Please, be kind in the comments because this video’s goal isn’t to bash anyone and their culture. French culture and French diet have had a big impact in my life, but I need to tell you some hidden truth behind the reason why French women (and men) are so slim. Nobody should ever idealize a culture, but we should all learn the good and discard the bad about it.
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Naturally, I know that this isn’t the truth of every French person, but a general observation of a 4 years experience in the country. So please, be kind in the comments. I learnt so much about healthy eating habits when in France, so take the good and discard the bad. ❤
Your French sounded beautiful! I don’t speak French so I have no idea if it was perfect or not, but it sounded fantastic.
Even in America where over 40% of the population is overweight, it can be hard to get anyone to take you seriously for a relationship if you are even a little bit chubby. Even fat guys will not be interested in a fat girl, a good portion of the time. A lot of the time couples got very overweight together but didn’t start out that way, and if she had been big before, they’d never have been dating. Obviously all of this depends on the guy’s desirability level… if he isn’t very impressive then he is either going to be alone or stop having these standards but there are still a lot of delusional men who think it’s ok for them to be 300 lbs and want a girl who weighs 100-130 lbs. I was quite overweight a number of years ago and I lost all of the extra weight because I knew that the tiny percentage of men who would be interested in me while I was big, were not the kind of men I wanted. It is very true that if you are overweight people will just want to use you for something and not respect you as any kind of equal human. They really don’t care about your personality or what you like/don’t like or even your feelings. It was completely different as soon as I lost the weight. Granted there are still tons of horrible men and the dating scene is horrific for millennials and gen z in general no matter what you look like, but at least I was able to be MUCH more selective and got much higher quality attention. Being 20-30 lbs overweight doesn’t get much negativity in America though, so at least there is that window where you can get a bit off track and then turn yourself around before anyone dehumanizes you.
I’m reading a book “Thinner Leaner Stronger” by Michael Matthews, and in the book he mentions how being around people who are giving into vices and temptations will subconsciously weaken your own resolve and willpower, and one of the ways this happens is the way that having an obese family or obese friends gradually causes people to become overweight themselves. I thought of this when you spoke of the massive pressure everyone is putting on people over there to stay thin and not snack. Maybe they realize this is an issue and they don’t want it to become an epidemic like it is in the US, UK and Australia. In America it has become normalized to be overweight and abnormal to be thin, so in pretty much any family or church party situation I am in, there will be pressure to overeat and give in to all kinds of foods I normally don’t like to have. There’s just no standard of behavior around me to not become obese (aside from my husband) because most people are at least a bit overweight. The amount of hate I get when I am at my ideal weight or a few pounds under is honestly extreme. Some people would talk down to me like I was mentally ill based on being thin, and as if they feel sorry for me. Some people were extremely insulting about it. Stress during the lockdowns got to me and I regained some of the weight and was more average looking, and nobody ever said anything mean again, until I started working out in February. I get nasty remarks from family and supposed friends who do not approve of my fitness goals or my wanting to be legitimately fit for the first time in my adult life. They actually try to ruin it for me all the time.
Edit: sorry this is already so long, but I forgot to mention that I have seen some of those other French diet secret videos on YouTube and the women are getting basically no protein in their diet. There were a lot of vegetables and some bread etc but almost no protein at all. If you eat a low calorie diet with low protein, you will lose muscle mass over time and have a slower metabolism and make yourself more prone to obesity. I won’t name names, but the one YouTuber I am thinking of also claimed it is seen as unattractive to have muscle as a woman in France, which again would make them have a slower metabolism so they have to do more extreme diets many times per year just to maintain their weight instead of being able to burn enough calories to do this. That aspect of it is definitely not healthy and will take a toll on women as they age.
In my opinion the "French women style" (read effortless, elegant, chic, natural beauty, slim) is used as marketing strategie. I embrase your opnion "nobody should ever idealize a culture, but we should all learn the good and discard the bad about it". Kind regards!
Lidia, I’m sure your time living in France has given you so much insight into French culture. I sometimes wonder if the obsession with French style is tied to how slim French women are often portrayed in marketing, especially by the brands we see so often. And of course, we can’t forget the role genetics plays in all of this!
As a person living in france. The real secret is: Girls don't eat much and smoke a lot.
Also have been living in France for 4 years now, and I'm a larger bodied person and have seen many varying sizes where I live, but I'm in the suburbs of Paris where it's very multi-ethnic and very multi economic status. So I don't really like the phrase "the French diet" or "how to stay thin like a French person", because in my reality, what I see every day, it's not true, that France is not a monolith.
For me, a small green salad means that it's an afterthough, that they haven't put enough effort into thinking what a good veggie side dish could be, or that they are cheap. Those salads are like air, not enough nutrients and definitely not enough fiber, especially if there is no other substantial veggie on the plate, but that's my opinion.
Being overweight or obese ISN'T healthy, that's why the gouvernment passes the message everywhere. I think that's a very good thing and should be copied by every country. Bisous ❤
Wait, did I hear you correctly, a uk-size 8 is considered too big in france or paris? If thats the case I find it strange, I think a uk size 8 is slim
Its the super-model secret too….. Smoking prevalence: 34% of adults smoke tobacco products in France
Italy is way better and thinner
Parisian*
sorry but gov ads on unhealthy products with actual good tips like eating vegetables is not something bad??? and yes people eat croissant and baguette but not all the time, a balanced diet is very important here. what doctors say to overweight people i can't know but I'm sure it exists, as does it everywhere else. its true that the ideal in france is being skinny but its not as one dimensional. the government is also trying to outlaw models with eating disorders for example. I think the fatshaming is more a societal problem
As a (young) french woman (22yo) I totally relate to what you said about the meal organisation, the walking, the social pressure (eventhough I never experienced it myself directly, I've had friends that were nowhere near "fat" complaining about gaining weight….). But I personally think the disclaimer from the government in ads is a good thing, as well as the "drink alcohol with moderation" one, or the interdiction of showing smoking in kids' shows, it is meant to help people not to get too easily targeted by ads, and to counterbalance the ads in question… But I can understand your point of view, it can seem a bit "we have the moral high ground"! And I'd also like to add that I think the way school lunch is organized in France also help people stay healthy, because schools are required to provide healthy, balanced portions, (for the families that are paying for children to stay during lunch break) and it allows children to discover new foods they might not be familiar with + get at least one balanced meal everyday during the school week + when they grow up it helps to keep good food habits! And I think legislation also help as some ingredients aren't allowed in the EU (I think?) like high fructose syrup (corn syrup?) (I don't remember exactly, it is a syrup used to sweeten things)… But there are definitely a lot of preconceived ideas about "fat" people being lazy, overeating…etc, especially if you're a woman, which is sad… But I never experienced it with my doctor (maybe because I'm quite young, and she is a woman + my family doctor?)
As a (young) french woman (22yo) I totally relate to what you said about the meal organisation, the walking, the social pressure (eventhough I never experienced it myself directly, I've had friends that were nowhere near "fat" complaining about gaining weight….). But I personally think the disclaimer from the government in ads is a good thing, as well as the "drink alcohol with moderation" one, or the interdiction of showing smoking in kids' shows, it is meant to help people not to get too easily targeted by ads, and to counterbalance the ads in question… But I can understand your point of view, it can seem a bit "we have the moral high ground"! And I'd also like to add that I think the way school lunch is organized in France also help people stay healthy, because schools are required to provide healthy, balanced portions, (for the families that are paying for children to stay during lunch break) and it allows children to discover new foods they might not be familiar with + get at least one balanced meal everyday during the school week + when they grow up it helps to keep good food habits! And I think legislation also help as some ingredients aren't allowed in the EU (I think?) like high fructose syrup (corn syrup?) (I don't remember exactly, it is a syrup used to sweeten things)
They smoke a lot, I think this is the biggest reason they are skinny 😅
Honestly, I do not see a point why young women should discuss their weight all the time. Men should talk about it which they don't. They are in general more overweight and less healthy. But they do not seem to mind. They concentrate on other things. We should follow suit.