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New York, 5:04 AM
Thu Nov 26
64 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #frenchwomendontgetfat more →

    French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?

    French Women Don't Get Fat (Enough)

    Angry American Pundit: "French Women Can Suck It"

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    Image of shantidevi shantidevi
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I think lots of people have a irrational dislike of people who don't showcase their weaknesses. We're not comfortable with people who portray that they have it all unless they also display some issues with it.

    Just to pick two universally known examples, how about Oprah (self-made multi-media mogul who humanizes herself with her weight struggles = loved) vs. Martha Stewart (self-made multi-media mogul who makes a point of displaying her prowess at...everything = hated), but this isn't about a laundry list of famous people. I think it's about a deep national ambivilence with the idea that someone else may have it better than us, so we're constantly looking to take people down a peg if they don't do it themselves.

    But one thing I have learned about French women is that they generally don't give a [rodent's posterior] about being liked. Maybe that attitude is most difficult of all for American women to accept?
     Reply
    clevernamehere promoted this comment Edited by shantidevi at 11/09/09 5:23 PM shantidevi was starred shantidevi was unstarred
    Image of clevernamehere clevernamehere
    11/10/09

    @shantidevi: If you've read the book, she does talk about weakness. The way she ends up on the leek soup diet is that her French doctor suggests it after she gains weight in America. After that she doesn't struggle, but I don't think the problem is her lack of weakness. The leek soup is what did it for me, that just isn't a healthy suggestion. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    clevernamehere was starred clevernamehere was unstarred
    Image of BuffyPhD BuffyPhD
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I haven't read the books. However, I always wonder if the social context ever gets its due. The "secret" to not getting fat chez les francaises must surely include having access to nationalized preventive healthcare, paid maternity leave with universally subsidized childcare, being raised and socialized in a culture where such political/economic realities would occur, etc. Any individual behavior (e.g., eating sensibly and sensually) in the context of a relatively affirming social/political environment must make a huge difference. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment BuffyPhD was starred BuffyPhD was unstarred
    Image of Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    Yawn, nothing like sweeping generalizations to create controversy. All this "ooo, the French women know something special" is marketing hooey, yeah, damned profitable marketing hooey! What's next, "Swedish Women Never Age" or "Italian Women Are Never Ugly"? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink was starred Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink was unstarred
    Image of sumerfish sumerfish
    11/09/09

    @Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink: Don't stop there! What about "Spanish Women Never Spill Mustard On Their Blouses," "Greek Women Never Get Blisters in High Heels!" or that seminal classic, "Ladies In Luxembourg's Shit Don't Stink: A How To Guide" #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment sumerfish was starred sumerfish was unstarred
    Image of sara-without-an-h sara-without-an-h
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I disliked her book. I hate the glamourization of French women, BECAUSE I am a French woman.We come in all shapes and sizes, except that in Paris you will find many extremely thin women, far more than in the country side. I'm guessing this is also true of New York or London. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Hiroine Protagonist promoted this comment sara-without-an-h was starred sara-without-an-h was unstarred
    Image of FrannyR FrannyR
    11/09/09

    @sara-without-an-h: I live in an European country and hail from an other. I'm a member of several internet forums, many are populated by americans. It gets annoying, the preconceptions, ideas, prejudice etc you hear about Europe and the ppl who live there. Sometimes it gets to me and I lash out at a post that lump every single person in any european country together, sometimes I take it in strides. Right now, I'm in a shrug-my-shoulders-at-the-silliness-phase. But yes, being shoved into a category without having any saying sucks. 65 million ppl in France, about half of them women, but they are all skinny and glamourous... #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat promoted this comment FrannyR was starred FrannyR was unstarred
    Image of Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink
    11/09/09

    @sara-without-an-h: Absolutely. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat promoted this comment Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink was starred Rose.Selavy.Needs.A.Drink was unstarred
    Image of clevernamehere clevernamehere
    11/10/09

    @sara-without-an-h: I think it is a silly exaggeration, but I found French (even outside Paris) women noticebaly thinner than New York women (London women are more similar to New Yorkers). It is still eye rollingly dumb, but not without a basis. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    clevernamehere was starred clevernamehere was unstarred
    Image of clevernamehere clevernamehere
    11/10/09

    @FrannyR: I would love it if people suddenly decided all Americans were skinny and glamorous. It would be way better then the current stereotype that Americans are dumb and slutty. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    clevernamehere was starred clevernamehere was unstarred
    Image of FrannyR FrannyR
    11/10/09

    @clevernamehere: it puts pressure on the french women who are not skinny and glamourous. And there are so many other strange things you hear about the magical land of Europe. That adultery is accepted, ppl give wine to children, public nudity is accepted, dangerous drugs and medical practises are commonplace, it's sort of "anything goes in Europe". The most persistant misconception is that Europe is somehow one, homogenous continent, not ~50 independant nations. Like a united states of Europe. That the 730 million ppl in Europ feel some kind of bond and identify themselves as "European" as americans define themselves as "Americans". I get that the different american states have their own identities and profiles and stereoptypes, but you can't compare Europe to the USA. The only time I've called myself "European" was in conversations with americans who couldn't grasp that. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    FrannyR was starred FrannyR was unstarred
    Image of emfish55 emfish55
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    At least some of the resentment must stem from the sense many people have that Giuliano's success is disproportionate to her success. Her books are fine, but simple. Plenty of people could have written them -- the conversational tone, the common sense advice, the dash of Francophile. But Giuliano actually did write them (and was helped, no doubt, but access to publishers not exactly available to your average Jane), and she's made tons of money off of them and had the opportunity to write yet more bestsellers.

    It's Dan Brown syndrome. It's easier to hate on someone who seems no more talented than you are. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    emfish55 was starred emfish55 was unstarred
    Image of ihateyourescalade ihateyourescalade
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    The "Skinny Bitch" authors deserve more ire here, for 1. Writing a book with "bitch" on the title solely for the gratuitous-titillation factor, 2. Promoting the idea that it's cool to be a nasty, obnoxious, self-centered diva, especially if you're thin.
     Reply
    Edited by ihateyourescalade at 11/09/09 4:19 PM ihateyourescalade was starred ihateyourescalade was unstarred
    Image of femme-bot femme-bot
    11/09/09

    @ihateyourescalade: I've never read them. Are they really that bad? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade promoted this comment femme-bot was starred femme-bot was unstarred
    Image of Tchotchke Tchotchke
    11/09/09

    @ihateyourescalade: I HATE those books. My sister came home from college with all of them and I didn't even bother to mask my utter contempt. First of all, the lingo that they use in the books is incredibly grating. (Example: kitch=kitchen). Secondly, their entire pitch is, as you said, that vanity is a good thing and that anything with fat in it is "gross" and therefore, will make you "ugly." The entire series reads like an ED handbook because it combines fucked-up eating philosophies with crackpot science and psychology. Ugh, I could go on for days... #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Tchotchke was starred Tchotchke was unstarred
    Image of ihateyourescalade ihateyourescalade
    11/09/09

    @femme-bot: Not sure if this will help or hurt my rant, but I've never read them either. I am already skinny and I work really hard NOT to be a bitch. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade was starred ihateyourescalade was unstarred
    Image of RedLantern RedLantern
    11/10/09

    @ihateyourescalade: I never read them, either. I just remember them saying something along the lines of "yes, we're bitches, but we're skinny bitches."

    Now, it's one thing to co-opt the word "bitch" if you're describing a woman who doesn't subject herself to the patriarchal standards of what a nice girl should be. That's very different than conforming to most of society's rules (torturing yourself and others in order to stay thin is very, very conventional), and just being a bad person while doing it. If someone is only destructive to themselves, they have my sympathy. But when they start being destructive to others, and doing it proudly, there needs to be some negative reinforcement from the world at large. NOT a book deal. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade promoted this comment RedLantern was starred RedLantern was unstarred
    Image of ihateyourescalade ihateyourescalade
    11/10/09

    @RedLantern: Yes, exactly. Also, they probably wouldn't be such bitches if they ate once in a while. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade was starred ihateyourescalade was unstarred
    Image of rodmanstreet rodmanstreet
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    This is the first I've heard of this movie and I'm already insulted by it. I'm sure it will be a weight loss journey to a handsome man! With champagne and shoes! And a kiss under the Eiffel Tower! And all because she lost fifteen pounds! By living fabulously in the 7th arrondissement! #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    rodmanstreet was starred rodmanstreet was unstarred
    Image of funzette funzette
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I will never trust a woman who tells me to eat small portions of high quality, non-diet, non-ersatz food and then tells me to make an apple tart out of cabbage leaves instead of pastry.

    There should be a special circle of hell for that. Maybe it's circle 5.5 (between wrath and heresy). #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    funzette was starred funzette was unstarred
    Image of Plum-Pie Plum-Pie
    11/09/09

    @funzette: Cabbage leaves? Really? How? Why? I don't understand... #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Plum-Pie was starred Plum-Pie was unstarred
    Image of mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
    11/09/09

    @funzette: Cabbage. What? That's just mental talk. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it was starred mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it was unstarred
    Image of RedLantern RedLantern
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    Huh. When you put it that way, she has every single trait I resent, yet I loved FWDGF. I'm not one to buy weight loss books, but I not only read this one but actually enjoyed it. But whatever. Go ahead and hate her; sounds like there are some good reasons to. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade promoted this comment RedLantern was starred RedLantern was unstarred
    Image of ihateyourescalade ihateyourescalade
    11/09/09

    @RedLantern: The one piece of advice from FWDGF that I absolutely loved was the part where she mocks American women for carrying around water bottles "like peasants." That made me laugh out loud--and I no longer bring water with me on the street. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade was starred ihateyourescalade was unstarred
    Image of RedLantern RedLantern
    11/09/09

    @ihateyourescalade: I still carry my peasant water bottle, but in my defense, I drink out of it. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    RedLantern was starred RedLantern was unstarred
    Image of ihateyourescalade ihateyourescalade
    11/09/09

    @RedLantern: ..and only when you've finish tilling the fields. :) #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    ihateyourescalade was starred ihateyourescalade was unstarred
    Image of pantsless economist...access RESTORED pantsless economist...access RESTORED
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I wrote some friends to get specifics on the dislike. "Smug" and "superior" were constants. "Inflexibility" was another.

    Sounds like Giuliano's got a case of the Hillary Clintons--hated for stupid reasons people would never hate a man for. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    pantsless economist...access RESTORED was starred pantsless economist...access RESTORED was unstarred
    Image of sableized (just like starting over) sableized (just like starting over)
    11/09/09

    @pantsless economist...access RESTORED: ding! you win the washer-dryer. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    sableized (just like starting over) was starred sableized (just like starting over) was unstarred
    Image of mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
    11/09/09

    @pantsless economist...access RESTORED: Please don't compare a diet writer who might as well write for Star magazine with Hillary Clinton. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it was starred mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it was unstarred
    Image of Grim Reaper of the Forest Grim Reaper of the Forest
    11/09/09

    @pantsless economist...access RESTORED: I hate many smug and superior men. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Grim Reaper of the Forest was starred Grim Reaper of the Forest was unstarred
    Image of AndPreciousLittleofThat AndPreciousLittleofThat
    11/09/09

    @Grim Reaper of the Forest: So how long HAS it been since you last watched TV? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    AndPreciousLittleofThat was starred AndPreciousLittleofThat was unstarred
    Image of Grim Reaper of the Forest Grim Reaper of the Forest
    11/09/09

    @AndPreciousLittleofThat: Actually, I don't have a TV, which might explain my low tolerance for smugness.

    And I swear I'm not a smug TV non-owner.
     Reply
    Edited by Grim Reaper of the Forest at 11/09/09 4:55 PM Grim Reaper of the Forest was starred Grim Reaper of the Forest was unstarred
    Image of pantsless economist...access RESTORED pantsless economist...access RESTORED
    11/09/09

    @mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it: @itsonreserve: @Grim Reaper of the Forest: OK bad phrasing but what I was trying to say is that there are a lot of people who dislike Hillary Clinton for reasons like "she's a bitch, she's smug," whatever.

    Not trying to say nobody would ever hate a man for being smug, but I'm saying that she faced certain criticisms that men do not.

    I was going on the reasons sadie gave for people disliking her based on "smugness," etc rather than a substantial reason which is much of the criticism hillary faced and faces. So i think the comparison still stands. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    pantsless economist...access RESTORED was starred pantsless economist...access RESTORED was unstarred
    Image of chinaplate chinaplate
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    'with, by the way, no kids to mess up the orchids or the trips to Paris'

    Snark snark snark. Hate observations like this. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    chinaplate was starred chinaplate was unstarred
    Image of midwestdesigner midwestdesigner
    11/09/09

    @chinaplate: It stuck out with flashing lights as "Moms vs. Non-moms." Urgh. Yes, if you don't have children, your life is full of wild single activities, but you won't get the best gift in the world, parenthood. And if you choose to have children, you are completing the circle of life, yet are tied down to an orchid-less life, yadda yadda yadda. I wish this would die. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    badmutha promoted this comment midwestdesigner was starred midwestdesigner was unstarred
    Image of badmutha badmutha
    11/09/09

    @midwestdesigner: I totally read that as "Moms vs Noms," which I thought was rather unfair because just because you like cookies and maybe your Mom tells you that you can only have two, that is no reason to pit them against one another. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    badmutha was starred badmutha was unstarred
    Image of padraigin padraigin
    11/09/09

    @chinaplate: Seriously. I've got orchids AND kids. DID I BLOW YOUR MIND?!?!?!? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    badmutha promoted this comment padraigin was starred padraigin was unstarred
    Image of RedLantern RedLantern
    11/09/09

    @padraigin: As orchids, and flowers in general go, my cats are actually more destructive to them than my kids are. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    badmutha promoted this comment RedLantern was starred RedLantern was unstarred
    Image of midwestdesigner midwestdesigner
    11/09/09

    @badmutha: Is Cookie Monster your spokesperson for this worthy cause? ;) #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    midwestdesigner was starred midwestdesigner was unstarred
    Image of AndPreciousLittleofThat AndPreciousLittleofThat
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    Occam's Razor sez:

    Americans don't like being unfavorably compared with the French, period. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    AndPreciousLittleofThat was starred AndPreciousLittleofThat was unstarred
    Image of KentuckyBabe KentuckyBabe
    11/09/09

    @AndPreciousLittleofThat: its just an extra thing to hate about french women, they're big eyes and short hair and adorable accents... and the fact that men find them irresistable. If their only steriotypical trait was skinniness maybe i wouldn't have such an irrational hatred. :-) #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    AndPreciousLittleofThat promoted this comment KentuckyBabe was starred KentuckyBabe was unstarred
    Image of AndPreciousLittleofThat AndPreciousLittleofThat
    11/09/09

    @KentuckyBabe: Irresistible, hm? Ever seen a picture of Edith Piaf? ;) #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    AndPreciousLittleofThat was starred AndPreciousLittleofThat was unstarred
    Image of mbprice mbprice
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    What don't French women get about fat? It's a semi-solid lipid composed of glycerol and carboxylic acid that frequently serves as an energy source when converted into glucose and also is necessary to metabolize several vitamins.

    There, if French women read that (translated, naturellement), they'll get fat. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    mbprice was starred mbprice was unstarred
    Image of token_illiterate_commenter token_illiterate_commenter
    11/09/09

    @mbprice: I don't get sub-atomic particle physics. Can you help me too? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    token_illiterate_commenter was starred token_illiterate_commenter was unstarred
    Image of mbprice mbprice
    11/09/09

    @token_illiterate_commenter: I could, but I am le tired... #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    mbprice was starred mbprice was unstarred
    Image of sableized (just like starting over) sableized (just like starting over)
    11/09/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get It, Or Why Do We Resent Mireille Guiliano?
    I read this book because when I was in high school I had a Frenchwoman as my dorm mother, and the tone reminded me so much of her. So I never link this book with Mme. Guiliano, only with Mme. Stanton.

    That being said, I like her writing style, and most of what she says is sound - don't eat when you're bored, take a half-hour walk everyday, etc. - but I'm still a little baffled that she's managed to construct an empire around what strikes me as little more than common sense. #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    sableized (just like starting over) was starred sableized (just like starting over) was unstarred
    Image of Bitingpika Bitingpika
    11/09/09

    @sableized (just like starting over): Common sense that won't make you thin unless you happen to be blessed with the "right" genes, stay away from the many medications that cause weight gain, and don't have any problems with your endocrine system.

    I'm thinking of writing a whole series of books based on the awesomesness that is Canadian women.

    Hmmm. What kind of BS would sell? Canadian Women Don't Get Bored? Canadian Women Don't Wear Uggs? #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat promoted this comment Bitingpika was starred Bitingpika was unstarred
    Image of Alys Brangwin has a huge talent Alys Brangwin has a huge talent
    11/09/09

    @Bitingpika: Canadian Women Have National Health Care (And Use It!) #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Alys Brangwin has a huge talent was starred Alys Brangwin has a huge talent was unstarred
    Image of Grim Reaper of the Forest Grim Reaper of the Forest
    11/09/09

    @Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat: Canadian Women Have Maternity Leave (And You Don't)! #mireilleguiliano
     Reply
    Grim Reaper of the Forest was starred Grim Reaper of the Forest was unstarred
    Image of Her Grace Her Grace
    04/24/09

    In reply to French Women Don't Get Fat (Enough)
    I didn't find that my weight was impacted by being in a more active country (Australia) vs a less active country (the US). I had only public transport and my legs while living in Melbourne, and while it certainly effected my brain chemistry (I was much saner, if circumstantially lonelier until I made friends towards the end of my time there), my weight didn't change. I would say that my eating habits were better (fewer preservatives, more veggies) while in Melbourne, too.


    There will always be outliers, I suppose, and my body likes to be chub? It's frustrating for me, because I would like it to be a bit less chub for the sake of my continuing to have it for many, many more years.

     Reply
    Her Grace was starred Her Grace was unstarred
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