Michel Nguyen
Every time I go to Paris, I’m inspired anew. I look at the women with their ruby red lips, their studiously disheveled hair, their outfits that—really, aren’t that exceptional and yet still scream “cool” because of the way they hang on their petite frames or just because of the attitude with which they’re worn—and I think: I can do that!
You see, French women make beauty look so easy. They’re not all made up, hair sprayed and complexion painted to perfection. Their nails don’t match their lips. Their shoes don’t match their bags. They’re not highlighted, bronzed, veneered, acrylic tipped, implanted, injected or perfected. And yet they’re beautiful.
So what do they have that we don’t (okay, at least I don’t)?
Making Magique
It all starts with attitude
My friends who date French women assure me the pretty young things are actually racked with insecurities. But you’d never know it looking at them. French women ooze sex appeal. It’s in the way they walk, the way they talk, and the way they hold their wine glasses. They think, “I’m beautiful,” and it radiates outwards, causing others to look at and admire them which, in turn, makes them feel beautiful—a brilliant cycle if there ever was one.
They celebrate their femininity
You’d never catch a French woman trying to emulate a man the way we do in the States. Here, we’re always putting on tough girl acts. We’re competitive and try to be uber independent. We even wear power suits and poker faces. Showing that we’re equal to men is a great byproduct of the women’s rights movement. But it’s not so sexy. French women embrace what makes them uniquely feminine—softness, caregiving, short skirts—instead of trying to prove they’re just like men.
Making Magique
They’re good with props
French women are famous devotees of lacy lingerie and potent perfume. But they’ve got other props up their sleeves, too. Things like cigarettes and compacts and lap dogs—accoutrements that draw attention to themselves and invite others to look at them. And when people are looking at them, you better believe they make sure they look good.
They know how to dress
As Coco Chanel said, “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” Clothing matters just as much as hair and makeup when it comes to beauty, and French women know this—and not just what they wear, but how they wear it. If they wear tight jeans, they offset them with loose, billowy blouses. If they wear short skirts, they won’t also give away a lot of cleavage. It’s all about subtlety; French women know there’s nothing sexier than the power of suggestion.
Wildfleur
They like to flirt
The image of a this adorable French woman winking at my friend in a crowded bar is forever etched in my mind. If I had done it, it would have been so cheesy. I would have looked spastic and desperate. But the way she delivered that wink—with a blush, a smile, a quick look down and then back up… French women can flirt like no one’s business. And that gives a power that makes them irresistible.
They don’t strive for perfection
Freckles, scars, chipped teeth, wild hair—all the things we American girls try to tame and combat are celebrated by French women. They know how to make a freckle or scar sexy (call attention to it! make it a conversation piece!); they don’t let imperfect teeth stop them from smiling; and messy hair looks sexy when it’s tossed up or adorned with sparkly barrettes. American women try too hard to be perfect instead of just reveling in ourselves, our beauty, and what we have to offer.
Wildfleur
Related Links:
- Parisien Salon profiles Les Grands Magasins, the temples of French beauty
- For some fab French beauty inspiration, check out Wildfleur and Making Magique
- Garance Doré is also one of our favorite chroniclers of general French chic-ness
Written by Amy Thomas for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.
WRITTEN BY
Amy Thomas
Amy Thomas is a sweets-obsessed writer based between New York and Paris. She published her best-selling “foodoir” (food writing meets memoir), Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate). This was followed up with the 2018 book Brooklyn in Love: A Memoir of Food, Family and Finding Yourself. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, T Magazine, New York Post, National Geographic Traveler, New York Magazine, Town & Country, Bust, Every Day with Rachel Ray and others.
S’notes comment: “Italian girls fight with luxury clothes, hair and make up just to look perfect but most of them look fake!!” is quite harsh, almost cruel. I am an Italian woman & revel in my simplicity. Many believe I am French because I happen to dress in the same– naturally feminine with a subtle hint of style. I’ve been dressing this way for many years,
even when employed at a
prestigious law firm, back home in NYC, over 30 years ago. I have two grown children as well as an 8 yr old.
People are in disbelief when they discover that I am 53 years of age as I have been told, time & again that I look anywhere between 25 & 32. Big deal. The point I am trying to make is that I believe that we women especially, can be very vicious when we feel compelled to judge other females. Perhaps if we focus less on style & more on accepting people for their individuality & uniqueness we would be far more appealing than when we catagorize so judgmentally. That to me is very unattractive & unappealing despite how a woman is dressed.
I completely agree with Hannah. Men do not own strength and professionalism – this is a depressingly archaic viewpoint. Courage, durability, stability, intelligence are all female attributes. Take a look at Christine Lagarde – her power is not at all at odds with her femininity – in fact, it heightens it and, in turn, is amplified by it.
I would say, also, that USA (for example) and French versions of femininity are quite unalike. French girls are not fluffy, they do not flap their hands in front of their faces, fidget, shriek or squeal. French femininity is grown up, husky, womanly, assertive, well-read, grown up – never girly or manufactured. I was in Paris a few months ago and lost count of the number of French women I saw arguing in public either over the phone or over the phone. But they did so unselfconsciously and with wildly spontaneous and expressive hand gestures – stylish conflict!
French boys, too, are fantastically stylish and beautiful creatures. It’s a shame we spend so much time examining and criticising ourselves rather than looking up and out, enjoying the view.
Madame Figaro says NO WAY!
Read all about it
http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.fr/2013/08/french-femme-mystique-debunked.html
So glad finally someone said the Emperess has no clothes
Lizzie Brocheré, in After Fall, Winter. In the movie and watch her in interviews on youtube a few years ago. She is the embodiment of what this article is trying to express. The messy side parted hair, the wrinkles around the mouth, expressive life filled eyes. She speaks with expression with no self consciousness.
I am an 26 yr old Indian female with a French soul since the time I know myself…french lifestyle never stops to amuse and amaze me. They so chic and subtle..wish to be like that so i will be learning the language too shortly..
I travelled France from Nice to Paris and I saw a lot of French women . I have to say that not All of them are beautiful or chic , some were quite ordinary .However , there’s an image of a certain lady that I saw in Paris while stuck in traffic that I will never forget . It’s of a young lady , probably in her twenties , wearing a trench coat , with a lavender Longchamp tote on her shoulder , wearing STILETTOS while riding a bicycle ! I followed her with my eyes until I couldn’t see her anymore and all I could think of was I want to BE that girl ! I guess I was struck by her fearlessness on being feminine . Who cares if it’s not practical to pedal a bike while wearing stilettos ? Practical is boring . What I noticed most about French women are that they are feminine without being girly .
Please, I would like to know what it means when a french woman winks at you almost at each eye contact? Do they consider age in marriage? Can a french woman marries a man who is much younger than and the guy he is more educated than?
I believe a good amount of french women’s charm and sex appeal resides in their language…They definitely have haute couture, great fragrance maisons, a fresh attitude towards beauty, etc, but I still believe their language plays a key role in all of their charm.
Stereotypes are boring, and very misleading. My French mother in law would single handedly convert the most ardent Francophile to utter detestation of Frenchwomen, if she was the only one they met. She was loud, obnoxious, unbelievably rude,completely ungracious, tactless, a shocking gossip and liar, hell-bent on destroying reputations, and appeared to think she had an innate right to do so. She was obese and never once looked after her appearance, but naturally felt free to criticise other people’s clothes and hair. AND SHE COULD NOT COOK!! No matter what she dished up, it was revolting and unidentifiable. She grew up in Paris, so this is proof that not all Parisians have a je ne sais quoi.
hello! I’m french and I’m 15. I’d like to say that not everything on that aricle is true because I just know 4-5 persons who are really classy, a lot of frech girls and women look like hobos (in the way they dress up i mean) and we are shy too!!!
we generaly wait for men to flirt with us, and hardly ever do it first!!
i’m sorry if you didn’t get everything 🙂 and i love your country y the way
Salut ! I’m French, I’m 20 and I was here ‘par hasard’, It’s a real pleasure to see how american girls see france. I have an american and an australian friends, they thought that everybody in france has a ‘berret’ with a baguette I think that there is a little too much stereotypes ! But that’s right that we search to have a cool style but ‘raffiné’, all french women have a lots of tee-shirt with ‘rayures’ and we love perfume and good looking underwear, to recap french style : ‘liberty, fresh and élégant ” A lots of people say me that I look like Brigitte Bardot, I think that she is the perfect model of french woman. Personally I am dreaming to go visit New York so !
Very interesting article. I recently met a French woman( in her late 50s)at match.com and there are something about her that most American women don’t have. She’s quite open-minded and she said that French women are generally more open-minded than American women.
She fixed lunch for both of us and I can tell( I’m a chef) she’s an excellent cook. She believes that general French women are good cooks and that they certainly know how to cook.
I know that some European women like to be topless on the beach or by the private pool,it’s no exception for her. She wanted me to get into the pool with her so I did. The water was bit too cold. When she showed up,she was topless.For her age, her boobs looked descent,but she has beautiful long legs,she has a nice curve and her butt is nice and slim.
I ended up giving her a total body massage and she was totally naked. I asked her if she could trust me,she firmly said,”yes”. I still don’t know why she could say that to a stranger,but to honor her trust on me,I didn’t make a move to take advantage of the situation.
Anyway,it’s not my style.
Just a little French experience.
Most of the French women I’ve met have certainly been inspiring, and one good tip I got was to use drops of essential oil to accentuate my perfume…and it also makes it hard to place…keeps ’em guessing!
I think that dismissing women who feel that they are on par with any man as being unfeminine is truly offensive and awful. You can wear a power suit and be strong while also being sexy and beautiful. Strength and pursuit of equality does not somehow make someone less of a female. I really enjoy this blog and it’s been an incredible resource for me, but how about we celebrate the qualities of one group without putting down another?
Touché, Jameela! I don’t disagree that the “French fashionista” stereotype isn’t always true and I certainly don’t mean to put down American women. In fact, one of my old colleagues in Paris, who had lived and worked in New York, thought American woman totally “won” over the French. But there’s something undeniably seductive and intriguing and forever inspiring about the way French women approach beauty.