Le Slap

Emmanuel Macron was the victim of a physical assault by his wife Brigitte on international TV. She slapped and shoved the French president’s face on a plane in Hanoi, prompting countless jokes but little discussion of male victims of domestic violence and gender. Sad, since men are abused by their wives and girlfriends at similar rates to the other way around. Is Macron a battered husband? Maybe, even if Elysee Palace brushed off the violence as playful fun between a loving couple. But even if he were to look for support, there are very few resources for straight male victims. Society overlooks such cases or worse, makes fun of them. A French gym even used an AI image of a bruised Macron to promote self-defense classes for men, for example. Family courts grant custody to accused abusers 70% of the time, and male survivors get little sympathy. If a woman can beat up the president on France on TV without consequence, there is little hope.