Scholz eye patch

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Viral first public photo of Olaf Scholz with his eye patch Olaf Scholz with eye patch.jpg
Viral first public photo of Olaf Scholz with his eye patch

Scholz eye patch refers to the medical eye patch worn by then German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following a jogging accident in September 2023. [1] A photograph of the Chancellor wearing the eye patch, which he published himself, quickly developed into an Internet meme.

Contents

In retrospect, observers have described the deliberate handling of the incident as a successful example of targeted political communication and personal branding in the contemporary digital environment of mass media. [2] [3] The eye patch reportedly became a recognizable feature of the Chancellor, made him appear more relatable, and supported his reputation in the long term. [4] [5]

Background

During a routine jog through Potsdam on 2 September 2023, then German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) stumbled, sustaining facial injuries in the fall. As a result, he wore a black eye patch over his right eye for several days to support healing and cover the injured eyelid. [6]

On 4 September 2023, Scholz published a photograph of himself wearing the eye patch on the social media platform X (then Twitter) via the official account for the German Chancellor, accompanied by the self-ironic caption: "Whoever has the damage... Excited to see the memes. Thanks for the get-well wishes, looks worse than it is" According to then spokesperson of the government Steffen Hebestreit, the image was posted with the intent of accustoming the public to the Chancellor's temporarily altered appearance. [7]

On social media, the image was quickly met with both recovery wishes and jokes at Scholz's expense. The image of the Chancellor wearing an eye patch was taken up in the form of memes, which placed the image in pop-cultural (for example referencing fictional pirates) or political contexts ("a blind right-side eye", Pirate Party). [8] [9] International media also covered the incident extensively, usually focusing on the Chancellor's physical appearance and the subsequent reactions. [10]

Analysis

Some political scientists and media commentators interpreted Scholz's proactive approach to handling the injury (particularly the early publication of the photograph with caption) as a strategic use of humor and self-irony to shape public perception and pre-empt ridicule. [11] As a discourse-shaping visual, effectively instrumentalizing a public official's past mistakes, Scholz's open handling of the eye patch was seen as bearing similarities to Donald Trump's handling of the Trump mug shot. [12]

Observers suggested that Scholz's markedly calm way of dealing with the injury (evident, for example, in him maintaining the same gesture and facial expressions despite the eye patch) was intended to signal reliability. [12] In addition, it was speculated that the eye patch may have been chosen as a symbol of determination and strength in leadership in order to counteract a widespread public perception of the Chancellor as overly formalistic. [13] [14] At the same time, the open display of personal vulnerability was said to make him appear more relatable. [4] Some commentators classified the accessory as a kind of "political trademark", noting previous political leaders wearing similarly distinctive eye patches. [15]

Body language experts noted that, rather than irritating or diminishing his authority, choosing to wear an eye patch may have enabled Scholz to influence the framing of his injury in media discourse (see spin). [16] Overall, the case was cited as illustrating the interplay between the growing personalization of European politics (referring to an increasing focus on individual political leaders) and social media use in politics. In this context, the media attention awarded to the Scholz eye patch was also criticized as an expression of a general shift away from substantive political content towards politainment. [17]

Aftermath

On 12 September 2023, the Chancellor made his first public appearance without the eye patch since sustaining the injury. Apart from minor scarring, he had suffered no lasting health damage. [18] In later interviews, he would state that he was glad to not have to wear his "trademark" any longer, but remarked: "[…] it touched me how many people reached out to me in kindness." [19]

A written parliamentary inquiry by Member of the Bundestag Fabian Jacobi (AfD), asking which campaign advertising agency had been commissioned to come up with the viral post yielded the answer of "None." [20]

In an interview with local newspaper Heilbronner Stimme, Olaf Scholz agreed to the suggestion of auctioning his eye patch for the charity fundraising campaign Menschen in Not. Although the original had already been disposed of for hygienic reasons, the Chancellor still possessed unused replacement eye patches, one of which he signed and donated to the auction. [21] It ended up being sold for €5,100. [22]

Later high-profile public appearances by politicians wearing eye protection, for example French President Emmanuel Macron wearing sunglasses due to an eye infection at the 56th World Economic Forum in 2026, were compared by commentators to the Scholz eye patch in terms of style and impact. [23] [24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Excited to see the memes': Germany's Olaf Scholz posts eyepatch photo". The Guardian . Guardian Media Group. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  2. ↑ Mertins, Silke (2023-09-09). "Käpt'n Scholz schlägt Wellen". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  3. ↑ Wichert, Silke (2023-09-04). "Flucht nach vorn". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding . Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  4. 1 2 Fried, Nico (2023-09-14). "Der Augenklappe sei Dank – Olaf Scholz überwindet plötzlich die Distanz zwischen Amt und Volk". Stern (in German). RTL Group . Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  5. ↑ Casdorff, Stephan-Andreas (2023-09-05). "Kanzler mit Augenklappe: Gestürzt, geschunden, auf einmal geliebt?". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Verlag Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  6. ↑ "German Chancellor Scholz sports eye patch after jogging accident". Reuters . Reuters Group. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  7. ↑ Bohannon, Molly (2023-09-04). "German Chancellor Wears Eye Patch After Running Injury: 'Excited To See The Memes'". Forbes . Forbes Media. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  8. ↑ "Olaf Scholz sparks pirate memes with eye patch photo". Deutsche Welle . ARD. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  9. ↑ Klein, Holger (2023-09-08). "Wie lustig ist es, wenn der Kanzler dazu auffordert, über ihn zu spotten?". Übermedien (in German). Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  10. ↑ Alparslan, Gülay (2023-09-06). "Olaf Scholz mit Augenklappe Das schreibt die Welt über den Kanzlerunfall". Stuttgarter Nachrichten (in German). Stuttgarter Zeitung Verlagsgesellschaft. Archived from the original on 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  11. ↑ Hildebrand, Christoph (2023-09-06). "„Die gemeinen Memes hat Scholz mit seinem offensiven Umgang verhindert"". Welt.de (in German). Axel Springer SE . Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  12. 1 2 Dieckmann, Freya (2023-09-04). "Skurrile Bilder von Staatsoberhäuptern: Der einäugige Olaf". Monopol (in German). Res Publica Verlag. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  13. ↑ Ebbecke, Dennis; Voss, Stefanie (2023-09-06). "Piraten-Expertin über Olaf Scholz: Warum das Augenklappen-Bild des Kanzlers ein cleverer Schachzug ist". Web.de (in German). 1&1 Mail & Media. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  14. ↑ Kleindienst, Jürgen (2023-09-04). "Kanzler mit Augenklappe – Soll es nur wie ein Unfall aussehen?". Leipziger Volkszeitung (in German). Leipziger Verlags- und Druckereigesellschaft. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  15. ↑ Wilke, Peter; Camut, Nicolas; Hülsemann, Laura; Chiappa, Claudia (2023-09-04). "Aye, aye, Captain Scholz! The top 5 political eye patches in history". Politico Europe . Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  16. ↑ Schwieger, Nico; Wittenberg, Lucie (2023-09-05). "Körperspracheexperte: Was Scholz' Augenklappe dem Gegenüber signalisiert – und was das mit seiner Autorität macht". RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (in German). Madsack Media Group. Archived from the original on 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  17. ↑ Schwab, Waltraud (2023-09-08). "Scholz und seine Augenklappe: Er sieht nicht in die Tiefe". Die Tageszeitung (in German). taz, die tageszeitung Verlagsgenossenschaft. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  18. ↑ Hülsemann, Laura; Krstic, Emma (2023-09-12). "The 7 cringiest Olaf Scholz pirate memes". Politico Europe . Axel Springer SE . Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  19. ↑ "Kanzler im Interview mit der Welt am Sonntag: „Neues Wachstum durch technologische Innovationen"". Bundesregierung.de (in German). Federal Government of Germany. 2023-09-16. Archived from the original on 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2026-01-27. Ehrlich gesagt, zunächst habe ich gar nicht darüber nachgedacht, wie die Reaktionen sein werden. Aber es hat mich berührt, wie viele sich sehr zugewandt gemeldet haben.[To be honest, I didn't think about how people would react at first. But it touched me how many people reached out to me in kindness.]
  20. ↑ Hebestreit, Steffen (2023-09-20). "Schriftliche Frage: Werbeagentur hinter dem Posting eines Bildes von Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz mit Augenklappe auf X (Twitter)". Drucksache 20/8449 (in German). Dokumentations- und Informationssystem für Parlamentsmaterialien. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  21. ↑ Ochs, Tanja (2023-11-14). "Wer bietet mehr? Signierte Augenklappe von Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz wird versteigert". Heilbronner Stimme (in German). Stimme Mediengruppe. Archived from the original on 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  22. ↑ "Starkes Höchstgebot für Scholz-Augenklappe: Augenklappe für 5100 Euro ersteigert". meine.Stimme (in German). Stimme Mediengruppe. 2023-12-05. Archived from the original on 2026-01-26. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  23. ↑ Dalton, Matthew (2026-01-22). "Forget Greenland. Macron's Sunglasses Take Over Davos". Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company . Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  24. ↑ Kazakevich, Alexander (2026-01-21). "Davos : les lunettes de Macron, un accessoire politique". Euronews (in French). Euronews SA. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
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