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Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

A photographer has explained the secret behind former President Donald Trump's different use of bronzer.

The businessman's tan tones and Home alone 2 Star has been under intense scrutiny throughout his political career, with countless memes analyzing her color palette.

American photographer Emily Elsie shared her theory behind the ever-changing color palettes, explaining that she believes the intensity of the hue is directly related to the politician's stress level.

Although photos of Trump's tan lines have drawn ridicule, similar to ridicule over JD Vance's alleged use of eyeliner, she said the topic is no laughing matter.

“Why isn’t anyone covering this very important data point,” Elsie wrote in a series of viral Instagram Stories.

“In July 2024, Donald Trump looked like this…” she said, sharing a picture of Trump shortly after his assassination attempt. “And now he looks like this,” she added alongside a recent picture of the entrepreneur giving a speech.

“We need to talk about the bronzer,” she began. “I used to think that the problem with Trump's 'skin tone' was primarily a problem of photo retouching – a photographer's choice of color balance.

“I noticed that Trump's skin tone varied greatly depending on the lighting and the photographer's color palette.

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“In a 'cool' light, Trump's bronzer is less intense. A slightly warmer tone makes Trump's 'skin tone' look crazy and orange.”

She explained that for years she had assumed that Trump's changing tan was a decision made primarily for television audiences.

“But lately I feel like something more psychological is going on,” she continued. “When Trump took office in 2017, he was noticeably less orange… but as his term progressed, more bronzer was applied.

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“The more stressed… the more makeup. And when you weren't in the office, the makeup only reappeared for the cameras. But it has largely been toned down. Then something interesting happened. After Trump's debate with Biden in June 2024, the makeup formation all but disappears.

“When Trump was ahead in the polls and a victory was all but certain, the bronzer was gone.”

She then shared a very recent picture in which the former president looked significantly darker.

“Believe me when I tell you we’ve never seen him like this before,” she said. “Besides, it looks like he's doing his hands now?”

She also noted that the “mask” of makeup tended to “get darker toward the end of his presidential campaigns.”

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However, the issue is no laughing matter for Elsie as she has asked her followers to stop sending her direct messages about how “silly” he looks.

“I don't think he looks silly, I think he looks trapped,” she said. “He behaves the same way we do when we are a) isolated, b) insecure, and c) surrounded by images of ourselves.”

The posts were reshared on X/Twitter, where they received over 26 million views in less than 24 hours.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he uses fake tan and tanning lotions, and an official in his administration has attributed his skin color to “good genes.”