When we tap "Jacques Chirac" on Facebook or Snapchat, we come across mythical photos: the one where he spans a subway gate, a portrait of him with a wreath of flowers in Noumea, he in a plane with his feet on the seats. ..
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Jacques Chirac died on Thursday morning at the age of 86 years. For Parisians, this photo is mythical. Captured December 9, 1980 while he is mayor of Paris, (he will occupy the position from March 25, 1977 to May 16, 1995), the picture shows Jacques Chirac jumping over the turnstiles of the subway. Let's bet that this photograph taken on the fly by Jean-Claude Delmas has contributed to the reputation of Frenchy to the cool that stuck to the well-waxed shoes of the former president. In fact that day, Jacques Chirac was expected in the metro station Opera to inaugurate a painting exhibition. The story goes that when going through the turnstile, Jacques not quite knowing how to use the machine, forgets to take his ticket and remains blocked. Agile as a gazelle, he spans the machine and becomes the most famous fraudster of the RATP! #jacqueschirac #chirac #president #france #rip
A publication shared by A US Paris (@anousparis) Sept. 26, 2019 at 7:18 PDT
The former president, the moment he left the Elysee, and especially since his death on Thursday, has turned from head of state criticized cool icon. Today, the Internet is full of gifs of him with his arms in the air, the cigarette with the beak or crunching an apple.
A "swag" image entirely shaped by the Internet ... and the Guignols
This character was largely influenced by his Puppet Puppet. "The one where he skips the metro portico is my favorite because it's a bit ironic compared to the controllers," said a girl. "It depoliticizes him, it looks like he was a gentleman Everybody with whom we can laugh." Far from the solemnity of the highest office, Jacques Chirac has another image, "swag", that is to say, cool and fun, entirely shaped by the Internet.
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Calmos #chirac #jacqueschirac #fuckyeahjacqueschirac #fyjc #chut
A publication shared by Fuck Yeah Jacques Chirac (@fuckyeahjacqueschirac) on April 8, 2019 at 12:18 PDT
"From what I could see on the networks anyway, it's someone funny enough," notes a young man. "We see him sometimes, he is posed, he smokes his cigarette ... Very young too, with old-fashioned clothes ... Frankly, it was nice". These famous images are available on t-shirts, mugs, tote-bags and magnets to stick on the door of his refrigerator.
On Instagram, the account "Fuck Yeah Jacques Chirac" counted Friday more than 19,000 subscribers.
"He's almost a fictional character"
For Joe Hume, pop culture specialist, "Chirac has democratized in recent years, really, when Twitter began to become the playground, not only journalists but also Internet personalities, influencers, who come from a generation a little younger, sometimes a generation that did not even live the presidency of Chirac, for which he represents a bit of a character almost fiction ".
Beyond photos and gifs, Jacques Chirac has also been parodied into music, especially in a samba version that is all the rage.
The electro musical collective Bon Entendeur, a master in the art of the "mixtape", a compilation of electro remixes and interview excerpts, also devoted one of his playlists to Jacques Chirac.