"Qui a dit que la Parisienne était un mythe?" / Who said the Parisienne was a myth?....
You don't have
to be from Paris or live there to be a Parisienne. It's a look, a style, a state of mind. - Inès de la Fressange and Sophie Gachet La Parisienne (2019)***
Once again, the elusive Parisienne
is in the news, democratized and watered down by people who never
understood the entrance requirements. Like the Southern Belle, she is a
category all her own that no diversity seminar can mint. To be a Parisienne
is an attitude, a style, and unapologetically French. Try as you will to rebrand her, she’ll still be leaning against the zinc café counter in her
ten-year-old trench, regarding the whole circus with the faintest lift
of an eyebrow. Some myths refuse to be focus-grouped into oblivion. -
BPJ
Tomorrow:
Are you a (cliché) Parisienne? Check the chart
Are you a (cliché) Parisienne? Check the chart
Update: see December 14, 2020 post
