A life-sized statue of First Lady Melania Trump was inaugurated on Friday just outside her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia. The sculpture, which is carved out of tree with a chainsaw, depicts the first lady in a blue dress with one arm waving in the air—mimicking her appearance at President Trump’s inauguration in 2017. The shape of the sculpture and lack of facial details have reportedly prompted some to call it a “scarecrow,” however. “I can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance,” Artist Brad Downey, who commissioned the piece from local artist Ales Zupevc, told Agence France-Presse. However, Downey reportedly said he thought the piece was “absolutely beautiful.” Some locals are reportedly not pleased with the statue. “If the monument was meant to be a parody, then the artist has been successful,” a local student identified only as Nika was quoted as telling Agence-France Presse. Another local was quoted as telling news outlet ITV that the sculpture “doesn’t look anything like Melania.” “It’s a Smurfette. It’s a disgrace.”
