French
stereotypes incorrect, discover truth
Aneya Fernando
OK,
I don’t want to go off on another “stop
stereotyping the French” rampage,
but let me ask this — who is the
idiot who told you “French people
don’t shower, French girls can
braid their armpit hair because it’s
so long and French people don’t
believe in deodorant. They’re like,
savages! Basically, French people sit
around all day eating weird things like
frog’s legs, snails and nasty,
smelly cheese.”
I’m here to set the record straight. First off, French people shower.
My step-dad was a Frenchman and, yes he showered. Maybe every other day — not
as much as hygiene obsessed Americans do. Does this make them inhuman? Grotesque?
I’ll tell you what’s grotesque seeing an obese American down a
Big Mac, large fries and a Diet Coke. That, to me, is the most sickening, not
to mention stupid, thing I’ve ever seen.
What else? Ahh, my favorite rumor: French women do not believe in shaving their
armpits or legs. Okay, I will admit, while living in Marseille, a seaside port
town in southern France, I did see an odd woman with more hair under her arm
than well, the Amazon. But for the most part, especially with the younger crowd,
everyone shaves — their legs, their armpits, everywhere we do. They are
just like us. They don’t like excess hair. Enough said.
With that in mind, we come to the next stereotype: French people don’t
use deodorant. But, they do. Walk into any Monoprix, the French version of
Albertson’s, and you will see an aisle full of antiperspirant.
I will admit, I have been in certain unfortunate situations where body odor
was evident, and you know the person has never heard of Secret Clear Gel protection.
But those are the old-fashioned folk. For the most part the French smell perfectly
fine.
Last but not least, the stereotype that French people eat weird things like
snails, frog’s legs and stinky cheese.
When I first moved to Marseille, I will admit, I was afraid my days of hamburgers
and curly fries were long gone. How wrong I was! French teenagers are just
like us. They love junk food and would rather die than try escargot. Adults,
on the other hand, do indulge in these so-called delicacies.
The one thing I will admit is that the French sure love their cheese. With
over 400 different kinds in the country, you’re bound to find one you
like, too.
So there you are: four major stereotypes debunked. I just hope people will
give their French neighbors a little respect.
Aneya Fernando is a freshman journalism major.
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