Ann Hidalgo is confident in her pink jacket in her municipal office. a photo that raises questions

This is the latest publicity stunt by the mayor of Paris. Regularly criticized by Parisians accused of misappropriating public funds as part of “Tahitigate” in October, Anne Hidalgo is likely looking to close ranks before the big Olympics deadline. in the new issue of Vogue: , he defends himself. “Mayor is a difficult job. It is an important position and I am the first woman to hold it in Paris. But I have a vision. I can’t spend my time complaining about being a woman, I have to fight my opponents.” And he must fight. After ruling the capital for ten years, the former sponsor of Bertrand Delanoe does not rule out his candidacy for a new mandate in 2026.

Until then, the main challenge remains to ensure the successful conduct of the Olympic Games (OC). Against the backdrop of questions and doubts raised by many opponents, the photo accompanying the article Vogue: may not fix things. In this photo by Annie Leibovitz, “photographer to the stars,” Anne Hidalgo sits comfortably in a Louis XV armchair in her Paris office, confident and self-assured. But this performance was criticized by some internet users. “This photo is obscene,” says one. Another disclaimer. “Filming was really good for the next election, but weren’t there (so) projects to finish?”

“Someone who is asleep”

Body language expert Stephen Bunard is not surprised by these reactions. “If we look at the posture first, it’s not a very dynamic picture,” he judges. Rather, we have the impression of someone who has fallen asleep in an armchair and has just woken up unexpectedly. Anne Hidalgo almost fell into a context where we expected her to be more dynamic, a few weeks before the Olympics and a possible campaign for a new mandate.

“Fake Comfortable”

This table is left to the author in any case Your gestures say out loud what you are thinking quietly (1) thoughtful. “This posture, falsely comfortable, is strange,” says Stephen Bunard. He conveys the image of an accomplished apparatchik in the municipality. So what was Anne Hidalgo trying to tell us here? We are still searching for meaning. Actually, this photo looks “exposed”, and in this case, “poorly posed”. The left hand, which we associate with spontaneity, is hidden as if the city councilor of Paris had something to hide, which cannot be assumed.’

Then the expert analyzes the play of colors in the photo. “In her ‘cotton candy’ colored jacket, Anne Hidalgo reminds us that she still manages to be a socialist, despite the blue comfort she lives in, which resembles more right-wing codes.”

Gray weather

In this opulent decor, which reveals classic and contemporary artwork (especially wallpaper Knowledge + Action + Power signed Shepard Fairey), several elements appeal to Stephen Bunard; “First, this panda is on a desk that looks like a piggery, a terrarium that resembles ecological fiber, but also this coat that Anne Hidalgo uses as a blanket that matches. in a gray manner, which we can feel from a distance, and which would almost make us say, “Don’t come to Paris.”

And the author concludes that, according to him, this trick of political communication is “failed”. “I’m amazed that both photographer Annie Leibovitz and the Hidalgo communications team could have thought this photo would work. Especially since the emphasis accompanying it is as follows. “Mayor is a difficult job. But I have a vision.” However, this photo sheds no light on Anne Hidalgo’s vision. And there is no risk of making him more popular either with foreigners or Parisians.

(1) Your gestures say out loud what you are thinking quietly, by Steven Bunard, published on March 8, 2018, Ed. SoBook, 270 p., €20.