In the age of social media where every flex and flicker is meticulously curated, Emmanuel Macron appears committed to perfecting the art of visual rhetoric.
His personal photographer Soazing de la Moissonnière caused quite a stir in France earlier this week when she released two images depicting the French President pounding a punchbag.
With his face a picture of steely resolve as chiselled biceps rippled from beneath his shirt, the black-and-white shots of Macron were received as a display of ‘ultimate virility’ according to French newspaper Nice-Matin.
Many posited that the projection of machismo and strength comes as part of a PR offensive as the French President takes a harder stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, with Macron having paused longstanding efforts to maintain a closer bond with his counterpart in Moscow Vladimir Putin.
But in reality, Macron’s pugilistic photo-op is just the latest in a years-long campaign of staged shoots designed to portray the Elysee Palace chief as a dashing, capable and admirable representative of France and her interests.
It’s a self-aggrandising PR play that appears to have been ripped directly from the playbook of Putin himself – perhaps the world leader most adept at deploying the power of persona to cultivate domestic support – with a few added tweaks.
Now, MailOnline takes a look at some of Macron’s most narcissistic snaps, distributed by his personal lenswoman and army of press officers, and how they’re harnessed to cultivate his image in the eyes of the French public.
In an age of social media where every flex and flicker is meticulously curated, Emmanuel Macron appears committed to perfecting the art of visual rhetoric
Macron’s personal photographer Soazing de la Moissonnière caused quite a stir in France earlier this week when she released two images depicting the French President pounding a punchbag
French media relations expert Gaspard Gantzer said his president wants to show that ‘he wants to fight’
Macron’s pugilistic photo-op is just the latest in a years-long campaign of staged shoots designed to portray the Elysee Palace chief as a dashing, capable and admirable representative of France
But Macron’s PR drive seeks to portray the Head of State as the complete package
Macron pets a dog as he sits at his desk in the Elysee Palace
An image of Macron wearing a drab hoody emerged in the days following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, leading many to suggest the French President was modelling his looks on the then-lauded Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) poses with members of the public for a selfie after a ceremony to seal the right to abortion in the French constitution, on International Women’s Day, at the Place Vendome, in Paris, on March 8, 2024
The Russian President has for more than two decades harnessed the influence of his state-controlled media empire to create a personality cult, displaying himself as a fit and strong man-in-charge.
Images of Judo black-belt Putin effortlessly tossing martial arts experts over his shoulder, galloping bare-chested on horseback and plunging stone-faced into icy lakes were routinely plastered on billboards and beamed into the living rooms of every Russian citizen.
But Macron’s PR drive is not centred around overt aggression and sporting prowess.
It takes a more subtle tack, seeking to portray the Head of State as the complete package – a man other men want to be, and women want to be with.
Unlike Putin’s serious, stonefaced photoshoots, the official images of Macron by de la Moissonnière are more tasteful.
They capture the French leader’s looks, confidence and charm as much as his masculinity and physical capabilities.
From pictures of the President flashing a winning smile as he lounged on a mustard colour sofa with a crisp, unbuttoned shirt revealing his hairy chest, to the notorious portrait of Macron wearing a Zelensky-style hoody as he strode into the Golden Room of the Elysee Palace in the early days of the Ukraine war – many of the snaps seek to display him as a man of versatility and character, rather than a hard-nosed, no-nonsense statesman.
His photographic oeuvre reads like a catalogue of calculated nonchalance, with each image serving a dual purpose: to humanise the politician and to project an aura of charisma.
Pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron by his offical photographer Soazig de la Moissonnie
Macron ties a tie in front of his personal photographer
Macron, wearing French tricolore boxing gloves, slams a punchbag
Macron’s PR drive seeks to portray him as the complete package – a more subtle tack than that of his Russian counterpart
Macron is seen holding his crisp blue jacket over his shoulder as he checks his phone
Macron and his wife are seen alongside Elton John and David Furnish
Macron peeks at his personal photographer through a magnifying glass in the Elysee Palace
And yet, the most recent images of Macron’s boxing workout come at a time when he is working to position himself as the strongman of Europe standing up to Putin.
This has led many to speculate that Macron wants to show off his fighting spirit and determination after military experts said he is bidding to lead NATO as a ‘Napoleon’.
Last week Macron declared the prospect of sending Western ground troops into Ukraine should not be ‘ruled out’ and urged European leaders not to be ‘cowards’ when it comes to the defence of Ukraine.
He also chastised Putin for threatening the use of nuclear devices and reminded him France also has an advanced weapons programme in interviews with French media.
In an uncharacteristically brash retort to Putin’s latest bout of nuclear sabre-rattling, Macron said: ‘We must first and foremost feel protected because we are a nuclear power. We are ready; we have a doctrine (for the use of nuclear weapons).’
In some of his latest comments about the war, the French President said last week that a Russian victory in Ukraine ‘would reduce Europe’s credibility to zero’ as he again refused to rule out deploying troops.
It’s a notable departure from Macron’s approach earlier in his presidency when he sought to develop a strong, communicative relationship with Vladimir Putin.
In the early days of the Ukraine war, Macron was heavily criticised by Western partners for his continued attempts to conduct diplomacy with Putin, insisting on speaking to his Russian counterpart at regular intervals as he pushed for a ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) wears a flying suit as he meets with troops during a visit to the French air force base BA 125 in Istres, southeastern France, on July 20, 2017
A smiling Macron rests his head on a stack of papers at his desk
French President Emmanuel Macron looks at his phone following a family photo with G7 leaders at the G7 Summit in Elmau southern Germany, on June 26, 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron riding his jetski during holidays in Fort de Bregancon, South of France
Macron’s photoshoots have long divided public opinion in France, and the latest images of Macron pummelling the heavy bag are no different.
French media relations expert Gaspard Gantzer said his president wants to show ‘he is a Frenchman like any other… that he is in great physical shape… that he wants to fight.’
Women’s magazine Femme Actuelle also piled in, commenting that the photos showed ‘a determined look, as if he wants to do battle with his opponent… He seems to hit so hard that his biceps pop out from under his black T-shirt.’
Others however were quick to put down Macron’s photo-op.
Commentator Jonathan Bouchet-Petersen wrote in French publication Liberation that the photos were a ‘rather dismaying communication choice’.
He said he initially thought they were the product of a generative AI programme – and would have preferred that were the case.
‘Be careful, Rocky Macron is a real man,’ the writer quipped in a sarcastic reference to Sylvester Stallone’s character who managed to end the Cold War in his fight with Soviet super-athlete Ivan Drago – after sustaining hundreds of blows to the head.
French Greens MP Sandrine Rousseau also expressed her disappointment on social media, reposting the image with the comment: ‘What a defeat for progressivism. And what poverty of political communication.’