French Stereotypes, Truth or Myths? (2 of 7)
Jean Capdevielle
Director, Value & Bid Marketing | Product Policy Owner | Accessibility and Neurodiversity Leader | Content Creator
This week: Hygiene
Wikipedia*: The French are perceived as having poor hygiene, originating from American soldiers during World War II.
“I'm a massive fragrance fan - I think fragrance is part of someone's hygiene, and I'm a big believer in leaving an impression through scent.” Rita Ora
No one likes to hear their hygiene is questionable so this one is actually quite offensive… let’s put it to rest once and for all:
As per the graph above*, France is pretty much around the average in terms of shower per week, and under average when it comes to shampoos.
More over:
- The recommended number of shampoos per week is around 2**
- The actual recommendation from some dermatologists is to shower only every other day (that is apparently what is best for the skin)***
In other words, the hygiene of French people is simply OK and this myth is definitely busted…
Where does it this terrible stereotype comes from then? Two leading theories:
1. Actually, not quite the WWII version commonly admitted. And let share a side comment here as this theory puzzles me. Historically, the Americans mostly arrived in France in 1944 pretty much 4 years after the French army was defeated, so there would have been little encounters between US and French soldiers, only possibly:
o With the Free France troops in Africa and France
o In Prisoner Of War camps (1.8 Million French POW at the end of WWII)
In both instances, let’s just say that the French soldiers were not quite in a position to display the best hygiene practices…
So, the “real” genesis here is that the actual development of a decent water supply infrastructure in England happened much earlier than in France, so ordinary people in British cities began to wash more. A visitor to France in the mid- to late 19th century would have noticed the difference. It seems then that the stereotype initiated in England, was propagated by the English and eventually stayed alive long after France’s water supply infrastructure got the same level as England’s.
2. War on perfume: the cliché was also kept alive by jealous competitors to the renowned French perfume industry. It is not rare to hear that these delightful scents are only due to the fact the French needed to come up with good products to cover up their bad smell.
Grasse****, a small town 40Km away from Nice and the French riviera, has been the world capital of perfume since the 16th century. In the Middle Ages, Grasse specialized in leather tanning. Once tanned, the hides were often exported to Genoa or Pisa, cities that shared a commercial alliance with Grasse. Several centuries of this intense activity witnessed many technological advances within tanning industries. The hides of Grasse acquired a reputation for high quality. But the leather smelled badly, something that did not please the glove wearing nobility. This is when Galimard, a tanner in Grasse came up with the idea of scented leather gloves. He offered a pair of scented gloves to Catherine de Medici who was seduced by the gift. Thereafter, the product spread through the Royal Court and high society, and this made a worldwide reputation for Grasse.
So, here you go, whichever angle you look at it, nothing really sustains this stereotype today only stemming in the end from jealousy and/or spread of outdated information.
Sources:
**https://www.luxyhair.com/blogs/hair-blog/how-often-should-i-wash-my-hair
***https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-often-should-you-shower
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