodies its youthful, all-American incarnation, with blonde curls and a pretty impressive wardrobe of tailored jackets and pastel dresses.
These women have different roles and personalities, yet their styling suggests remarkably similar instructions to their makeup artists.
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And then there is Susan Dell.
When the billionaire philanthropist appeared at the White House with her husband, Michael, to promote their multibillion-dollar commitment to children's investment accounts, social media fixated on her face. Commenters speculated about cosmetic procedures, though no verified evidence showed what, if anything, she had undergone.
Here was a woman associated with an enormous philanthropic commitment, and the internet responded by conducting an unauthorized consultation on her cheekbones.
But There Are Limits
So the MAGA feminine ideal is a curious creation: part beauty queen, part wealthy Palm Beach wife, part Fox News anchor. As the women above show, the aesthetic prizes unmistakable femininity, often achieved through elaborate styling that is supposed to look effortless.
Yet Zacharia's experience suggests there are limits, even in a political culture where more makeup has generally seemed preferable to less. Where do those limits lie, though?
Kelly's criticism offers one possible answer. Perhaps the MAGA look comes with an unwritten requirement: a woman can resemble a beauty contestant provided she also projects the authority and competence expected of someone occupying a serious public position. How...novel of a concept?
Which raises the possibility that the makeup was never really the problem. Perhaps the unwritten rule of MAGA femininity is that a woman may have all the artificial enhancements money can buy, provided she can also demonstrate a few natural assets above the neckline.