![]() Some of this, ultimately, may be insincere, but it’s the way they think they should be treated. They may have previously been in countries where they’re constantly greeted with smiles, even given compliments. They may come from countries where the customer knows best. Many people who say the French are rude are tourists. It also doesn’t mean they hate people who do. ![]() But it doesn’t mean they don’t feel happy or enthusiastic. The French just don’t show enthusiasm like that, and don’t react to it in an overt, smiling way when other people do it. This is why many French people have a hard time believing Americans like me, who have no problem saying things like, “That was the funniest movie I’ve EVER seen!” (and meaning it, in a certain way…for now). For most French people, overtly expressing your emotions, smiling all the time, and just generally being warm and fuzzy and exaggerated makes you seem insincere, maybe even stupid. This takes us to the second reason why the French/Parisians are seen as rude. Still, as a longtime Paris resident, I know lots of people who (like me) are perfectly happy – even delighted – to live here, and even those who don’t feel this way aren’t necessarily downright rude. So, these people may not be radiating sunshine when you talk to them. Part of this is because they’re not necessarily talking about actual native Parisians but lumping them together with transplants from other regions of France who are in Paris to work and find it too fast-paced and urban, which makes them somewhat miserable all the time.Īs a city person, and a former New Yorker, I do not understand either of these sentiments, but they’re a thing. On the other hand, even fellow French people will probably tell you that Parisians are rude. In France, people from the North and people from the South are generally considered to be warm and friendly – and in my experience, they are. It’s probably like this in the country you’re from, as well. This is one of the most common French stereotypes, and probably the most unfair.įirst of all, not all regions of France have the same general culture or attitude towards other people. Just one unwashed, malodorous person (often, sadly, someone without access to running water, or an elderly person with different hygienic standards or difficulty cleaning him/herself) can make an entire Metro, tram, or train car - or an entire bus - stink, and it suddenly seems like everyone’s to blame. In the US, where I grew up, I was rarely around sweaty people indoors, but in France, it happens all the time.Īdd to this the fact that people here are often more packed together because there’s such great public transportation and train networks, unlike in countries like mine, which depend mostly on people taking their own vehicle around.Īnd “people” may not be the issue. Unlike some countries, air conditioning isn’t a given in most French places, and even when there is air conditioning, it’s not usually at polar blast level.Įven when it’s only a bit warm, due to the weirdly prevalent French fear of draughts, and you’ll often have windows that remain firmly shut, even when it would be nice to get a breath of fresh air. I think that the reason for the persistent idea of the French being stinky comes down to proximity and heat. But I will admit, I do often smell body odor on public transportation or in crowded rooms. Also – another statistic – a majority of French people use deodorant. Those are the facts, as much as statistics can be trusted, anyway.įrom personal experience, I’ll say that in France, access to running water is the norm, and inexpensive shampoos and soaps are widely available. The percentage of French people who don’t shower daily is also only slightly higher than Americans, who this Atlantic exposé considers to be of average cleanliness. ![]() This may sound like confirmation of the stereotype, but as an article in La Depeche points out, the French are far from being the dirtiest Europeans – that honor goes to the English, of whom 80% claim not to shower on a daily basis. ![]() In reality, a 2015 survey revealed that 57% of French people shower every day. When you look for the origin of this French stereotype, the overall consensus seems to be that it comes from the French diet (or somewhat stereotypical diet) of onions and pungent cheeses.īut why would that make it true? If you eat a lot of onions or stinky cheese, does it make you smell any different? ![]()
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