The video of Macron's wife shoving his face ignites viral firestorm, discussion on gender
A viral video of France's first lady seemingly shoving her husband in the face is igniting a conversation about gender and physical encounters in relationships.
The clip was taken after the couple landed in Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of their Southeast Asia tour. Video shows President Emmanuel Macron standing in the aircraft’s open doorway when an out-of-frame hand shoves him away. The president quickly maintains his composure proceeding to smile and wave before exiting the frame and later exiting the aircraft alongside his wife, Brigitte.
President Macron dismissed speculation that the first lady shoved him, telling reporters on May 26 they were just being playful.
But social media is discussing whether the candid moment would be considered so lighthearted if the roles had been reversed and a male partner put his hands on a female partner's face. That image has a connotation of harm, while the opposite gets to be called a game.
"No matter how viral or lighthearted it seems, putting hands on your partner isn't a joke, and it's never okay, regardless of gender," one TikToker weighed in.
"It does us no favors to ignore an incident and not talk about it," says Dabney P. Evans, associate professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Rather, Evans says, this viral moment is an opportunity to discuss what is acceptable and what isn't in a relationship.
How we react to that Macron video and why it matters
While some laughed off the short clip and others quickly dismissed it, those reactions on may say more about the person posting than it does about the French couple. It's a commentary about how we expect men and women in couples to behave, Evans said.
"If we reflect on ourselves, what kind of judgements and assumptions (do) we make about the situation based on an image we saw, knowing information about a person's sex and gender identity?" she said. "That is a call for people to reflect on what their read is when they see this kind of video and all the layers of information about gender relations ... that are automatically overlaid onto that very simple few second snippet."
And while either partner in a relationship can exhibit unhealthy behaviors, typically one person holds more power than the other, Evans said. A physical action could be a lighthearted moment, a self-defense response informed by trauma or a more nefarious attempt to exert control, she said.
Either way, it's important to remember we can never really know what goes on between two partners, and we should think about why we make the assumptions we do, Evans said.
"Having this out in the world does leave an impression that plays on all the underlying gender norms and expectations about masculinity and femininity, strength and weakness, that surround us all the time."