Jezebel 
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New York, 5:12 PM
Fri Nov 27
15 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/07/09
No wonder the French prefer wine to beer. Also, appetite supressants=cigarettes.
10/08/09
Just like every American teen girl knows - cigs are a girl'g best friend.
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10/07/09
uhmm okay, thanks?
Then she said not to diet because "dieting is stressful." I do agree with that statement.
10/07/09
Any at all?
And oh - are you in France, or the States? Because if you're in France and you feel you need to lose weight according to her directions, at least you'll have a chance b/c there's less chemical crap permitted in the food, but in the States? Especially if you work more than a 60-hour week? Not so much.
10/08/09
I'm in Italy. She speaks English perfectly so a lot of American and British expats go to her.
I really did bust out laughing when she told me not to diet after saying, in so many words, I was fat.
She said I should ease up on sweets and keep working out.
10/07/09
Yes, that's all I got out of this.
10/07/09
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10/07/09
Although I am sure there are people of all sizes in France, some of the petit body frame must be genetic.
Also, everyone in Paris SMOKES! The kids, old people, the little dogs in the cafes...
I miss Paris.
10/07/09
from the perspective of an american chick (me) who has many gorgeous and thin french girlfriends whom i adore, it seems that skipping meals, faking a "not hungry" attitude, popping pills, using magic weight loss thigh creams (for real!!), drinking diet formulas from the pharmacies, and chain smoking are the more popular ways that some (not most, but definitely a good number of) french women use to stay thin. the amount of pressure that exists here to be effortlessly beautiful for young women is outrageous. i''m finding myself more and more affected by it even though i try to avoid feeling bad about my body. spending time w/ my appearance-obsessed group of ladyfriends doesn't help but they arent pushy about it since their standards are so internalized - which sux because they are lovely w/o all the potions and lotions.
Even early on in our relationship, my partner was convinced that i had hygiene issues because he'd never been with someone who spent less than 2 hours getting ready in the morning (and i'm not all that low-maintenance) and who sometimes prefers to shave than wax. i've shown him otherwise since then, but it's just part of the culture i guess.
10/07/09
It is then necessary to abstain from eating by the unhealthiest of means (smoking, diet pills, old-fashioned starvation). Yes, there is rich food. But who is actually eating it and how much of it?
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10/07/09
Speaking from my own experiences when I am over there (and may I add how JEALOUS I am that you are living in Paris!), French women are made to care about how they look from an early age. Their mothers point it out to them, as do their aunts and grandmothers, as do their significant others. Not that it is always a one-way street -- after a weekend of going out and eating more richly than usual, my friend will prepare lighter meals for her hubby on the Monday for him to "alléger un peu." LOL! I have noticed that the French appreciate GOOD food -- that does not necessarily mean heart-stoppingly fatty stuff. And portions are smaller.
Part of it is France being this bastion of fashion and French people "selling the brand." Living the chic! I get a similar feeling when I go to Italy -- the people there represent.
(Having said that, I know plenty of French women who could not care less about fashion and dieting. Ma cousine is a dyed-in-the-wool tomboy and proud of it, preferring jeans and short hair to heels and nail polish. She's 40).
Part of it is also this sensual awareness of the small pleasures of life. Openly appreciating a good-looking guy who walks into the bakery and says hello to you. Eating well and deliciously. Wearing something that makes you feel special and then you float down the street.
The flip side is the pressure to "look good." I plan my suitcase carefully when I go to France because I *know* that walking in the streets of Paris, people DO look at each other. Freaky.... but on the other hand [deep breath] sometimes I feel better about myself out there than I do here where I am often questioning my physical attractiveness. And my age! I am 35, but age is something I stress about less in France -- maybe because the "older" woman is often appreciated for the experience and class she brings as much as the younger, fresher-faced ingénue.
The diet industry is a bit much and lord knows how many conversations I cringe at with family telling me about their bowel movement issues. Being able to pee or poo away "excess weight" seems to be a topic of some interest, especially among the older generation.
The problem is that women *the world over* are subject to enormous, debilitating pressure to look pretty/thin etc., because that is what a woman is expected to BE. This is the height of her achievements! Look good and shut up. It's something I struggle with, as I am sure we all have at one time or another: making my voice heard as a free-thinking woman. I am more than the sum of my parts. Literally!
Sorry for the long post.
10/07/09
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10/07/09
(I'm having deja vu. When did we last have this discussion on Jez?)
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10/07/09
It's ridiculous to glamorize these foreign cultures and put them on some sort of pedestal. If there's any observation to be made, maybe it's that "urban snobby bitches the world over don't get fat." Because it's certainly not a phenomenon that applies to all French women.
10/07/09