"Ooh la la, Mr President!" - A kiss that excites all of France
The Olympic Games in Paris were opened last Friday, with a spicy detail only coming to light a few days later: a kiss. President Macron and Sports Minister Oudéa-Castéra shared one - much to the displeasure of many French people.
Reaching deep into the cliché box, one might say, "The French are just like that." But, a picture of two French people kissing is currently stirring up emotions - at least as much as the Olympic Games in Paris are. But, let's take this step by step.
On the day of the opening of the Olympic Games in France, there is much political prominence present, of course including President Emmanuel Macron and French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. Both are overjoyed to have brought the biggest sporting event in the world to France, alongside the football World Cup. In this excitement, kisses are exchanged, which seem too intense for many French people.
Oudéa-Castéra embraces Macron's neck, pulling him towards her. The President, in turn, grasps the Sports Minister's shoulder, and first she gives him a very intense kiss on the cheek, followed by him giving her a 'bisou', as the French call it.
"Madame Figaro" was the first to report on the apparent closeness of the two. The portal also reported that Interior Minister Gabriel Attal was standing right next to them in the situation. According to "Madame Figaro", he seems to turn away, possibly embarrassed.
"Curious", "Embarrassing", "Inappropriate"
However, the reactions on social media, after the photos of the kisses go viral, leave less room for speculation. "Curious" and "strange" are still quite restrained reactions. "What is this kiss between Oudéa and Macron?!", someone asked. "I would only kiss my partner like that. Embarrassing", explains another user. "I find this photo inappropriate, not worthy of the President and the Minister", explains a third. Once again showing that clichés do not correspond to reality.
Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra recently made headlines. As part of the Olympic Games, several swimming competitions were to take place in the Seine, which winds through Paris. However, there were significant concerns about the water quality. To promote the plans, Oudéa-Castéra jumped into the river herself about two weeks before the start of the Games, to show that the quality was perfectly fine. Initially, it remained at PR. Because at the Olympic Games, the men's triathlon had to be postponed due to insufficient water quality. However, the men's and women's races could take place in the morning.
A predecessor of Macron also caused a stir with an affair: François Hollande. In 2014, photos of the President on a three-wheeled scooter belonging to the palace surfaced. An investigation revealed that he regularly used it to visit his mistress, a French actress. At the time, Hollande was still linked to a journalist. The scooter was auctioned off around ten years after the revelatory photos - for 20,500 euros. It can presumably be viewed in an automobile museum in western France in the future.
The President, in this instance, refers to Emmanuel Macron. Despite the excitement of the Olympic Games, President Macron and Sports Minister Oudéa-Castéra's intense kiss caused controversy among many French people.
The controversially intimate kiss between President Macron and Sports Minister Oudéa-Castéra sparked reactions ranging from "embarrassing" to "inappropriate" on social media.
