French president Emmanuel Macron may seem like he's still riding high on his May electoral victory and all the perks that come with it (like getting an official portrait and shaking hands with other world leaders), but now he's learning something new about presidential backlash: When it comes to literally keeping up appearances, there's little margin for error.
SEE ALSO: Emmanuel Macron is basically James Bond IRL and people can't copeMacron is now coming under fire for racking up an eye-popping €26,000 bill for make-up in just his first three months in office (that's just shy of $31,000 US).
The story was first reported by French news outlet LePointebut has since spread across the globe, — and the internet — that Macron has paid two bills (€16,000/$19,000 and €10,000/$12,000) to make-up artist Natacha M.
According to The Guardian, Macrons's aids insist it was "a matter of urgency" and provided services for "press conferences and foreign trips where the person concerned has to travel with him." Maybe it's all part of his effort to keep upstaging Trump.
Racking up these sorts of expenses isn't unusual for heads of state in France. François Hollande, according to LePointe, paid €10,000 for his hairdresser and €6,000 for make-up.
This controversy probably sounds mighty familiar to Americans, too. There was Bill Clinton's infamous runway haircut. Populist Democratic candidate John Edwards faced similar spend-shaming over his high-price trim. And, of course, Sarah Palin's six-digit shopping spree ahead of the 2008 election.
Not helping matters: Macron's approval rating is already plummeting because of his promise to reform France's long-standing labor code.
Macron's people admitted the price was high and said the costs will be much lower from here on out but, frankly, it's too late and we now have a new nickname for him: Viva la E-Money.
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