Emmanuel Macron is 39 and his wife is 64. French women say its about time.

[IronLionZion]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/french-women-see-revenge-in-macrons-marriage-to-an-older-woman/2017/05/03/3b21fc1a-2f47-11e7-9dec-764dc781686f_story.html

PARIS — Emmanuel Macron, the front-runner in Sunday’s French presidential election, shares something with President Trump: a 24-year age gap with his wife. The difference is that Macron’s wife is the older one.

That cliche-busting fact — a candidate young enough to be his wife’s son, rather than old enough to be her father — is a little social “revenge” that delights many French women, including Martine Bergossi.

“Why can’t we marry younger men? I date them all the time,” said Bergossi, the stylish owner of Alternatives, a secondhand-couture shop in Paris, who prefers to leave her exact age to the imagination.

“It’s normal to see men with younger women,” she said. “So it’s rather great to see the opposite.”

France is famous for its laissez-faire attitude toward sex and love, yet the May-December romance between Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron has added a little ooh-la-la to a presidential campaign that is otherwise a deadly serious matter.



Lilach Eliyahu, a fashion designer, said the fact that Macron has a wife who “has wrinkles and cellulite makes me think of him as a feminist. He is the opposite of Donald Trump.”

Thoughts?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. He is running against LeTrump.

I wouldn't care if he married his hamster.

[oberliner]

2. Does he have a mistress?

Most French politicians historically have at least one or two.

[underpants]

3. She was his teacher in "high school"

[catsudon]

13. So uh

What was the age difference between tad Cummings and Elizabeth, I'm sure that is going to be the optics being presented although it is apples and oranges.

[HoneyBadger]

4. They have been together since he was her 15 year old student

France loves it

[Docreed2003]

5. Good for both of them...

I'm his age and I find his wife to be gorgeous. Aside from looks, if they love each, does any of the rest matter?

[former9thward]

50. So why does it matter in US when a high school teacher gets involved with a student?

I see countless posts here expressing outrage and saying that the student will have emotional damage for the rest of their lives. Do the French have different DNA? Or are the posts full of BS. You can't have it both.

[Doreen]

54. Same DNA just smarter.

[former9thward]

63. So teachers being involved with 15 year old students is a smart thing to do?

Interesting perspective....

[Doreen]

65. You have a point.

[golfguru]

55. She has more wrinkles than me!

And I am 13 years older than her. But do not worry, Macron is French politician, and if elected president, will attract a bevy of beautiful young mistresses.

[Polly Hennessey]

6. I think

she looks like Jane Fonda.

[treestar]

69. Same here

That's who I thought of at first seeing the photo.

[monmouth4]

7. Not that it's important, but she looks very good. Healthy, vibrant...I knew a young man was the

ticket..Hmmmm.

[IronLionZion]

9. French are known to eat well and be healthy

and these two look like they do a lot of cardio exercise

[IronLionZion]

8. They've known each other for 24 years so it's lasted

but I don't suggest school as the best place for a teacher to meet cute boys.

[okieinpain]

19. true that. lol. n/t.

[JHan]

10. Looks like my bae ain't born yet #hope

[iluvtennis]

27. LOL

[SunSeeker]

30. ...

[StevieM]

33. I am totally impressed to see that you have put up 4,441 posts (and counting) since September

of last year.

You really hit the ground running!!

[JHan]

38. that stat speaks volumes about my addiction to this site lol

when I didn't like the layout at first.

It's a stress reliever in some ways lol.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

40. lol

[Starry Messenger]

51. Silver lining, lol!

[Calista241]

11. I'm not against it.

But I do question the practical mechanics of this or any relationship with such a large age difference.

He is basically doomed to be a widower at a relatively young age, probably in his 50's. And preceeding her death, there is likely to be a significant decline in her health and activity level, while he is still very healthy and in the prime of his life. And I would apply this logic to the older male, younger female paradigm also.

If this works for them, then good, I'm happy for them. But i don't believe it would work for me.

[HoneyBadger]

14. They have decided not to have kids

Which simplifies things. He is younger than her kids, which might complicate things a little.

[golfguru]

57. French politicians have mistresses!

Do not worry of his wife's libido at 64 is not great.
If Macron is anything like other French politicians,
he has plenty of sides on the menu.

[FLPanhandle]

12. My grandmother remarried at age 60 to a 40 year old man back in the 1950s

It was quite the scandal in the small southern town back then.

They stayed married until she died 30 years later, so it can work.

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. My nephew is 12 years younger than his wife.

Good for the Macrons!

[HoneyBadger]

16. If Warren picked up a 43 year old MISTERess

I wonder if it would help or hurt her. Mrs Macron is only 4 years younger than Warren, 5 years younger than Hillary.

[RadiationTherapy]

17. I don't appreciate the teacher/student power dynamic at such an influential age.

As the father of a 15 year old, I don't appreciate much about this at all.

While I realize this is significant because there is such a long, revolting history of men marrying girls, my opinion of this relationship is tainted by the inherent power dynamics at it's origin.

[yallerdawg]

18. Very strange acceptance.

If this were America, we would have been shouting, "Lock her up!"

We just crucified Bill Maher for suggesting even a hint of tolerance for this kind of relationship.

Macron was only 15 when he met Brigitte Trogneux, a married teacher at his high school in northern France who had three children. Macron’s parents sent him to Paris to put distance between the teacher who ran the drama club and their precocious son, but their bond lasted, she divorced, and 10 years ago they were married.

Sounds freakin' familiar, doesn't it?

[JHan]

31. because it's water under the bridge now. Perhaps there was grooming, who knows?

Perhaps not?

How would we rake them over at this stage in their lives though?

[yallerdawg]

34. This is not how WE talk about such things.

France is famous for its laissez-faire attitude toward sex and love, yet the May-December romance between Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron has added a little ooh-la-la to a presidential campaign that is otherwise a deadly serious matter.

This is OUR headline:

Alabama woman charged with rape of unborn child's 14-year-old father

A pregnant Jackson County woman is charged with rape after signing up for Medicaid and listing a 14-year-old boy as the child's father, police said.
 
Mekenzie Leigh Guffey, 19, of Hollywood, admitted to having sex with the boy multiple times in her car in a remote area of the town, police Chief Jason Hepler said. Hollywood is a northeast Alabama town with about 1,000 residents.

"She was proud of him being the father until she found out we were going to become involved," Hepler said. "She told us she didn't count but it was more than a few times that they were together."

[JHan]

37. that disgusts me yes..and our cultural norms are different..

but was rape involved in their relationship?

[JHan]

41. Just to add to my previous reply, because I don't want to whitewash this, look at Celine Dion...

and René Angélil.

She knew him since she was 12 and they later married.

I think the dynamics of these relationships become less complicated* once they reach adulthood. No doubt there is a power dynamic in the early part of these connections, but how do we judge them later on?

In this case, it's not easy to draw firm conclusions about their relationship - such details are impossible to know. "Pedophilia" doesn't factor into it and I'm not even sure grooming is applicable here. I think a better conversation to have is the breaking of boundaries: the teacher/student relationship should not slip over into a romantic bond for obvious reasons. So despite cultural variances on this, and my personal objection to those sorts of relationships, I don't feel comfortable castigating a married couple whose infatuation blossomed in suspect circumstances but who remain happily married.

[yallerdawg]

43. My bone to pick is "hypocrisy."

We make rigid, self-righteous moral stands - and then toss them away when it becomes inconvenient for "our cause or candidate."

Perhaps we should be less judgmental, more tolerant of other people's outlook and circumstance, and more private with our personal moral rigidness.

Maybe we could avoid hypocrisy - that's the other parties flaw (I would hope).

[JI7]

61. there is a difference in that Macron who would be seen as the victim is running and he isn't "our"

candidate since he is in France.

also Macron's parents did not like the relationship and send him to paris to get him away from her. but they still ended up getting married later.

[treestar]

71. Recalls the case of Mary Kay LeTourneau

Went to jail for the affair with a teenaged student. When he was 21 or so, they got married.

[treestar]

70. when he met her

so we don't know when the sexual relationship began for sure.

[demmiblue]

24. +1

[Blue_Tires]

62. +1

[justhanginon]

20. If I am going to emulate the Macrons, I will have to

start cruising around looking for 105 year old women. Wish me luck!

[colorado_ufo]

21. Adorable couple but

what in the world could she have seen in a 15 year old boy?

[HoneyBadger]

64. Quick reboot

Same thing you look for in a laptop

[AtheistCrusader]

22. Statistical anomaly.

Statistical anomalies can still make people happy.

[iluvtennis]

23. My thoughts - I love it, love it love it. Been together 24 years -that speaks volumes, btw when 15

...I wouldn't have condoned it, so it great his parents put distance between them. But once he was an adult, he can do what he wants with another adults. Also, I believe in old souls who were together in a former life coming together again.

[TalenaGor]

25. same as me and my hubby - 24 years

ETA - his mom is two years younger than me lol His grandpa is younger than my mom - we get a kick outta it
hubby also took my last name <3

theres about 15 other ways in which hubby and I are non-traditional lol

[iluvtennis]

28. Wow...just wonderful. love it

[TalenaGor]

32. ty - owe it to the internets lol

[JHan]

66. That's awesome.

[SunSeeker]

26. They're both happy. That's more than a lot of couples can say. nt

[tavernier]

29. I'm so old, I have to look for younger guys.

All the ones my age are dead.

[BeyondGeography]

35. Gorgeous people both

[smirkymonkey]

36. I think it's great!

They look very happy together!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

39. I'm thrilled at the reversal of a norm. It really grinds my gears ...

The way men of any older age are perfectly acceptable being with much younger women...it's just peachy that men choose partners based on looks and a number.

Of course I've got a personal stake in this.
I'm pushin 60 here and the lack of interest from guys I'd like (like, around my own age or a little younger) is getting on my nerves.

But No lack of 70 year olds and up thinking, "Surrre, of course a woman 10 or more years younger will be interested!"

grrrr. grumble 😒

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

42. Cool, except having wife that has wrinkles and cellulite doesn't automatically make you a feminist.

We'd have a lot more of them in the US if that were the case.

[Lotusflower70]

44. It's a shift no doubt

My only concern is how the relationship started. There is a double standard though. When the genders are reversed, people freak out. If it's a girl student and male teacher, it's nasty. If it's a boy student and a female teacher, it's a porn fantasy. I have heard people joke about the boy student and female teacher scenario and are outraged against the girl student and male teacher scenario. That's bizarre. The age difference is interesting because it's usually older man, younger woman. I am not as concerned about the age difference myself. There is a generation gap but obviously enough substance to hold the relationship together.

[ornotna]

45. Works for me

If they are happy together that's all that matters.

[LeftInTX]

46. Weren't some in France complaining that Macron was boring????

She is certainly looks younger than LePen who is 48

[IronLionZion]

48. Hate can age people

[former9thward]

49. Have you lost your glasses?

That can be the only explanation.

[LeftInTX]

52. Can't find more pics of Macron's wife, but there are plenty of LaPen

She looks much older than 48

[JI7]

60. she looks like trump

[AwakeAtLast]

47. I'm 47, husband is 39

Not quite as large a gap, but we do joke that when I retire, he will still be working for quite awhile.

However, now in the age of 45 neither one of us will ever be able to retire...

[democratisphere]

53. You are never too old.......or too young.

[IronLionZion]

56. Children are too young

[democratisphere]

58. I was only considering adult relationships.

Of course children would be too young.

[DFW]

59. Macron is not the only one with a 64 year old European wife. I have one too.

A few minor differences:

1. My wife is from Germany, not France
2. She will be 65 next month
3. I am 3 months older than she is.
4. I will not be the next president of France, or anywhere else

Other than that, you can hardly tell us apart!

[Blue_Tires]

67. My thoughts:

Why is this any of our business again?

[IronLionZion]

68. French women say its about time.

"He is the opposite of Donald Trump.”