On November 16 and 17, on his way to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, President Emmanuel Macron stopped in Argentina to meet with President Javier Milei, himself just back from an infatuated visit to future president Trump. Together, the French and Argentine leaders found that they agreed neither on the fight against global warming, nor the Mercosur free-trade agreement, nor on the major issues of international politics. And not even on the timing of their greetings.
Emmanuel Macron's trip to Argentina showed us that Milei has not finished with his hairstyle extravaganzas. Or facial hair. What's the technical definition of that arching thing running down his cheeks? Are they kiss-curls, and therefore hair that comes down particularly low? Or are they, on the contrary, sideburns, meaning beard hair left completely free? Since it's hard to diagnose from a distance, we'll simply note here the lack of aesthetic appeal.
Devoid of taste or ambition as far as sartorial questions are concerned, Macron had brought out his usual president's panoply. As always, silver cufflinks shone from his shirt cuff. These, visible from the back, remind us that the accessory was popularized on a large scale by King Louis XIV, and is still distinguished today by its fastening system. Macron's cufflinks are called "pistol" cufflinks, closing with a tilting trigger.
Above all, the French president was wearing his boring, straight, two-button navy suit, which we've already mentioned at length before. Except, perhaps, that the little pocket above its big sister on the jacket is a ticket pocket, originally intended to hold the train ticket for first-class men. It's worth noting that means of locomotion have influenced this item of clothing several times over. For instance, when men rode on horseback, their jackets featured slanted pockets, cut at an angle, to make it easier to slip their hands into when riding on the back of an animal.
Above all, the image shows two men looking in opposite directions, clearly not understanding each other. While Macron waves to the crowd, Milei stands alone, a little lost, with a barely concealed urge to high-five him. This gives us the opportunity to recall that the high-five gesture was invented in 1977 by Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Glenn Burke during a game against Houston, to celebrate a decisive action. It remains to be seen what Milei intended to celebrate here.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.