French Clichés That Are Actually True (And Good For Your Health)
Please excuse the following mass generalizations— I have a point to make, I promise!
There are a lot of French cliches. Some of them are true— they really do love bread. Some of them aren’t— Berets are not their preferred headwear! They don’t all have effortless bangs! There is one cliché that Americans love to poke fun about and that’s that the French really, really love sex. Spoiler: it’s true. Not only that, they’re not afraid to talk about it at family dinner.
Errrr.. what does that have to do with intuitive exercise and pilates, Helen?? Stay with me.
What French Clichés Have To Do With Wellness
1) They don’t view sex as a taboo.
Ever talked to your mother in law about your partner’s sex life from before you got together at a nice restaurant? Because I have. This part of French mythology that the world has embellished actually has some truth to it. They’re not all the most romantic people on the planet (my partner didn’t buy me flowers for the first time until our 5th anniversary, but I’m fine, thanks for asking) but they do see sex as natural and human, not dirty and sinful. It’s much easier to enjoy your body when you shed the puritanical shame. Being accustomed to feeling pleasure come from your own body without shame or guilt is a much better foundation for body appreciation than villainizing the human form, at any size.
1) They don’t restrict pleasure—- so they never need to binge.
The French are a pleasure first people- and natural intuitive eaters. They’d die before skipping the glass of wine at lunch just to save a few calories—and no shot at getting them to give up cheese because some influencer they follow is doing an elimination diet. Because they never deprive themselves of their morning croissant, they don’t develop food fixations that dieters get from feeling like the can never have “fun” foods. They eat what they want to satisfaction and don’t have a problem stopping because they know they can always have more later, if they want. Thou shalt not skip meals is in the French constitution, I think.
2) They don’t fear naked bodies!
Someone tell Instagram that French people don’t care about nipples. While there is fat phobia and misogyny in every modern society- and we don’t have time to unpack the “all French women are thin" trope…at least, as a culture, Frenchies don’t shame nudity or female bodies (in the same way as Americans). Nudity is considered normal, which helps promote greater body confidence and less shame wrapped up in one’s appearance as it naturally is.
3) They don’t do workouts they hate!
Traditionally, the French have preferred tennis, road biking, (Tour de France, anyone?) and physical exertion that involved an activity, rather than centering exercise for the sake of exercise. When you do a workout you hate because you feel like you have to, you’ll inevitably resent it and associate it with negativity- this conflicts with our previously asserted pleasure centric hypothesis. They’re right about this: If you find a modality you enjoy, even when it’s challenging, you’re more likely to have a positive relationship with it that makes you return to it again and again.
Conclusion
They’re not a perfect people. They glorify thinness the same way that the rest of the world does (and they smoke!) but these are just a few of the clichés that I find to be positive, and have benefitted from adopting. These generalizations, whether they are true or not 100 percent of the time, make for a much better quality of life- especially mental wellness- because they encourage attunement with what sparks joy and actually listening! In my experience as an American marrying into a French family, they identify with listening to their bodies and choosing pleasure way more than Americans who value hustle and productivity and biohacking over happiness and joy.
Helen Phelan Studio is a result of everything I’ve learned in my own journey to body appreciation and I design each class to help you feel your best in YOUR body while reaping the rewards of a regular movement practice sprinkled with self compassion throughout. You can get started for 10 days totally free here!
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