French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media platforms last Tuesday in a new attempt to boost vaccination rates against the COVID-19 virus, combat misinformation, and reach out to the youth. However, instead of attracting the French to vaccination, it was the T-shirt he wore that garnered their interest, making his vaccination message seem secondary.
In a video posted on Instagram and TikTok from his summer residence on the French Riviera, Macron appeared in a casual shirt, inviting the French to ask him questions about vaccination. Although the video's aim was to encourage young French people to get vaccinated, internet users shifted their focus towards unrelated matters, including questioning the meaning of the logo on Macron’s shirt, which closely resembled an owl, showing more interest in the white owl emblem than in Macron's message.
Some wondered: What does the geometric owl logo mean? Was there an unconscious message behind Macron's choice of this shirt? Was the Élysée's public relations team transmitting a secret message to the sharp-eyed? Was the president part of a secret society?
A preliminary theory suggested that the owl image symbolizes the Bohemian Club's logo, a political group founded in California in 1872, named after the European Bohemian movement, which is an anti-bourgeois culture. Additionally, there are two French words translated to mean "owl" and "ear-tufted owl," specifically the word "hibou," which used to signify bad luck, or a harbinger of death in ancient Rome, or in the worst cases, black magic; while in the best cases, it symbolizes sorrow, solitude, and melancholy.
The newspaper Le Figaro noted that the president's appearance was "sober, straightforward, comfortable, and above all, socially friendly," reminding readers of his challenge to the famous French YouTubers, MackFly and Carlito, in May.
There has been no official response from the Élysée regarding the questions about the shirt. Despite these conspiracy theories, a similar shirt has been sold online under the name "Macron TikTok T-Shirt" for €19.99.
