On a shopping bag of a boutique that sells lingerie:
"We are French. We believe in being sexy independent fashionable and optimistic"
***
French women care about how themselves, on their own uncompromising terms. They care about their weight, their skin, their hair, what they eat, and how they present themselves. It is tended to with a quiet, daily devotion. Not for applause, not for Instagram, but for their own sense of bien-être. It's cultural. The self-esteem industry never took root in France. There are no Tony Robbinses booming on about "unblocking potential." One gets on without having to brag, considered vulgar and a true tell of insecurity. One's own accomplishments and possessions are downplayed, almost dismissed. At the core of the endearing French Attitude? Most simply don't care whether they are liked. Or not.
You won't hear, "It's what's inside that counts" because the outside is seen as almost always the manifestation of what's been knocking around on the inside: all those small daily choices and decisions, spanning years, had a cumulative effect.
Even women of modest means treat themselves to a special accessory or scent, and in Paris, there are almost as many lingerie shops as there are tabacs. One of my French nieces, a young college student at the time, excused herself early from a family lunch so as not to miss her weekly massage - a nécessité, she explained, despite living on a tight budget.
While gym clubs and joggers abound, many find other ways to get in their daily exercise, such as foregoing the elevator and taking the stairs, or walking instead of using métro, car or bus. Cities all over France have become bicycle friendly, and not just to reduce pollution. The sacred August vacances d'été, that great annual purge of stress, is coming to a close, and as everyone shares stories and photos of where they went and what they did, Paris is re-energized. - BPJ
***
You won't hear, "It's what's inside that counts" because the outside is seen as almost always the manifestation of what's been knocking around on the inside: all those small daily choices and decisions, spanning years, had a cumulative effect.
Even women of modest means treat themselves to a special accessory or scent, and in Paris, there are almost as many lingerie shops as there are tabacs. One of my French nieces, a young college student at the time, excused herself early from a family lunch so as not to miss her weekly massage - a nécessité, she explained, despite living on a tight budget.
While gym clubs and joggers abound, many find other ways to get in their daily exercise, such as foregoing the elevator and taking the stairs, or walking instead of using métro, car or bus. Cities all over France have become bicycle friendly, and not just to reduce pollution. The sacred August vacances d'été, that great annual purge of stress, is coming to a close, and as everyone shares stories and photos of where they went and what they did, Paris is re-energized. - BPJ
***
Adapted from:
Seduction and the Art of The French Femme
and
Eating French: Why French Women Won't Get Fat
Seduction and the Art of The French Femme
and
Eating French: Why French Women Won't Get Fat
a.k.a. A French Paradox: The French Non Diet and The Art of Eating for Pleasure - Barbara Pasquet James
