So much has been said and written about the French mystique, but I experienced it close-up-and-personal several years ago on my first trip to Paris. After an hour or so on the Champs-Elysees, I realized that Parisian women truly were in a class all their own. Clumping down the Avenue in my sensible shoes, among “le petit femmes” in their stilettos, I felt like an awkward giant. While I was stumbling over man-hole covers, they were navigating the sidewalks in their five inch heels as if they had wings on their feet. And not one of them was larger than a size four. I, on the other hand, could have rented out my butt for billboard space. I’d never seen so many slim, fit, attractive, well-groomed, fashionably dressed women in one city. No, they weren’t all beautiful by any means, but they BELIEVED they were. And that radical, unequivocal, self-confidence…one might even say arrogance…goes a LONG way.
Here are a few of the well-documented myths about French women…
They’re all thin…
Of course they’re not ALL thin! Please! But according to European Union statistics, French women are the slimmest in Europe, weighing an average of 126 lbs. I can attest that I saw very few overweight women in Paris…and I’m pretty sure that most of the chubby ones were tourists.
They don’t like to exercise…
They hate gyms and they loath sneakers, but they walk everywhere…in stilettos. And they spend more than 91 million dollars a year on slimming creams and gels. I have no idea what those creams and gels do, but they swear by them.
They eat rich, fattening foods and drink fine wines…
Well duh…wouldn’t you if you lived there? How could you not partake in le vin, champagne, baguettes, jambon, pâté de foie d'oie, fromages a la stinky, and patisseries? But apparently they’re capable of extreme discipline and portion control. And they smoke…a lot.
They love luxurious lingerie…
According to Helena Frith Powell, author of All You Need To Be Impossibly French, French women “wear nice underwear for themselves, and not for men, love to unwind around the house in sexy lingerie, and don’t think twice about spending $150 on a pair of panties and a bra." And, every single French woman she spoke to agreed that “underwear must be matching.” Hmmm, I must be at least part French, because the bra I’m wearing matches the panties under my bed…
Also, did you know that the dressing rooms in the lingerie department at Galeries Lafayette (an upscale department store in Paris) have two buttons on the wall…one to summons an assistant to help you with styles and sizes…and the other to change the lighting inside the cubicle from day to night, so you can see how your new undies will look when you lover undresses you? Seriously…
And speaking of lovers…
They don’t have a problem with lovers. The French differ hugely from Americans when it comes to fidelity, in that they view adultery as a fairly normal pastime. They certainly had better examples of sex and seduction in their literature. While Emily Bronte was fictionalizing her sexual hero in Wuthering Heights, George Sand was trying to get laid. And while Elisabeth Bennet was trying to bag a suitable husband, Emma Bovary was in the back of a carriage with young Leon…
Their role models tend to be writers and intellectuals, rather than movie stars and fashion models…
When Helena Frith Powell asked the French women she interviewed for her book to name the woman who had most inspired them as a role model, they almost all nominated writers or intellectuals. The top five were; Simone de Beauvoir, intellectual icon; Louise de Vilmorin, one of the grandes dames of French literature; George Sand, journalist and writer, born Amantine Surore Lucille Dupin; Francoise Sagan, who wrote her brilliant first novel Bonjour Tristesse at the tender age of eighteen; and Colette, one of the most important figures in French literature. Not an Angelina Jolie or a Heidi Klum in the bunch! French women see intellectual rigueur and culture almost as important as their beauty regime. They view knowledge as much sexier than a short skirt and a pout, merci beaucoup!
They’re not obsessed with “youth” and looking young…
French women are generally against botox and cosmetic surgery, and don’t seem to have the insecurities about aging that we Americans do. According to French actress Elisabeth Bourgine, “To erase the passage of time is a mistake…the most beautiful thing in a face is expressions…it’s better to have a few wrinkles than a face with no emotions.”
However, they do see beauty as something to work on. They start from a very young age by protecting their skin from the sun and eating well. They maintain that regular and healthy habits are far more effective than layers of concealing makeup. And, French women…and men…feel that age has nothing to do with sexiness. Maturity and experience are sexy! It’s not uncommon for French men to enjoy sexual liaisons with older women. It seems that, in France, there’s something much more honest about growing old gracefully than desperately clinging to youth. It’s just common sense!
So, are French women better than you or I? I wouldn’t go so far as to say THAT. But they do have a lot going for them. They’re attractive, smart, and sexy. They age realistically and are comfortable in their skin whether they’re twenty or sixty. They dine sensibly on fabulous cuisine, dress fashionably, wear expensive underwear, and can walk gracefully for long distances in really uncomfortable shoes. They have amazing role models. They take excellent care of themselves, and believe that they’re worth it. And let’s face it…believing in yourself is half the battle!
au revoir! C
I must have some latent French blood, Carol; I embrace the matching underwear and good wine concepts wholeheartedly. When I worked in the schools and a brief stint in the retail world, I wore heels every day. There is something about a sexy pair of shoes...
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