French Stereotypes

Stereotypes are very common in any country, including France.  Many Americans have thoughts about the French, how they can be rude, thin, and do nothing all day.  Now, some of that could be true, respectively.  Here are some main stereotypes that I think a lot of people have about the French.

One of the main stereotypes that we make about French people is that they are overly dramatic and romantic.  I could prove that true, easily.  Every French film, story, and monument has a love story in it.  The Pont des Arts, or Bridge of the Arts, is nothing more than a pedestrian bridge, with hundreds of romances attatched to its chains.

While walking somewhere in Paris, you might happen to walk across a pedestrian bridge, just like the Pont des Arts, and you will notice a bunch of padlocks linked to the chains of the railings.  Well, in France, if you have been dating or are in a relationship with someone, it is considered a tradition.  What couples do is, they buy a pad lock, a simple lock and key, and walk with it to the nearest pedestrian bridge.  There, they open the lock, attatch it to the chain, close it, and throw the key into the river.  Basically, it means that the couple has pledged their love for each another and they kiss on the bridge.  Sometimes, they even carve each others initials on the backs of the locks.  Now, if you are anything like me, a sappy person, you probably just said "Awww, how sweet/cute/romantic!"  Yes, I think it is too:).  If you are anything like my blogging partner Céline, I'm guessing you either threw up in your mouth a little bit, or said "ugh, please", and that's fine.  The only thing that ruins this perfect moment, is that every year, the French police come and take all of the locks off of the railings and throw them away.  I wonder if any couples break up that day. . . Here is a few pictures of what I am talking about.  In the left picture, it might be hard to see, but the little dots on the chains are the locks, and yes, the Eiffel Tower is in the background.  On the right, those are the locks zoomed in.

Another stereotype is that the French are rude.  In my opinion, the French aren't exactly rude, but they can be impatient with tourists.  I was at this cute, little, French café on a street corner (I know, another stereotype, I'm getting to it) and the waiter was being very rude, and he had an attitude.  Yes, I know that maybe he was having a bad day, he got hurt, or something happened at home.  And I also know that in America, people who work here try to be nice to annoying, snobby, slow, and mean customers, but my family and I were doing nothing but maybe taking too long to decide what to have.  So he was being a little rude, but I guess I would do the same thing.  This was also the same café in which I had my first croque-monsieur and it happened to be very good.  I can't speak for other French cities besides Paris, but I don't think the French are that rude or snobby.

Now, let's visualize.  Imagine that you are Paris. . . I'm gonna guess that you pictured yourself sitting in a café, on a street corner, drinking a coffee or a glass of wine just watching the world go by on scooters.  Do you hear a saxophone lightly playing a 20's-ish sounding jazz tune in the background?  Yep, another stereotype.  It is true that the French sit and watch the world go by, but often there's no background music.  If you have seen Midnight in Paris, I'm hoping, you would have noticed the jazz at the beginning of the movie.  People often think that the French are lazy, and just smoke and drink coffee or wine all day, when they don't. People often have drinks, but they are very active (how else would they stay so thin?).

Which, in fact, brings me to my next point.  Yes, people (Americans), happen to think the French are so thin and skinny.  And yes, that is true.  The reason is, Parisians walk everywhere!  Unless a) you are sick, b) it's raining out, c) you are going on a 'road trip', or d) the metro isn't working, you are gonna walk all day to every place you have to go.  Another reason is, the portions of food in France are much smaller.  If they happen to be big, the French do not eat all of the food on the plate, whatsoever.  Finally, the last reason is that in France, although they have fast food restaurants, they do not have nearly as many as we do in America.

As you see, we have a very nice list of stereotypes about the French.  They are, so far, dramatic, romantic, lazy, rude, arrogant, skinny people.  Though only half of those are true, Americans still make assumptions about them.  I just wanted to tell you some of these things from my point of view.  If you have anything you would like to add to the list, please leave a comment or if you would just like to comment then go ahead!:)

-Colette

P.S. This post was not written in any offense to French people!:)

Scarves!!

Among the many popular fashion trends in Europe, scarves have to be very high on the list.  I love wearing scarves and probably wear them at least once a week in the fall, winter, and spring.  In French, there are several words for scarf including: écharpe, cache-nez, cache-col, foulard, and châle.  All of these mean scarf, muffler, wrap, and sash.  Call it what you want, these trendy neck-wearers are a classic.

There are several different ways to tie, or wear, scarves.  You can do the classic, quick wrap around, the fancy, through the hole, the shnazzy, wrap and tie, and many others.  So, here I am(with the help of my fashion forward sister and her mannequin) to show you just how to do that.

The quick, basic loop:
Honestly, you really can't mess this one up.  So, you take your scarf, hold it out in front of you, and bring it to the front of your neck.  Cross the ends at the back of your neck and bring them down on either side of your torso. For the best look, loosen the loop so you don't choke, or be uncomfortable, just like the picture.

The French double-loop:
This one is pretty simple also.  Personally, I think a longer scarf works best with this tie.  Start with the basic loop, except don't loosen the loop. Instead, cross the ends again around your neck and pull the ties down on either side of your torso.  See picture to the right.

The "Circle" Scarf:
If you have a circle scarf, put your head through it and twist the loop.  Then,  pull the other loop over your head.  If you don't have a circle scarf, that's okay.  Start with the basic loop, except(again) don't loosen the loop.  Instead, cross the ends again around your neck and pull the ties down on either side of your torso (like the French double loop).  Tuck the ends under the two loops so that you do not see the ties hanging out, like the picture.

The fancy, through the hole:
Normally, this is the way that I wear my scarves because it is quick and easy.  All you have to do is take your scarf fold it in half lengthwise and put one of your hands on the side with the ends and the other on the fold.  Bring the scarf to the back of your neck and bring the ends down on either side of your torso.  Take the ties and fit them through the loop, or the fold so that your tie looks like the picture to the right.

The shnazzy, twisted version of "through the hole":

This tie is a little tricky and takes a while to master.  Start with the through the hole, except only put one of the ends, or ties, through the loop.  Take the other end and cross it in front of the loop.  Pull the end the other way through the loop that you did the first end.  It might be difficult, but please use the pictures to guide you...it took me a loooong time to figure this tie out.

The effortless, wrap and tie:
This is as easy as it sounds.  Start with the basic loop, and pull the ties down on either side of your torso.  Tie them in a knot, like when you begin to tie your shoes like the pic to the left.  Your done!!





If you need any further help with these wrapping techniques, please leave me a comment and I will post more pics!  Or, if you have more that you would like share, don't hesitate to leave a comment! 

-Colette