Aging French and American Women Aren't In the Same Life Game

My passion for what French women can teach us increases with my age. Minutes ago, a friend called out the NYTimes Style Aging Gracefully, the French Way.

Having just pushed the upload button on a new chapter of , I was prepared. This is my comment on French and American women, when the topic is aging:

I was lucky enough to spend 10 years of my life, working in France nearly one week a month. I was lucky to age in France, where older women are celebrated by both men and themselves.

This is my subject. I write about French women and American women, just logging out on Obesity Alert | French Women Have More Self Respect

The Dove Global Beauty study interviewed women worldwide, asking many questions about aging and self-image. Dove asked women the age of ideal beauty.

48% of American women answered ‘twenties’ vs 11% of French women.

12% of American women answered ‘forties’ vs 39% of French women.

These enormous disparities help explain why ALL French women have an aggregate national BMI of 23.5 and 90% of French women over 50 are having sex.

In America, married women just told iVillage we would rather read a book, see a movie or sleep than have sex. Our national obesity rate — let’s not talk about it.

This issue is not confined to Paris vs New York. Sorry.

French culture celebrates women of every age, and French women celebrate their sensuality and vitality with self-love and discipline.

I believe American women should consider that we have no idea what “joie de vivre” is about. We should become students of French women, rather than assuming that we lead on a subject where in fact, we trail far behind French women.

Every American woman should spend a year in France. Link to article.

The French women have something precious. It’s called self-respect and not believing the life is all downhill after 25. And then there’s the matter of understanding that sex is actually good for you and not a duty or favor to men.

Sorry for the passion on this topic. French women taught me well. Anne

There’s no doubt in my mind that French women have a lot to teach American women, and I’ve written extensively on this topic. Simply stated, French women believe they peak at 45 and American women 25. If you’re an American woman who believes she had her best days at 25-28, do you really believe that you will nurture and take care of yourself in the next decades? No. It’s all downhill in our minds, and I want to stop the slide into our obesity and sexless abyss.

We’ve pulled all our writing into a new channel, creating what will become a premier center for information and honest writing about the topic of American women, compared to women in the rest of the world. Please join us. Our intentions are good, even though we know we will be cursed more than hugged.

More Reading:

French Pleasures | A Bit of Anne in Paris

Years ago I found myself in Paris for Salon de Lingerie, at the end of January. I chose to stay in a newly renovated hotel not far from The Bristol, one of my usual haunts. I was either there or Hotel Montalembert on the Left Bank.

There’s nothing more dreamy than going for a late-night walk in Paris, with friends, a lover or even alone.

In truth, I’ve wandered the world alone … often with a driver following me, because I’m not a limo person and prefer to slip into dark alleyways, where I always make the most pround little discoveries in life.