A photograph of French President Emmanuel Macron receiving a kiss from his minister of sport, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, at the Paris Olympics is causing a stir across the famously libertine country.
The photo, shot by the Agence France-Presse news agency, was captured at the Opening Ceremony on Friday. Oudéa-Castéra can be seen taking Macron’s head in her hands and planting a kiss on his cheek.
Gabriel Attal, the prime minister of France, can be seen to the right, looking the other way.
“The French have fallen in love with the Games,” Oudéa-Castéra, a former tennis player told CNews after the Opening Ceremony, which she oversaw as the first in Olympic history to be held outside a stadium.
Macron had said that people will be “talking about [the Games] for the next 100 years,” and that the two weeks of competition in Paris would make all of France proud.
Madame Figaro, a female-focused French magazine, was the first to draw attention to Macron’s embrace with Oudéa-Castéra, calling it a “curious kiss.” The publication said Oudéa-Castéra “certainly knows how to get people talking about her.”
Social media users have been quick to embrace the kiss as a meme, calling it “old fashioned Audrey Hepburn-style gossip, glam, style and passion.” Others joked that Oudéa-Castéra must love her job or that it’s “team building.”
Who doesn’t love the French for bringing old fashioned Audrey Hepburn-style gossip, glam, style and passion back to politics in the French capital?
Pictured: ‘Curious kiss’ between Macron and French sports minister https://t.co/36m0YI80SB
— Miranda Grey (@EpicurianGarden) July 30, 2024
One post on X shows a video of Macron’s wife Brigitte marching along the river with the text: “Brigitte Macron when she saw Amélie Oudéa-Castéra kissing Macron…”
Brigitte Macron quand elle a vu Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, faire la bise à Macron… 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/qh4ER0mlsM
— Nigalee_AS /𝕏 🕶 ☄️🪂 (@Nigalee_AS) July 30, 2024
As many have pointed out, a peck on the cheek is a typical show of affection and celebration in France — though not always with a hand clutching the back of the recipient’s head.
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