The French have a solid reputation abroad and everyone has their own stereotype of the country which has a tri-colour cock as an emblem. However the majority of these stereotypes don’t match with reality, but they persist despite their origin dating from historical facts of the last century.
From logical stereotypes to more curious ones, we’ve clarified some preconceived ideas about the “Frogs” (as people from France are known in the west).
The Food : “French people love to eat snails, frogs’ legs, rabbit, horse”
Reality : It’s true that for the French, meals and good food are a really important part of life, but they are not all gourmet. They actually eat a lot of frozen food (the most famous shop is Picard, which sells nothing but frozen food), and McDonald’s is very popular in France.
Frogs’ legs seems to be more famous in the South-East of France, but they stay quite unusual for a lot a French people. Most of the frogs served in Paris are consumed by tourists!
Regarding horse meat, it’s true but it’s very uncommon, even if we can find horse butcheries in the streets of Paris. Rabbit, however, has always been popular and is on many French restaurant menus.
The Romantic : “The French are the most romantic and seductive people in the world”
Reality : In surveys of the most romantic languages, French is often among the top results. Alas, while the language may be romantic, the personality trait isn’t exactly true.
In fact, the French are not overt and expressive about emotions. Despite what people might think, a typical French man won’t be extremely affectionate, and they won’t make grand and romantic gestures.
Most of the time, the French only flirt in nightclubs during parties, or in bars over a drink. Pretty much like everyone else.
The Fashion: “A typical French wears a beret, a red scarf, and a striped t-shirt called marinière”
Reality : Although we don’t really know who invented the beret, we do know that it was particularly popular in the Pyrenees since the Middle Ages. Carried flat, inclined on one side, forward or backward, it has long styled men and women of all eras but became scarce after the Second World War (WWII).
Today they are probably worn only by the military, some painters from Montmartre, and participants from southwestern French festivities to pay tribute to it. And of course, tourists and fashionistas.
About the marinière – not all French people have closets full of striped t-shirts of all kinds, although this pattern of clothing was what made designers Coco Chanel and Jean-Paul Gautier famous.
However, French women are really sophisticated and chic. They represent a high symbol of elegance in typical French style.
The Breakfast: “Everyone drinks coffee the morning on Parisian terraces with a croissant”
Reality : French people often have a very quick breakfast in the morning; some don’t even have breakfast at all.
France is undoubtedly a country of good bread but in terms of consumption, it is the Germans–who consume 85kg per person, per year–who eat the most bread in Europe every year. The French, on the other hand, are smaller players, at 58kg per person, per year.
Instead of leisurely breakfasts, the French have long lunches; their lunchtime has a reputation of lasting at least one hour, if not more. Especially if you have a meal with your family or friends for special occasions like birthdays, religious celebrations (Christmas, Easter, etc…).
On Shaving: “In France, people don’t shave”
Reality : … and it’s true (partially)! For a few years now, the hipster style has became very fashionable in Europe and men stopped shaving their beards.
We sometimes hear that French women don’t shave (their underarms and legs), but this cliché goes back to the Second World War. It must be said that at the time, between occupations and bombardments, women had other priorities than thinking about shaving.
On the other hand, today, 73% of French women wax their armpits, 83% shave their legs, and 54% trim their bikini line (which is not huge, but remains the majority).
by Léa Dérédjian
