Social media has emboldened misogynists: Expert

Feminist and human rights activist, Lebogang Ramafoko, says the jokes French President, Emmanuel Macron, is currently being subjected to is an extension of the disrespect his marriage and wife have been exposed to.

Ramafoko’s comments come at the back of dozens of memes ,which have surfaced on social media depicting the president as a domestic violence victim and the first lady, Brigitte, as the abuser.

French President Emmanuel Macron slap memes just broke the internet😂

A combined collection of the 25 funniest memes in one thread 🧵

Enjoy and share Max 😄 pic.twitter.com/B9iII1RhO8

— Saffron Sniper (@Saffron_Sniper1) May 28, 2025

These memes come after a video showed Brigitte shoving the French President in the face as they touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday evening for a diplomatic visit. While Macron dismissed the incident as a joke, some social media users believe he is just in denial.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office downplayed an incident in which his wife, Brigitte, appeared to push his face away as he arrived in Vietnam to begin a Southeast Asian tour. “It was a moment of closeness,” the Elysee Palace official said.⁠
⁠https://t.co/v8W7Cd9rFU pic.twitter.com/Wm4XGnHe9T

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 26, 2025

According to Ramafoko, the reaction to the incident has escalated the abuse Brigitte has been subjected to over the years, which she describes as layered. Many have been ridiculing her marriage because of the age gap between her and Macron. Her physic has also been an object of scorn.

Want to understand why there were so many trans people in Paris Olympics:

Look at the president’s wife, what do you notice? pic.twitter.com/e31qTN5YBP

— E (@ElijahSchaffer) July 28, 2024

Emmanuel Macron’s IS married to a MAN!!!

“They have pictures down to the year where Brigitte got the Adam’s apple surgery & just wore a scarf for 8 months as a teacher.”👇🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZAq6ENU4r2

— Michelle #AmericaFirst (@MichelleRM68) July 7, 2024

It’s all very shocking to believe Emmanuel Macron got away with lying to France about his wife’s gender. Until Xavier Poussard shows this photo. I was blown away. Bridgette Macron is a man. #XavierPoussard #CandaceOwens #becomebrigitte pic.twitter.com/GLcvRolyoA

— Purple Unicorns (@Purple_Unicornz) February 18, 2025

Ramafoko believes that the saga speaks to a broader question on how some, even here in South Africa, perceive rape, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), among others, as well as which women should or shouldn’t be subjected to it.

She says the reaction to Olorato Mongale’s murder has laid bare some of society’s prejudice towards victims of GBV.

According to the feminist and human rights activist remarks that she was a slay queen by some South Africans on social media, after it emerged that she was killed while on a date with a potential suitor, shows how society believes that certain people deserve sympathy while others don’t – something she feels is a deterrent to eradicating the scourge of GBV in the country.

Ramafoko says society’s warped thinking is one of the reasons that men who also experience violence hardly speak up.

Ramafoko’s believes social media has emboldened misogynists.