Imagine a typical, anonymous French person. French people stink When you look for the origin of this stereotype, the overall consensus seems to be that it comes from the French diet or somewhat stereotypical diet of onions and pungent cheeses. But why would that make it true?
If you eat a lot of onions or stinky cheese, does it make you smell any different? Those are the facts, as much as statistics can be trusted, anyway. Also — another statistic — a majority of French people use deodorant. But I will admit, I do often smell body odor on public transportation or in crowded rooms. I think that the reason for the persistent idea of the French being stinky comes down to proximity and heat.
In the US, where I grew up, I was rarely around sweaty people indoors, but in France, it happens all the time. French people are rude This is one of the most common stereotypes about the French, and probably the most unfair.
First of all, not all regions of France have the same general culture or attitude towards other people. In France, people from the North and people from the South are generally considered to be warm and friendly — and in my experience, they are. On the other hand, even fellow French people will probably tell you that Parisians are rude. So, these people may not be radiating sunshine when you talk to them.
For most French people, overtly expressing your emotions, smiling all the time, and just generally being warm and fuzzy and exaggerated makes you seem insincere, maybe even stupid. Many people who say the French are rude are tourists. They may come from countries where the customer knows best. And when you think about it, they have a point. French people only listen to accordion music Many of the stereotypes on this list come from dated impressions.
Some performers do continue to keep accordion music alive, but most contemporary French music is pretty much like music in most Western countries. You have singers of all sorts, from traditional, folk, and regional groups, to pop and rap stars, not to mention a modern French music phenomenon: The women with the unshaved underarms were older, maybe starting around age French people actually really like a lot of things about America.
Some even stay , including many French celebrities. On the other hand, most French people disagree with a lot of aspects of US culture and politics, whether temporary issues like the current president, or concepts like the lack of universal healthcare coverage.
Mais non! The French have a reputation for being romantic and seductive. In surveys of the most romantic languages, French is often among the top results. The reason is that romance is relative. If you like grand, romantic gestures — prom-posals, skywriting and the like — look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you like passion but not making a fuss about everything, prefer sex to a routine date, and value meaningful but not excessive gifts, you might want to give dating a Frenchman a try.
The French always surrender I can understand the misconceptions behind other stereotypes, but this one genuinely annoys me. For centuries, France was one of the most significant military powers in the world.
Under his leadership, the French army conquered most of western Europe. Even after his time, the French went on to military victories in conflicts around the world, as this exhaustive list shows. So why the stereotype? But even then, a number of French armed forces made their way to England, fighting for their country under leader Charles de Gaulle.
Today, France is still a formidable military power, taking part in major world conflicts. The idea is still very present in pop culture today. To some extent, there is a grain of truth to this stereotype. For one thing, philosophy is an actual compulsory subject in French high schools.
Even out of school, many French people keep learning. As someone who prefers TV series to the nightly news, this regularly happens to me. And, for all the philosophy studies and reflection on current events, problems that many people think portent the end of civilization as we know it, such as text speak , are issues in France, too. The French always eat gourmet meals We often picture French people regularly sitting down to amazing, elaborate homemade meals that would be worthy of a five-star restaurant anywhere else.
While the French do value good food and quality meals, people are people, which means that many of them are too busy or tired or plain lazy to cook like that all the time. The French also enjoy fast food. Just watch the trailer for the recent French movie, Les dents, pipi et au lit. If you go to the 1: The French all have poodles Dogs are the iconic French pet, right?
In reality , there are almost twice the number of pet cats than canines here. Still, many French people do love dogs. No cuisses de grenouilles to be found. Its novelty is that it specializes in this otherwise fairly rare dish. There are three reasons why a French person may not speak English to you: This is especially common among older generations. Picture this scenario: That would be a little off-putting and intimidating, right? Many French people deal with this regularly. English is the lingua franca of tourism, but many tourists take it too far.
But their fear is rooted in childhood. French teachers have no problem openly critiquing — even borderline mocking — their students. Marks are regularly shared, not kept confidential like they are in the US, for example. I think the opening paragraph of this article about language learning statistics sums it up perfectly. The author begins: Just look at our Head of State.
Remember that he wrote a single English word in the letter he sent to congratulate Barack Obama on his reelection: This is what French people are up against. Understandably, this leads to many French adults — even ones with powerful jobs or enviable looks or super-intelligence — to be extremely hesitant about speaking English.
Hopefully this article has shed some light on why these common stereotypes about the French are flawed. Filed Under: French Culture About Alysa Salzberg Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France, for more than a decade.
You can read about her adventures here , or feel free to stop by her website. Reader Interactions.
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