Unseen Photos of a Young Melania Trump Is Reminding Everyone of Her Son Barron

Barron Trump, often considered his father Donald Trump's lookalike, bears an uncanny resemblance to his Slovenian-American mother Melania Trump back when she was a teenager. Now, unseen black and white photographs of a 16-year-old Melania, then a budding model, have surfaced, closely resembling her 18-year-old son Barron.

Slovenian photographer Stane Jerko first discovered the former First Lady, clicked her in her prime years and TODAY obtained the snaps in 2017. In the images, Melania appeared fresh face flaunting little to no makeup unlike her current polished sense of style which is rarely without makeup. In terms of her outfit, she donned basic jeans, a white top, or a white bandeau and skirt. 

Contrary to her now defined and sharp features, the teenage Melania had a softer, rounder face, twinkling eyes, and an innocent demeanor mirroring her son Barron. Also, her face seemed to be devoid of thick layers of cosmetics which is a breath of fresh air because the Melania we see today is always glammed up. Not saying that it's a bad thing but the teenage version is undeniably gorgeous. 

Jerko, the photographer, recalled seeing Melania sitting on a fence while her friend walked the ramp for a fashion show. "It was January 1987 when I went home just before the end of the fashion show," he told the outlet via e-mail. "On the stairs of the Festival Hall, stood a tall, slender, and attractive long-haired girl with distinct eyes." And that was Melania Knauss (later Trump). 

He called her for her first trial shoot and she appeared with her own wardrobe. And according to Jerko, the photographs turned out "very promising." Melania then returned for a second shoot, however, this time, she modeled clothes from a Slovenian textile factory. And it was these photographs that debuted in her first modeling portfolio which later kickstarted her professional career. 

It was her modeling career that brought her to the United States in 1996 before which she did projects in Milan and Paris. Two years later, in 1998, she met her now-husband Trump following which her journey to becoming America's First Lady started. Though she belonged to a small town in communist Slovenia, the fashion world always fascinated her. 

In 2016, when Trump was running for president, she told PEOPLE, "I always loved fashion. My mother was a fashion designer so it was always in my blood." After years of dating, Trump married for a third time to Melania in January 2005 in a lavish wedding ceremony. Being a foreign-born First Lady, she created quite a buzz in the media for her unique approach to the role. However, she persisted and remained true to her beliefs. 

She kept herself busy with raising her son Barron, silently supporting her husband while he went through controversies, scandals, and political warfare along with releasing her memoir titled: Melania. Despite her notable achievements, people still wonder if she'd go back to modeling.