On Wednesday 21 March, Emmanuel Macron’s official photographer, Soazig de la Moissonnière, published a series of black and white images in which we see the President punching a punching bag with boxing gloves. If it doesn’t surprise anyone that Emmanuel Macron practices this sport in his free time (a few months earlier he had appeared on social networks wearing Venum gloves, a brand whose boss had been criticized for racist and sexist comments by several employees), it’s time for publication of these photos and the president’s attitude towards images of concern.
A certain vision of virility that mobilizes the military repertoire
In this carousel of two Instagram photos, we see the president with muscles bulging, face frowning, fangs bared, forcefully delivering an uppercut to the punching bag that sends it flying. Many Internet users could not help but draw a parallel between this belligerent imagery and the president’s recent speeches on the possibility of sending French soldiers to the Ukrainian front to fight the Russian invasion. Some commentators even joked that the president was preparing for a face-to-face meeting with Putin.
If a bare-knuckle clash between the two leaders is not a priori on the agenda, the parallel with Vladimir Putin is not so disconnected. The Russian leader is used to this type of visual communication, where it is about embodying a certain concept of masculinity and power, associated with physical strength.
As told in CaretakerPutin has already been photographed shooting pistols, riding shirtless, playing ice hockey, defeating opponents in judo and riding on tanks and submarines.
For Emmanuel Macron, this political communication which consists in showing oneself while practicing a combat sport is not trivial. Even the Head of State regularly uses military vocabulary in his speeches (hello “demographic rearmament” ).
On «These photos are part of that neo-populist virilism that certain leaders are fond of today, starting with the master of the genre (so far) Vladimir Putin».
The environmentalist MP Sandrine Rousseau, for her part, harshly criticized it “Virilist codes to the point of overdose”.
What if the movie you were going to see tonight was a dump? Each week, Kalindi Ramphul gives you her opinion on which movie to see (or not) on the show The Only Opinion That Matters.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
