French Ladies: Style, aura, what is it?

I actually think the Brits are more stylish, definitely more interesting, and the Italians dress sexier. Some French women are chic - and when they do that messed hair, slightly rocker look I love it. Mostly the French seemed sort of plain to me. Lots of low top converse the last time I was in Paris and way too many long champ totes! *I for one fail to see the appeal of those bags. It is just an unstructured tote. Frankly it has always looked a little sloppy to me.
 
The thing is most people aren't thinking of French women, they are thinking of Parisian women. In most large cosmopolitan cities around the world, the residents tend to be thinner and more focused on style than those in the country. If you compare a Parisian women to a suburban or rural Middle American mom, yes there is a great difference. But a twentysomething in Paris doesn't look that different from a twentysomething in NYC.
I've seen the stereotypical American when I travel, but I live in a city and don't actually know anyone who owns a fannypack or wears big white running shoes with regular clothes.
 
In general if you have wonderful genes things work for you in life like

your weight your skin etc...if you are disciplined... there are other things

that do contribute to weight gain... obviously food is one, but medications

& stress are others... if you can be healthy that is the most important...

exercise is not always possible for everyone.. but do the best that you

can.. having a good self image to me is the best we can do for ourselves
 
very interesting discussion --

but i think the biggest difference is walking, most people in big cities do walk from one point to another. yes, there's public transportation, you got to walk to the station and not always get a seat. but when you drive, how much walking there is!!
another thing is the portion, american style is always super sizing, only the expensive restaurants have small portions....i think i mentioned before, the small starbucks coffee is medium in hong kong...
and when i was in HK, i really felt ppl were constantly snacking/eating...but the portion was very small...
 
The thing is most people aren't thinking of French women, they are thinking of Parisian women. In most large cosmopolitan cities around the world, the residents tend to be thinner and more focused on style than those in the country. If you compare a Parisian women to a suburban or rural Middle American mom, yes there is a great difference. But a twentysomething in Paris doesn't look that different from a twentysomething in NYC.
I've seen the stereotypical American when I travel, but I live in a city and don't actually know anyone who owns a fannypack or wears big white running shoes with regular clothes.

This.

Also regarding the weight discussion here: There is no secret. It's just not eating a lot combined with smoking (all of my friends smoke) and watching a bit what you eat.
I grew up in Paris and while I did not eat very healthy in particular I never had a Cola or Fast Food until I studied a semester abroad in the US.
 
Did you even read my post? Because you completely missed the part where I said "I know people who are genetically inclined to be heavier but they maintain a better figure than I do with proper exercise and diet". Then I went on to say that while I am naturally thin, my health isn't that great and I need to eat better. It's what you eat, not what your genetics give you. Now obviously there is the exception where no matter how healthy you eat you will never be a certain size, but I've seen people who were overweight their entire lives (without even eating that badly) turn their lives around and maintain a size 2 at 40. So no, I don't believe genetics are an excuse.

You're contradicting yourself again. We aren't talking about health here, we're talking about weight. I don't think anyone could make the argument that these skinny French women are uber healthy, given they don't tend to exercise and they smoke like chimneys. Saying someone is heavy because of what they eat - disregarding social and genetic factors - shows a lack of physiological understanding of the issue at hand.
 
I agree that weight and health are totally different things but is it really possible to gain a lot of weight on a veggie based diet because of predisposition? That's an honest question. I'm not sure I understand what people mean scientifically speaking when they cite genetic predisposition as the reason for weight gain.
 
I have to disagree about the snacking. I think it's more about portion control than how frequently you eat. The ideal is actually that you eat a little bit constantly because that keeps your metabolism up and your blood sugar stable. Obviously, we're not cows and we have other things to do than eat so this is not possible, but I've heard from many nutritionists that having 5 smaller meals a day or three meals and two snacks is optimal.

That way you don't ever really get hungry and over compensate during meals by overeating. This means that your regular meals have to be smaller though.

The thing is most Americans do not eating balanced meals. Either they eat dairy and carb heavy foods or they just diet by not eating much. But that actually slows your metabolism and makes your body try to retain pounds because it thinks you're starving. I think it says a lot that grains were the biggest portion in he food pyramid up til a few years ago. Now it's veggies and fruits as it should be. I'm Asian and after eating homemade food that's a tiny bowl of rice and lots of vegetable dishes, I was really confused to go over to a friend's house and see that spaghetti and meatballs is an actual meal. That's the definition of unbalanced!

Interestingly though, apparently obesity rates in China have doubled in the last decade or so as fast food is being imported from the US and more people can afford meat. It's ironic because over there to some people KFC or McDonalds is kind of a treat, considered "better" because it's western.

can't speak for china...but in HK, the KFC and madonald taste so much better...i don't know why...
 
^ they taste better bc the food used is prob better quality!

I don't know why some ppl get so defensive about weight/health issues. Citing "social" issues for obesity but specifically differentiating them from "the what you eat" side I things doesn't jibe w me. I think of socializing as an excuse bc I think that it means eating whatever unhealthy/fatty choices other people are picking, instead of opting or a salad and water like you know you should.

Anyways, and then everyone hates on frenchies for smoking and killing themselves that way, when the US cousins are killing themselves w food! Makes me think of the moonstruck line: "Cosmo, no matter what, you're gonna die."
 
I don't mean all American women are like this. My opinion is based on my experiences and interactions, and it seems like many American women do not exercise after high school or college and they have many misconceptions about eating healthy (i.e. some people don't realize that low fat foods are not a healthier option because they can actually have more sugar in them to make them tastier). I did not mean that all American women let themselves go. :flowers:

Thank you for the clarification. I do think from my own experience in living in the U.S. that a lot of that is changing and people are a lot more aware. More exercising, eating healthy, etc.





Yes. The way it was phrased was as a generalization. Many women here are equally health conscious, style conscious, and in great shape. But thanks for your input...
 
The thing is most people aren't thinking of French women, they are thinking of Parisian women. In most large cosmopolitan cities around the world, the residents tend to be thinner and more focused on style than those in the country. If you compare a Parisian women to a suburban or rural Middle American mom, yes there is a great difference. But a twentysomething in Paris doesn't look that different from a twentysomething in NYC.
I've seen the stereotypical American when I travel, but I live in a city and don't actually know anyone who owns a fannypack or wears big white running shoes with regular clothes.

Exactly. Same here. And not just NYC. I think there is a lot people are not taking into consideration in this thread.
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but the USA is the only country in the world where i have seen "all you can eat buffets"...

i know in HK, the Peninsular Hotel (5 star) offered buffet on sat or sun (to me i thought buffet means all you can eat)...it was about 40USD 20 years ago...i don't know if it still exists though....
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but the USA is the only country in the world where i have seen "all you can eat buffets"...



So there's no such thing as taking a second helping in countries other than the U.S.? No matter where I eat, I stop eating when I'm satisfied. I'm quite thin, too. I also come from a European family who loooooove to pressure people to eat more. My American relatives never do that.