Why I Hate the Parisian Girl Stereotype (as A French Girl)

I'm a French woman and I hate the Parisian Girl stereotype! Let's unpack the clichés around French people and Paris!

#paris #france #parisiangirl #byalocal #frenchgirl

[LucileHR]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the nice reaction to this video! I am very happy to see a comment section filled with constructive, respectful and fun conversations on this topic!

[karelrodriguez]

I’m Mexican…. I don’t eat tacos everyday.

[CarinaFragozo]

I’m Brazilian and I don’t know how to samba 🤭

[yujungkaufman]

Thank you for speaking out. I am Korean, but I don’t own a Kimchi refrigerator. 😂

[oldbroadabroad]

I'm Australian. We don't ride kangaroos 😂

[mmkeno]

I’m in Paris right now. The Parisians who are nice to Americans tell us they work every day just to afford their rent. They don’t travel but hope to. The cab driver made jokes about how bad the drivers are here. I’ve had two old Parisian women shove me for no reason. Some are very rude to us even though we smile and say Bonjour. The Metro is pretty clean but don’t ride during rush hour, you’ll be packed in like sardines and pushed. The city is huge and spread out. It’s also beautiful, but loud! Sirens all day. Tourists from all over and very, very crowded. Nobody cares what you are wearing. They don’t look at others.

[TheTigronette]

I love the recurring mention of "effortless". There are a minority of women who have this aesthetic here in Paris (not the lifestyle as it doesn't exist), it requires a HUGE amount of effort!

[emilymorgan]

I’m American and one of the funniest things ever to happen to me was when someone asked my husband if he had a French girlfriend, just because I’m a brunette and was wearing bold red lipstick with vaguely vintage-styled clothes. They were dead serious and this actually happened more than once. 😅 So weird. The stereotype is powerful.

[mgparis]

As a non-skinny, non-smoking Parisian with 2 foreign parents, a heartfelt merci, Lucile, for such an insightful, articulate video!

[acbc]

I live in Austin Texas and I own a pair of cowboy boots I’ve worn twice in the past 35 years .

[gogreenorgohome]

This is so good. During a trip to Paris and Belgium earlier this year, I met 2 sisters that were literally running from town to town to take/post pics in front of recognizable sites. They were rushing to get to the train to spend 2 hours in Brussels before rushing back to Brugges. This made me so sad for them and an entire generation that is now traveling to capture the best images for IG/tik tok. They are really missing out AND causing overtourism, ruining cities and cultures, and accelerating to climate change.

[RobinPalmerTV]

There are a lot of people making a fortune from this stereotype

[abbyduke]

Just want to say, as someone who visited Paris for the first time in April, everyone was lovely! I was saved from a pickpocket on my birthday, everyone was very kind about my subpar French, and my husband and I received some wonderful recommendations. Such a beautiful place with genuine people and rich history.

Sadly, too many people forget that France isn’t a theme park. It’s a real, functioning country with real people.

[samanthaclyde]

As a black woman, born and raised in Paris, guess how much I feel represented by the « true » Parisian/French look 🙄😅

Bravo pour la vidéo, j’ai adoré. Et je suis tellement d’accord avec tout ce que tu as dit. Je suis Parisienne et même moi, je trouve ça dommage de réduire notre beau pays à une seule ville, bien que Paris soit magnifique.
Seul critique: ne pas oublier les DOM-TOM qui font eux aussi partie de la France 😊

[samantharuiz]

I’ve been waiting for this video since I’ve been so curious about your thoughts on this! My issue with this stereotype (and ANY stereotype in general), is how it tries to make people believe that the companies and ambassadors profiting off of an aesthetic is “valuing the culture”. No it’s not, it’s promoting a superficial attitude towards a group of people with a set of traditions, beliefs, and values that make up its culture. When I think of a Parisian woman, I think of a woman who’s intentional about what she wears and purchases because France has seasons and most people don’t have the storage space for tons of expensive outfits and skincare products. I think about a woman who works, travels when she can, and has good days and bad days. There’s a charm to a city within a country that influences who you are as a person and the goal of traveling abroad is to learn about what makes a culture unique. I’m of Latin American descendant, and the “hot and spicy Latina stereotype” is similarly as harmful. It usually just results in men saying they want to learn about Latin American culture, when in reality they just want to sit in an expensive resort in Latin America (that locals most likely cannot afford), drink cocktails, and try to pick up a woman that looks like Sophia Vergara 😂

[verina]

I'm Indonesian. What I had perceived for years about the French Girl vision was that you've all got that content life--the inner peacefulness, the unbreakable self-esteem, and the sense of pleasure--no matter the chaotic events happening in your life. And obviously we all have always wanted that women's contentedness. Even though it's not true or real, there's that ideal.

[poogie_bear]

I Live in Los Angeles California and we do not spend our days at the beach in perfectly warm sunny weather. Just kidding, we do.

[AmidalaEmma]

Having living in France for 2 years, it’s not a stretch to say women in France are often very fashionable though!!! 😅

[allarox]

I'm Russian and one of the most popular stereotypes is it is always winter and it is always cold. No!! We do have 4 seasons and hot summers. And we dont drink vodka everyday and bears dont walk on the streets.

[wellthatgotweird]

You are spot on. I am a California girl ( who lived in France) . I dont have enough time to break down the strange obsession with 'that' woman or 'this' look