It seeks to gain more popularity
Emmanuel Macron appears dressed like the Ukrainian president
The French president takes inspiration from the costume of the embattled Ukrainian president.
archival
French President Emmanuel Macron has been mocked and ridiculed after appearing in clothes similar to what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is wearing these days in the war room, but it is not the first time Macron has inspired the appearances of other world leaders in order to get a photo opportunity.
It is known that Zelensky took off his official presidential clothes and wore a khaki T-shirt while managing his country's affairs in the midst of the Russian attack on it.
Pictures taken of Macron in Zelensky's clothes have led some to accuse him of trying to attract the same popularity that Zelensky gets from the peoples of the world.
Churchill
During the 2017 French presidential election, Macron celebrated his victory in the first round of voting by raising his hands up and making a victory sign, a gesture made famous by the late British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, nearly 80 years ago.
On a visit to the Vatican the following year, Macron shared a Qafsha with Pope Francis in an apparent emulation of former US President Barack Obama, who did the same four years earlier.
Former British Prime Minister Theresa May, former US President George W. Bush, and even current British Prime Minister Boris Johnson all seem to have inspired Macron during his nearly five years in office to attract more popularity, as he is currently seeking to restore Reelected next month.
One recent photo shows Macron closing his eyes and rubbing his wrinkled forehead in a manner reminiscent of the desperate body language of late US President John F. Kennedy during a fraught telephone conversation in the early 1960s.
war room
However, no example is more striking than Zelensky's "war room" photographs.
The "candid footage", apparently taken by his official photographer, shows the unshaven president walking around the Élysée Palace in dark jeans and a black hoodie similar to that worn by the French special forces, an outfit described as a "luxury hacker".
Out of wartime necessity, Ukrainian President Zelensky has ditched his presidential suits for practical khakis while coordinating his country's response to a wartime invasion.
“When leaders wear casual clothes, it means they tell us that politicians are human too, and when the cameras start flashing, the situation turns into a political moment that can impact in the public.”
"The leader dressing like the crowd makes the leader say, 'I'm one of you, we're the same, we're in this together,'" says Peter Logue, associate professor of political communication at George Washington University.
In 1992, as they were preparing to run for president and vice president, future President Bill Clinton and his running mate, Al Gore, were photographed holding two McDonald's, in shorts and hats usually worn by truck drivers.
And in his years in the White House, Obama has been photographed working out of the executive suite on weekends without a tie.
As criticism of Macron's photos suggests, going to work in casual clothes can sometimes be a miscalculation.
American readers still remember the media hurricane that President Obama simply caused when he wore a khaki suit in 2014 (this incident has its own Wikipedia page).
"It feels natural," says Professor Logie, "voters should make sure the clothes are authentic and not part of advertising."
• The French president was mocked and ridiculed after he appeared in clothes similar to what Zelensky wears these days, while in the war room.
• A recent photo shows Macron closing his eyes and rubbing his wrinkled forehead in a manner similar to the desperate body language of the late US President, John F. Kennedy, during a charged phone conversation in the early 1960s.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news