No. Where does this even come from? My only guess is that Americans, so obsessed with cleanliness that they launched a polio epidemic of epic proportions*, still can't hack the European idea that maybe the oils your own body produces aren't so bad for you. While there are some interesting health/hygiene/style trends to be found here, even while being crowded in the five o'clock sardine can of the metro, I haven't noticed any particularly smelly French people. My nose is pretty reliable and doesn't miss much, so I say this with considerable confidence. Consider that how you will.
.jpg)
The curious thing about this is that everyone smokes. Okay, okay, not quite everyone**. But from my perspective, there is a much larger prevalence of smokers in Paris than there are in Seattle. In spite of this, even while crammed in tight places, I don't notice many people reeking of cigarette smoke. Obviously, when they are sitting in front of you on a cafe terrace, cigarette in hand, and the wind is blowing in your face, you get a whiff from time to time. On the whole, though, for coming into contact with that rank, stale, cigarette smell that turns even a smoker's stomach, Seattle buses are ten times worse.
Another interesting observation on the hygiene note, and one that I love, is how much more casual women's hair is. It's pretty clear that many don't wash it every day, but it doesn't look dirty or greasy. Having recently jumped on the no shampoo bandwagon (baking soda and apple cider vinegar!) that's something that I can really get behind. Even if you do shampoo, the simplicity I've been seeing here is refreshing.
In the states, especially in downtown Seattle, most to many women obviously blow dry, straighten, layer on tons of product or do some horrible combination of the three. Here, women wear their hair both long and short, but natural. Very few seem to do much with it. Sometimes it's pulled back or up, with little braids or a messy topknot, but for the most part, none of it would have taken more than five minutes to do. As someone who has always been so anal about her hair that she rarely does anything with it (it won't be perfect!), it's been a good place to slowly get used to letting my hair do its own thing.
All in all, the French are no more unpleasantly odoriferous or lacking in necessary hygiene than the average American, at least, those with whom I am acquainted.
*Maybe this is still debatable? If so, forgive me for not citing sources, that's not really what this blog is about.
**For those who like statistics and lying with numbers: I found information saying that with a recent (2008) ban on smoking in public places, the rate has dropped from 40% to 20% of adults. Based on my brief, incomplete and entirely anecdotal evidence, I would guess that at least 40% of the people taking that survey are liars or are creative with their truth, but I realize there are factors that would contribute to a skewed perception on my part. For example, I largely eat outside on cafe terraces - where it's still legal to smoke. I find the cultural attitudes toward smoking here very interesting, but I've been having trouble finding many numbers. Here's an interesting article with comments for anyone else who finds it intriguing.
No comments:
Post a Comment