French Women
It’s a fact, and I hear it all the time…
American women and women from many other countries admire and envy French women.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
THE TRUTH MAY SURPRISE YOU!!!
Instead of writing some long paragraphs, I created 2 VIDEOS for you to watch and find some answers to all the usual questions.
How do French women stay so… thin? What do they eat?
How to dress like a French woman?
How to act like a French woman?
What are French women’s secrets to beauty and feeling beautiful every day?
What makes French women such good hostesses?
So many questions…
In the next 2 VIDEOS, I try to answer these questions (and more!). Please take a look and a listen. If there are still some unanswered questions at the end, please let me know. I will do my very best to answer them. You can always e-mail me.
VIDEO No 1 - French Women: What makes them so...French?
Do you sometimes feel down, wishing you would be a different person, not having the pressure to look and behave like someone you are not? More like… well… a French woman?
French women in general are more true to themselves. They try less to pretend...
To learn more, please watch the video below!
VIDEO No 2 - French Women: Healthy Lifestyle
You have all heard that French women don’t get fat. Is it a myth? Is it a reality? Whatever it is, it certainly raises envy and curiosity...
To learn more, please watch the video below!
I told you I would surprise you, and I know I will!
NOT ALL FRENCH WOMEN BY FAR (!) are thin and have good skin,
know how to dress,
and feel beautiful every day.
Being French myself and going to France often, I can tell you for sure lots of French women would like to meet those criteria, but they often do not. We all have our little worries, our little problems, our little issues, and few French women match the cliché.
The average French woman may be naturally stylish and sophisticated and have her own ways, as my 2 VIDEOS demonstrate. It is that “je ne sais quoi” that makes her different, but please understand: she struggles every day, just like the average American woman does, but she tries to make each day a beautiful day.
You may want to read one of my blog posts which I KNOW FOR SURE you will find interesting.
It is about the French being LESS… THIN…:
https://www.voilabycoco.com/blog/french-blogger-on-french-lifestyle
And finally, if you want to know more about the French Culture and Etiquette,
whether you are soon going to France or not,
I have a course available that gives you a ton of information - the do’s and don’ts.
Interested in
French Etiquette?
Daily Etiquette
Restaurant Etiquette
Etiquette for Special Occasions
Table Manners
PUBLISHED BLOG ON FRENCH WOMEN:
Should only French women know?
Feminism vs. Femininity in French women
French chef shares her food and beauty secrets
French women: what makes us so... French?
VIDEO TRANSCRIPTS
French women: what makes them so French? Is the admiration for French women totally justified?
Is being born a woman AND being born French such an advantage? Or is it just another cliché, a not-so-meaningful je-ne-sais-quoi, after all?
Hello, Bonjour, I’m Coco, and I’m very glad that you are joining me today. Together, we are going to take a look at 10 major characteristics that make French women so French, that make them the admiration of so many other women.
Number 1 : FASHION
First, we’ll start with fashion.
French women inherently know what to wear for what occasion.
They are not interested in glamor and red carpet looks. They do like the big names, the big brands, but not in excess. Nothing should be in excess.
In fact, you may have watched Hunters International on TV and seen some American couples shopping for a house or an apartment in France and wondering where the walk-in closet is. Well, you would have to go through a lot of French houses before you can find a walk-in closet. French women do not have lots of clothes, lots of shoes, lots of purses. Quality is more important than quantity for them - Quality in clothes, in accessories, in make-up, in food, in lifestyle. Quality everywhere.
Occasionally, French women wear heels, but mostly they wear flats - the elegant, classic, will-never-go-out-of-fashion flats.
They are more into style than they are into fashion. They understand color coordination. They understand what will make a jacket, a scarf, or a blouse stand out.
French women do wear tennis shoes with a pair of jeans or cropped pants for example, but their tennis shoes are light, thin, and... stylish. Nothing bulky.
When they dress for shopping or for a leisurely afternoon, they tend to wear some casual clothes, but they know how to make those casual clothes look good. It’s very much like cooking - You choose the right ingredients, put them in a pot, and the result can be superb. French women can pick the right “ingredients”, may I say, and look fabulous at the end!
When they go to the restaurant, they wear a nice casual elegant outfit.
When they go to a reception or a special evening, they dress up a little bit more. They want to be “chic”. And “chic” never means low cuts, lots of make-up and lots of jewelry for French women. It never does. Clothes, make-up, and jewelry are all MEASURED. Nothing in excess.
The way French women are put together has to be pleasing to THEM FIRST. If it is pleasing to them, then they feel good about themselves and they know that ultimately it will be pleasing to other people.
More on choosing clothes and color coordination in another “fashion special” video -
Number 2 : HAIRSTYLE
Number 2 is their hairstyle.
Generally speaking, French women like bangs and bob cuts. It does not mean that they all have bangs and bob hairstyles, but many do.
Highlights have to be subtle. Layers have to be soft. Hairspray has to be light volume hairspray. No superhold. Their hairstyle never appears to be sculpted stiff in place. It moves with their body.
And also, the older they get, the shorter their hair is to guarantee a forever young look. They say it always, always does the trick.
Number 3 : MAKE-UP
Number 3 is their make-up.
French women’s make-up is not overdone. They always go for a soft, natural look.
They buy their first anti-wrinkle cream at age 25 or so and never stop investing into high quality day and night creams to preserve their young skin. They use concealers and foundations very sparingly.
Their nails are manicured with subtlety - never too long, never too flashy. They think that, if some eyes lay on their fingernails, they should look clean and kept, but the fingernails themselves should never draw the eye.
Their overall appearance is never contrived, never exaggerated. It is simple. And they truly believe that less is more.
French women don’t try too hard. They think that if you try too hard, you end up with a superficial look that does not belong to you.
They want to feel fabulous. And, to do that, they do not try to pretend. They do not follow the trends. They make their OWN trend. They create and follow their OWN style. The end result is: natural beauty, and that’s the goal.
French women are themselves. They do not want to BE anybody else. Their OWN style is more important than someone ELSE’s style.
French women truly believe that at 30, you should look like a 30-year-old woman, and at 50, you should look like a 50 year-old woman, and at 70 you should look like you are 70. Simple!!! Whatever your age is, you should carry those years with elegance and charm and not try to fake it. You see, French women are not interested in Botox and plastic surgery. They know they cannot win the fight.
The beauty magazines may try to convince them otherwise... But they know better, and they are secure enough. They like who they are at the different stages of their life.
French women love to wear perfume. They usually have at least two expensive perfumes, one for the day, one more musky for the evening. If you go to France, you will notice many perfumeries as you stroll down the streets of big and small towns.
Be aware though… whether it is their wardrobe, their hairstyle or their perfume, French women do not like to reveal their sources. They keep those a secret… as much as they can!
Number 4 : POSTURE
Number 4 is their posture.
Good posture is key to your well-being and to your confidence. Good posture does not go unnoticed, and I must say, French women do have good posture in general.
Number 5 : PERSONAL TRAITS
Number 5 is their personal traits.
Most of all, French women are secure and confident. They are straightforward in a very subtle and diplomatic way.
Generally speaking, French women are charismatic. They are far from being perfect, and they know it, BUT, regardless of their ups and downs, it is their optimism that makes them glow.
I would say, French women are soft spoken and reserved, and that is a big part of their elegance. They are not distant. They used to be, but not any more.
Their speech is not pretentious, but it is proper. And I must tell you, they love to use English words. Using English words is very fashionable nowadays. C’est très cool, non?! It’s very cool! Le brunch, le job, le marketing, le dress-code, le coach… They love to speak Frenglish.
Number 6 : FEMINISM & FEMININITY
Number 6 is their feminism and femininity.
French women are taught to be feminine at an early age, and they have FUN being feminine. They don’t fear men. They don’t feel threatened by men. They don’t want to be belittled by men, but they are not interested in over-powering men either. They love men, and men love them. It is simple!!!
Number 7 : AS MOTHERS
Number 7 is about being a French mother.
French women tend to be overprotective of their children, but, at the end, they know what is best for them.
They do not push their offspring with tight schedules seven days a week. Online supplemental classes, private tutoring, private coaching in sports for a better chance to make it to the high school team and ultimately get a college scholarship... That is too much stress. They want to be more relaxed, and, by being more relaxed, their CHILDREN are more relaxed.
As you see, everything in a French woman’s life needs to be simple. No unnecessary stress. And, by the way, their children are well-behaved, balanced, polite, and considerate at an early age.
Number 8 : AT HOME
What about French women at home? What’s the charm?
Modern French women do not spend much time cooking because they are working or they are busy with the kids. But, they do like to spend some time cooking, baking and entertaining on the week-end. From greeting their guests all the way to saying good-bye, they can entertain and be delightful hostesses. They do it well and they shine. It does have something to do with their appearance (We covered that already – fashion, hairstyle, make-up, etc.) BUT it mostly has to do with the rules of etiquette, simple rules of etiquette that make a big difference – I teach good manners, and my clients tell me that it is the very best money spent because manners can transform a person more than fashion, hairstyle, and make-up. It is amazing what you can achieve with manners – at all ages, by the way, kids and grown-ups - and how good it can make you feel personally. And THAT can definitely be seen in French women.
Number 9 : AT WORK
What about French women at work?
Almost 70% of French women work, and they are as busy as American working women.
Their lifestyle has changed greatly over the last 50 years, which has had some significant repercussions on housing and shopping, on the configuration of small towns, on the economy, etc.
French women are, generally speaking, less aggressive and less competitive, some will say as a result, “more attractive”. I will not make a judgement on this. It is a common statement. That also means that they are less disappointed in life and less likely to be down. For those on the more competitive side, they are still quite gentle and proper about it.
Number 10 : HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
French women’s health and lifestyle is my Number 10.
If you have heard that French women do not go on diets, that is true. They don’t. They don’t over-eat either, and they seldom snack. They will tell you that they watch the right scale, and the right scale is how much is in the plate in front of them. This way, they don’t have to watch the bathroom scale… later.
The sad part is that a lot of them… smoke.
Smoking is a terrible habit of theirs and an addiction, and they know it, but it helps some of them resist the food cravings throughout the day. Not good.
Smoking in Europe is still a huge problem that affects men and women of all ages, and I personally think that they are just not aware enough of the danger of tobacco.
But, to go back to the healthy lifestyle and how French women stay thin, that will be the subject of another video – I am giving you the link down below. I think you will find it VERY interesting. It is quite long, because there is a lot of information to … digest, may I say …
but worth it.
Being a French woman myself, I must admit, has its charm, but American women should never be intimidated by French women. And, by the way, rest assured. Not ALL French women match the cliché.
We are who we are, and the main goal for each and everyone of us is to like ourselves the way we are, to develop our own charm, our own style, thus to be secure and confident, to have self-esteem, self-respect, and to feel good about ourselves. The best way to avoid any disappointment in ourselves is to be ourselves without … pretension. It is that simple!
I hope you liked this video on French women. Please leave a comment, tell me what you think.
Have you ever been to France?
Do you have a French friend or acquaintance?
What are your impressions about French women?
Admiration? Disappointment?
Is there another subject you would like me to develop in particular? It does not have to be about French women. It can be anything and everything French!
Please drop me a line and let me know!
And finally… remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel. In advance, thank you! Merci!
And… Voila!
Do you believe that French women eat cassoulet, smoked salmon, and crème brulee every day?
What keeps them so thin?
Could there be some foods that French women never combine at the same meal? Combinations that would be the worst enemy to their flat… tummies… Some of these will surprise you.
But what if I told you that the image of the perfect French woman may be… jeopardized? What could very well be the biggest threat to the national pride?
Let’s take a look at all this.
Hello, Bonjour, I’m Coco, and I’m very glad that you are joining me today.
French women have a lot of small, healthy, and daily habits that make a BIG difference at the end of the day, of the week, of the year.
Number 1 : THEY WALK EVERYWHERE
As you have heard before, French women walk everywhere, and THAT, is true – to work, to the car, to the school to pick up kids, to the store to do their shopping. They constantly incorporate exercise in their daily lives, and they never reward themselves for exercising like we in America reward ourselves with a 300-calorie healthy smoothie after jogging or working out.
Their lunch break is usually one hour. They spend 15-20 minutes of that break eating their lunch, and the rest of the time will be dedicated to a stroll or a fast walk. They always manage their time with their physical and mental health in mind.
They take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. As a matter of fact, you may have seen some apartments in Paris on House International or one of those HGTV shows. How many have an elevator? Not that many. You carry your groceries up to your apartment. That is part of your daily routine and there is no way around it.
Also, our villages and cities in France are full of stairways – we have them everywhere, and … definitely… no elevators in those places! Trip 2018 – 8333, 9130 + 06/2017 – 2978, 4187
Many people in big cities do not own a car or do not use their car because the traffic is bad and parking is impossible. So, they rely on public transportation. Well, public transportation is not a door-to-door service. You walk to the bus stop or to the train station, then you get off the bus or the train and you walk some more. And you do that twice a day.
Even when they drive to the supermarket, they do not look for a parking space next to the door. They make a conscious effort to park and walk.
Number 2 : THEY EAT GOOD FOOD
There is an open air market at least once a week in every town, big and small, in France. French people have much appreciation for seasonal produce, local cheese, local cured meats, etc. and they spend money there. They know they are buying natural, fresh, quality whole foods that are the pride of their local farmers and artisans.
They want good bread – not processed, industrial bread. Good bread. They eat “pain bio” (grain-filled, organic bread), but they also eat white bread, the good old, crunchy, white baguette. White bread made with good bread flour, water, sea salt, and biga. That’s it! No endless list of unnecessary ingredients in that bread.
French women do not deprive themselves. They believe in moderation, not deprivation.
Number 3 : THEY STAY AWAY FROM FORBIDDEN FOODS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
The forbidden foods are the Substitutes, the Food Additives and the Processed Food
SUBSTITUTES
No artificial sweeteners – French studies show that they cause weight gain in the long run.
Butter, not margarine – which, ironically was created by a French chemist
Real cheese. Real cream. The real stuff. The stuff that, they keep reminding you, their grandparents ate, yet, they stayed thin.
You get a better satisfaction from whole foods, and ultimately, you eat less because the satisfaction is immediate. Whole foods minimize the cravings, therefore reduce the urge to snack between meals. Interesting, isn’t it?
FOOD ADDITIVIES
Food additives are products, mostly chemicals, added to our food to 1) preserve it, 2) make it look good, and 3) make it taste good.
French women are more and more careful about what they buy for themselves and for the family. TV programs and magazines constantly warn them about the terrible side effects of food additives.
PROCESSED FOOD
It’s a fact: French women study the labels of processed food … and they often put the product back on the shelf, to go directly to the fresh produce section or the fresh meat department. And by the way, good, natural food is not more expensive than processed food in France. You can fix your own fresh tomato pizza for less money than buying a frozen one.
If they do NOT put that product back on the shelf, it is only because they are looking for something quick to save the day. They feel guilty buying it and certainly do not want to be seen with it in their shopping cart.
Number 4 : THEY EAT SMALL PORTIONS
So, yes, French women eat bread, and yes, they eat white bread… in small quantities. They look at the right scale, in other words, they do not put in their plate more than they need.
They only indulge occasionally. Nothing in excess. Everything in moderation. Creamy, buttery sauces, rich desserts… yes, but not every day… and in small quantities.
They do not behave like they will never eat again. They know the cheese tray will be on the table again and again, and they will eventually have a small piece of the camembert that they’ve been coveting. They can count on it.
All French women know how many calories they are allowed each day depending on their age and their weight. They have all seen the chart. And they stick to that number every day. By habit, they know how many calories are in a yogurt, a piece of chocolate, or a cookie.
If you go to HealthLine or other health websites, you read that an average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain her weight, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. Simple.
If you stick to your requirements, you will maintain your weight.
If you go below, you will start losing weight.
If you go above… you will start gaining weight. Again, that’s very simple.
So, if you eat a whole baguette, that will be 700 calories. But French women don’t do that. They eat a SLICE of it. They know they will have another delicious slice tomorrow and another one the day after.
Also, I remember when I was growing up in France, Sunday lunch was a big meal with a main dish, cheese tray, and dessert. However, dinner was light, super light… to compensate. Taking more calories than needed by the end of the day was out of the question.
Number 5 : THEY CHEW THEIR FOOD
We talked about the good food, we talked about the portions. Now let’s talk about eating.
Eating remains a pleasurable experience in France, not a chore just to satisfy our hunger. We savor each bite. We want to be content, satisfied. So, we chew each bite. We do not inhale the food, just to get the job done and move on to something else. And we take small bites. As we say in France, chewing means less bloating.
Also, when you eat quickly on the go, you are less likely to stop when you are full. You have the tendency to keep eating until the last bite. Eating more slowly allows you to better listen to your real needs and allows you to stop eating before you are full. The bottom line is: do not eat more than you are hungry. Stop before you are full.
And by the way, even if they eat at Mac Do, as they call it in France (That’s Mc Donald’s), the French still take the time to chew the meal.
Number 6 : They eat THREE MEALS A DAY: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Breakfast – French women do not skip breakfast. Many start with a plain yogurt (the calcium, the carbs, the protein, the fat, all that in just a few bites). When you go to the supermarket in France, you see a very large selection of plain yogurt in small, individual glass containers, plastic containers, big containers. Unless you know which one you want, you can spend quite a few minutes comparing the plain yogurts – cow milk, sheep milk, goat milk, whipped, not whipped.
They will also have a piece of bread with butter and jam, or maybe some granola with their yogurt.
Lunch – French women eat a substantial lunch, never a salad that would leave them hungry within a couple of hours. They want to have enough energy until dinner time because snacking between meals is not permitted.
So, the salad will not do it for them. They eat a full, balanced meal. Nothing fried. They will have meat and veggies, or fish and veggies, a small piece of chocolate with an expresso.
The small piece of chocolate is probably going to be a nice, good-quality, 72% dark chocolate (nothing with refined sugar) and that piece is going to be small – maybe 1/8 of a whole bar. Moderation, remember!
The espresso is going to be a 1.75 oz dark espresso with no sugar and no dairy added to it. The Starbucks liquid candy is more for tourists than for the true French woman.
Dinner – is usually light at home – A vegetable soup, a green salad, a small piece of cheese. That’s really all you need for a good night sleep.
Those three meals are at regular intervals and at the same time, day after day. There are extremely regulated.
Number 7 : THEY DO NOT SNACK
No snacking between meals – The French culture is not a culture of snacking. Eating a 300-calorie candy bar between lunch and dinner, which would be more than 15% of their recommended daily calorie allowance, would not make any sense to French women. That would be a waste of calories.
Number 8 : THEY DRINK A LOT OF WATER
French women drink lots of “tisanes” – “infusions” – what we call herb tea, and lots and lots of bottled water. Water throughout the day. Water AT ALL MEALS - No juice. No soda. No milk. Just water, and little, during the meals.
Number 9 : THEY DRINK RED WINE
French women drink more red wine than white wine. Red wine is still believed to be healthier because of its antioxidants.
Number 10 : THEY SELDOM DRINK BEER
French women seldom drink beer. It is just not part of their culture. If they do, they drink it with moderation.
DO FRENCH WOMEN DIET?
The word diet sounds dreadful and depressing. The French “diet” is not a “diet”. There is no such thing. It is a way of life. Their diet is their daily, healthy routine. They do not believe in crash diets, new fad diets, detox, or anything that would make them suffer when there is a better way to achieve the same results.
DO FRENCH WOMEN WORK OUT?
French women in general walk (a lot!), they jog, they take the stairs, they ride their bicycle, they play golf and tennis, and they exercise at home in front of a YouTube exercise video.
Getting up at 5 o’clock to be at the gym at 6 o’clock is not at all part of the French mindset. Gyms are not open that early anyway, and they don’t need to be.
Also, French women don’t go to the gym to get big, muscular arms. They want to be feminine. As a result, there is no pressure, no pain, no struggle, no frustration, no defeat, and no disappointment. They do not see the logic in going to the gym to work out, build up a big appetite and big muscles, and have that 300-calorie healthy smoothie or healthy bar as a reward.
The fitness ethic follows them throughout the day, not just at the gym.
BUT, I must say that there has been an explosion of gyms recently, with water bike, aqua gym, body pumps, yoga, stretching, Zumba, cellulite control, and so on.
It is interesting to know that women like to go to WOMEN’s gyms. They see the gym as a social place to meet other women, NOT to meet men. They do not see the gym as a “pick-up” place or a “look at me” place, and they refuse to be pressured whatsoever by the presence of men. So… men have their own gyms where they build up their big muscles. They leave the girls alone!
SADLY, FRENCH WOMEN SMOKE
Nothing to be proud of. Smoking may help some French women dull their appetite… but that is not good at all.
I really believe that much work of awareness needs to be done in France to stop this horrible, deadly habit.
Earlier, I talked about some combinations of food that French women avoid as much as possible. The scientific proof that those combinations can be harmful is actually supported by dieticians and medical studies. And some will surprise you.
So, let’s start with…
XXX - Meat & Starch – any kind of starch - potatoes, pasta, rice
Mixing protein and starch is not a good idea because the starch is not digested easily when it is processed with carbs. Both are going to struggle during the digestive process, and because of that, they will stay in the stomach way too long, which is going to bring your level of energy down.
Starch-filled foods should be eaten separately. For example:
Have a hearty potato salad for lunch, and eat your meat or fish with vegetables for dinner.
Have pasta and cooked veggies as a main dish. Have a risotto with a nice pesto sauce.
If you serve meat or fish, serve VEGETABLES as the accompaniment, not potatoes, pasta, or rice.
XXX- Start your meal with fruit. If you save the fruit for last, it will sit on top of your meal in your stomach for too long, and the sugar from the fruit will have plenty of time to ferment. You don’t want that to happen. Dieticians, doctors, researchers in France all agree on that.
Plus, it is not good for your flat tummy.
XXX - The combination of black tea with milk, even a drop of milk, is counter-productive. The milk will void the antioxidant properties of the tea.
XXX - Never eat…
A piece of quiche or pizza and a piece of pie or cake at the same meal – That is gluten on top of gluten.
Gluten is good, but in moderation.
A main dish served with a creamy sauce and a custard for dessert – That is dairy on top of dairy.
Dairy is good, but in moderation.
The worst may be a combination that we see all the time here in America:
Pasta and Bread – That is starch on top on starch. Unthinkable to most French women.
At the beginning of this video, I told you about a real threat that is quite devastating and that is spreading like wild fire in France. The French call it the “invasion of the American culture”… : Gigantic serving sizes and the “all-you-can-eat” concept have conquered France.
NOT ALL FRENCH WOMEN ARE THIN ANY MORE… Rather, more and more French women – and men – are … gaining weight and are becoming overweight. They are catching up on us in America.
Their lifestyles are being assaulted by the American culture…
American tourists have been demanding bacon and eggs for breakfast and burgers for lunch… And the French have not stood up… Part of it is that they don’t want to miss the business... And French people of ALL generations fall for the greasy temptations… and the huge portions… O, what a shame…
The French are losing the balance, the balance that was so effortless… the balance that made the world admire French women.
Balance in the diet – eat everything, but eat it in small quantities.
Balance in the calories – eat just what you need to maintain your weight, less to lose weight, more to gain weight.
Balance in the lifestyle – stop eating before you’re full; keep moving throughout the day.
I’m quite sad to see it when I go back overseas, but it is a reality. No one can deny it. So far, the epidemic is staying in big cities, in urban areas which are more open to the new trends, the new fads. But that’s where most French people live… The rural population is only 20% of the French population and has been steadily declining every single year since 2006.
We can only hope that it is just a trend, and as many trends, that it will pass before it causes too much devastation.
One more tip to a healthy life style: the trick to eating more veggies – that’s my own little trick, and it is in my BLOG. Please check it out!
I hope you liked this video. Please leave a comment, tell me what you think.
Have you been to France recently?
Were you in the city? In the country? Would you like to share some remarks?
And finally… remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel. In advance, thank you! Merci!
And… Voila!