The French are often depicted as these arrogant, snooty, and intellectual geniuses. However, this is not true…kind of. There are some stereotypes about French people that are really overrated and should be removed from how you feel about them. On the other hand, there are some stereotypes that can seem like the norm. You don’t know any French people? You’re about to visit France and want to know what to expect? Here is a little guide about the most typical misconceptions and stereotypes about French people.
We’ve obviously generalized the most ‘famous’ ones. Next time you watch a movie or read a book about the French, try and figure out if the French are depicted as stereotypes of themselves! Soon, you’ll be able to decide for yourself what are the truest stereotypes about French people.
What are Common Stereotypes About French People?
They wear berets while riding their bikes and have a baguette under one arm
If you watch a Disney movie and there’s a French person in it (think of films like Ratatouille, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Beauty and the Beast) most of the time the French characters or just passersby will all look the same. They will wear a beret, a striped shirt, have a baguette under one arm and they will be riding a bike. First of all, if you see a French person wear a beret, it’s probably going to be on an older person. You have more chances to see someone wear a Dodgers cap in the bigger cities than a beret to be honest. For the rest (the bike, the baguette, the striped shirt), it’s all because of how the media has chosen to perceive them. It’s easier to tell you’re watching a show or commercial depicting a French person if they have all the significant attributes of a French person.
They hate Americans
You can’t automatically say that the French hate the Americans. In history, these two countries have an intertwined story. Politically, the French have always had a good relationship with the Americans. After all, it is the Americans that freed the French on V-J Day, August 14th, 1945 so the two countries have always had a special bond between the two. The French love the world of Hollywood movies and are interested in visiting some of the most famous American cities. Now, there are some things that the French don’t love about American tourists that pollute their cities in the summer… Can you blame them? It all depends on where you go! All we can say is, if you’re American and try to learn a few French words and stay polite, then the French will be happy to have you in their country.
They are rude
This misconception is usually expressed by tourists who had a bad experience in either a restaurant or at their hotel. Unfortunately, there are rude people everywhere. Either you sadly ended up interacting with angry people or you were rude yourself. The Southerners are closer to the Italians, so they are very friendly people and it is said that the Northerners are also quite friendly. Nevertheless, French people are not the warmest people in the world either so you can’t expect them to be overly friend if it’s not in their DNA. Maybe you should learn some funny French insults?
They are super romantic
Paris might be called the city of lights and France might be known are one of the most romantic cities in the world. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that every French person is obsessed with love, showing affection and making huge love declarations at every street corner. We have often seen romantic movies set in France so we automatically think they French are the same. Yes, they do sing romantic songs, write romantic books and paint romantic art but they aren’t particularly more romantic than other nations. Personally, I think we’ve Americanized French love but don’t quote me on this.
That all French women dress well
There are so many blogs and books that are dedicated to the ‘effortless French style’. Yes, some of the greatest couturiers of modern history are from France: Coco Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint-Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, etc. But this doesn’t mean that every single French person has an impeccable style. Of course, if you go visit some of the trendiest and wealthiest neighbourhoods in Paris, it might look like everyone dresses well (it’s the same if you visit New York and head to Soho or the Upper East Side). If you get out of the city and visit smaller, more remote towns, you won’t be jealous of people’s looks.
They all eat amazing food every day
French cuisine is wonderful: it’s rich, full of butter and cream, it is a passion for many people and has never stopped being popular. Dishes and foods like foie gras, croissants, coq au vin and confit de canard make people as excited as winning the lottery. People outside of France often think that the French eat these rich meals three times a day every day. They wish ! But no, not exactly. Yes, most Frenchies will have a croissant or a tartine for breakfast. But most lunches and dinners will consist of more normal food. Yes, they do have coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon, escargots and foie gras but only for family dinners or other special occasions. Are you sad to find out some stereotypes about French people are false?
They are all fit and thin
Another funny misconception about the French is that they are all fit. No, France is not in the top ten countries with the most obese people, they are 13th. Which is still pretty high. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), around 1 person in 10 is obese and 40% of the population is overweight. Again, if you stay in a posh part of Paris, you probably won’t see a lot of overweight French women or men. But if you get out of the wealthier neighbourhoods, you’ll probably start noticing more and rounder, French people. Unfortunately, obesity is more and more common in most parts of the world.
They are all great intellectuals
Are these stereotypes about French people positive or negative? You might have heard of a couple of famous and very intelligent French intellectuals and French writers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Simone Weil, Voltaire, Michel Foucault, etc. Yes, these men and women are all incredibly intelligent and are French. But this doesn’t mean that every single French person is a great intellectual. You just have to watch some of these French reality television series to find out that there are some pretty dim people out there… They do teach philosophy in high schools and some people are very interested in politics and current events but like in any country, don’t expect everyone to be the next Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
They are lazy
This misconception is one of the worst ones because honestly, everyone should do like the French. The French work 35-hour weeks instead of 40-hours like in most countries. They also have long vacations, at least 5 weeks every year. We should be more like them and work less. The French aren’t lazy, they are very clever! They don’t over exhaust themselves by working long hours and having no vacation, they have a great balance between work-life balance. So yes, stereotypes about french people can actually be great news.
All French drink wine all the time
You might be surprised with this one since France is the second biggest wine producer in the world (right after the Italians). Yes, studies have shown that the younger generations of French people are switching their bottles of Burgundy and Chardonnay for soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages. Shocked? We were kind of shocked too to the honest. It’s inevitable to associate them with wine and the (large) consumption of wine.
But it’s difficult to really say which country drinks the most wine. According to a certain study, France is ranked 2d in the countries that consume the most wine. In another study, France is ranked 4th (annual per capita wine consumption), after Croatia, Switzerland and Portugal! Which one should we believe?
Can you think about other (nice) stereotypes about French people? Most of the time, we only think about the worst clichés… Do you know specific stereotypes about Quebecers?
