Macron AI Ad Sparks Domestic Violence Debate

A French gym has sparked considerable controversy by using a doctored image of President Emmanuel Macron, depicted with blood and bruises, to advertise self-defence classes. This occurred just days after footage surfaced showing his wife, Brigitte Macron, apparently pushing him during a public event.

The poster in question, translated from French, reads: 'Wife hitting you? Join our self-defence classes!'. It features a photograph of the French President holding his hand to his face, looking downcast, and sporting digitally-altered facial injuries.

Controversial Ad Sparks Widespread Reaction

This incident gained further notoriety as a photo of the poster circulated widely on X, formerly known as Twitter. While some found humor in the gym's approach, many others expressed alarm, viewing it as a disturbing trivialization of domestic violence. The text on the poster, accompanying the image of Macron's bloodied face, explicitly states: 'Wife beating you? Join our self-defence classes!'

The Brigitte Macron Incident: Context for the Ad

The controversial advertisement followed closely on the heels of footage that garnered international attention. On a Monday, Brigitte Macron, 72, was seen seemingly shoving her husband Emmanuel, 47, in the face as they prepared to disembark from a plane that had just landed in Vietnam. This video was recorded on May 25, as the couple arrived to begin a tour of Southeast Asia. The footage shows Brigitte Macron pushing her husband's face with both hands, apparently unaware that the plane door had been opened. Macron quickly realized the plane door was open, then turned to smile and wave at the camera. Afterwards, the pair walked down the steps, with Emmanuel Macron having initially offered his arm to his wife.

This led to speculation that the interaction might not have been entirely playful, despite Macron's representatives insisting the couple were merely 'joking around' in a manner typical of their relationship.

Expert Denounces Ad as Trivializing Domestic Violence

Among the most vocal critics is Dr. Jessica Taylor, a chartered forensic psychologist and author specializing in victim blaming in cases of sexual and domestic abuse. Dr. Taylor (pictured in a separate context discussing her work) spoke to FEMAIL about the impacts of the gym's advertisement.

'I was actually really disgusted to see it,' Dr. Taylor stated. 'To use it as marketing is, for me, a trivialisation of violence.'

She elaborated, 'I also think it plays into tropes of emasculation, the idea that if your wife's beating you, then maybe you should take self-defence classes: "come to our gym and then you won't end up like this".'

The Dangers of AI Imagery and Harmful Tropes

Dr. Taylor found the AI-generated image of Macron covered in injuries particularly appalling. 'Everything that happens in society around marketing is a form of social grooming. It's a form of socialisation,' she explained. 'We take in marketing messages, and we take in social media messages, we take in imagery and it changes the way we think about things. So, of course that advert's going to have the same impact for people.'

Regarding the video footage itself, Dr. Taylor commented that it appeared serious: 'It looks very much to me like she hit him in the face, or pushed him in the face and then you can see the shock as he realises the aeroplane door's open, and he sort of goes, "Oh God, everybody just saw that and now I've just got to be okay."'

Mockery vs Reality: The Plight of Male Victims

Dr. Taylor expressed particular concern over how a moment potentially revealing domestic violence against a prominent man was met with laughter and mockery.

'What fascinates me about it is so many men do the whole: "What about men? Men are victims of violence too,"' she observed. 'And then we've just had this public display of what is potentially domestic violence against this very high-profile man. And the answer to that is, "let's just make a big joke out of it."'

She described the ad as a 'punchline' and warned it reinforces harmful double standards. 'When women commit acts of abuse and violence, it just isn't as serious to people, and they think men just need to learn to push back. You don't really see the same narrative with female victims,' she said.

Online, many individuals did join in the mockery. One viral thread on X, for instance, offered 'a combined collection of the 25 funniest memes' related to the slap incident.

Self Defense Classes: A Flawed Solution to Abuse

Dr. Taylor also strongly criticized the very notion of self-defence training as a viable solution to domestic abuse.

'Domestic violence isn't an equal act. It's not fighting. It's systematic abuse over a period of time,' she emphasized. 'There's absolutely no evidence whatsoever that it would protect you from the perpetrator.'

She continued, 'Gyms should not be able to make any claims around domestic violence at all. All it does is exploit violence and abuse towards victims who society normally mocks.'

Dr. Taylor likened the Macron poster to a past incident where a manipulated image featuring her and three other women, including Amber Heard, was circulated showing them with fake injuries. 'Even though I knew it was a fake image, it really messed with me,' she recalled. 'I just went "Oh my god, I look so injured and horrific." It was so weird because, obviously I knew that it was AI or Photoshop, and yet I was still looking at an image of my face with severe injuries. So, imagine being a victim in this situation like Macron potentially is, and then the response is, less than 24 hours later, somebody's mocked up images of him severely injured.'

Societal Double Standards and Victim Blaming

Dr. Taylor further commented that public responses to both male and female victims are often rooted in prejudice: 'I don't think society cares about anyone being abused.'

'Look at the way women are treated. They're framed as liars. They're blamed, they're told they're gold diggers, that none of it ever happened, that they're delusional, that they're mentally ill,' she stated.

'What you'll find with men is that a lot of the criticism is around their masculinity: "Why haven't you defended yourself? She's just a woman." And that's where the misogyny kicks back in, and it ignores systemic power and the element of control. If you've been in a long-term relationship with somebody who is incredibly controlling and abusive, you're not going to do anything back.'

Dr. Taylor also noted how society tends to excuse or explain away violence committed by women in a way it does not for men. 'It's always: "She must have been pushed, maybe he said this" whereas if the roles were reversed, people wouldn't be playing devil's advocate in the same way. Women are actually capable of all the same levels of violence that men are, we just don't do it as much because of the way we're socialised.'

Concluding her remarks, Dr. Taylor said: 'I'm willing to put money on it that it was men that made this. Every time a male victim stands up, where are the men who argue for men's rights? This is not funny at all. This should never have been made.'