Do French women diet? Of course they bloody do.

Do French women diet? Do they all have lovers? Do they all age gracefully? Marie-Morgane Le Moel’s examines the world’s fascination with French women in her book ‘The Truth About French Women’ – and sorts the fact from the popular fiction.

1. French women never diet.

Ever. Even if they have the lowest Body Mass Index (BMI) in Europe. In average, our BMI is 23, versus 26, for instance, for the United Kingdom. This is the lowest of 15 European countries, according to the Eurobameter published on the subject in 2003.

An explanation is that the French diet, which traditionally includes 3-course meals, is healthy. And yet, we are facing a dilemma. We stay slim even if, every day, magnificent tartes au citron or chocolate fondants are shouting at us from the shop windows of Pâtisseries. Even though we love nothing more than tasty smelly cheese spread on a crusty baguette.

Yet, if avoiding fries, chocolate, sugar and butter is not being on a diet, I wonder what it is? Yes, French women diet, a lot, especially in a country which still values slimness so highly (for women, not for men of course).

2.French women never work out.

Well, just look at all the women who go for a morning run every day, or get up for a swim at 6am. Just like dieting, being addicted to sport doesn’t look too good on a French woman's resume.

Yet, things are changing rapidly, and finding a Parisian woman who isn't a member of a gym, these days, is as difficult as finding a true Chanel bag in a flea market in Bangkok.

3. French women are elegant. Naturally.

Not quite right either. Some French women are very elegant, especially if they have money, education, and the time to shop. Of course, fashion has played a great role in French history, ever since King Louis XIV encouraged the development of a fashion industry. Nowadays, fashion is a very important French export.

Does it mean that all French women are elegant ? Most of us don’t have the time, need, or money to spend much on the way we look. In fact, we spend on average just a bit more than 60 euros a month on clothes.

And let’s admit it: in terms of shoes to stroll around Paris, flats are as comfortable as trainers, but they will get you further in terms of fashion police.

4. French women are sleazy.

Ah, les petites femmes de Paris and Le Moulin rouge… No wonder that, with this famous landmark, among others, Paris has been the epitome of a certain sexual freedom. Thus, some foreigners staying in Paris might tend to assume that the rest of France is just like Pigalle: full of erotic dancers ready to show off their red-lace knickers at the first opportunity.

But France has been, traditionally, a very Catholic, conservative country, where women have on average 4.4 partners in a lifetime and make love twice a week, according to the most comprehensive survey done on the subject (Enquête sur la sexualité en France, 2006).

Sleazy ? I don’t think so.

5. French women all have lovers.

True, our famous fictional heroine Emma Bovary had a lover. Then a second one. No wonder why: divorce was prohibited in France until 1884!

But statistically, having a lover is less accepted now than it used to be. And according to the Enquête sur la sexualité en France, 97 per cent of French people do consider that being unfaithful is bad for one’s relationship. In the same survey, 1.7 per cent of French women admitted to having had an affair in the previous year. Talk about a minority!

French women, and more generally, French people don’t enjoy being cheated on. But they do separate private and public lives. We don’t have more lovers than other countries, but we judge less harshly those who do.

6. There’s a life after kids.

The state is traditionally very powerful in France. It is often criticized. But there’s one thing which most French people agree on: the state should help pay for the cost of raising our kids. In fact, children aren’t perceived as the parents' only responsibility, but as the future of the nation. The very people who are going to pay for our retirement funds.

Hence, the state helps parents, especially mothers, by giving them generous maternity leave, and subsidised access to childcare centres. Women can resume their careers, if they choose to, even with two or more young kids. They can have many roles, as professionals and mothers (among many other things). And this system seems to work: French women have 1.99 kids per woman in average. It is one of the highest rates in Europe.

7. French women like to flirt.

That’s certainly true. But beware, flirting doesn’t always mean ending up in bed. It means ex-changing sweet words, glances and innuendos. When it is done with taste, it is one of the greatest pleasures of life. And it comes from our history.

In the 12th century, the rites of courtly love began to take shape. To distinguish themselves, the knights had to show a taste for words and wit, and an ability to charm the damsel with poetry, and not merely their muscles. Quite a revolution indeed.

8. French women don’t like each other.

Sometimes, strange myths emerge, such as this one. In another version, French women love nothing more than stealing their best friend’s husband.

Obviously, we have female friends. The fact that we aren’t that much into girls' nights doesn’t mean we don’t like each other. Actually, decades of co-educational schools help us to be as confident with men as with women. Similarly, centuries of the salon tradition mean that French people are used to mixing with both genders.

9. French women aren’t feminist.

French feminists aren't as vocal as the English ones ? Well, Simone de Beauvoir wrote one of the most powerful books on feminism, didn’t she?

10. French women age with grace.

One thing is certain, getting old doesn’t mean you can’t flirt anymore. In France, we have many examples of women who were cougars before the term existed.

Think of the great writer Colette and her 17 year old son-in-law Bertrand de Jouvenel (shocking). Think of Simone de Beauvoir with some of her younger lovers, just to mention a few examples.

Yes, one can have cellulite, a few wrinkles, and still charm a man (or a woman) with one's wit and beauty. What we should wonder is, rather, why is anyone surprised? Don’t we spend our time complimenting men who age well?

Marie-Morgane Le Moel is the author of The Truth About French Women. You can purchase it here.

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