Is there more than a whiff of truth about Gallic charm?

By Kim Willsher in Paris

(Filed: 09/10/2005)

It is one of the most enduring and insulting of national stereotypes: the Frenchman as a workshy character whose unpleasant body odours owe as much to his aversion to soap as to his love of garlic and onions.

The French dismiss such talk as no more than cruel caricature, dreamt up by their beer-swilling, overweight and perfidious English neighbours. Now a leading French journal has produced figures suggesting that it may be closer to the truth than anyone – except perhaps rush-hour passengers on the Paris metro – might ever have imagined.

  

Among the statistics contained in “24 Hours in France – An Unusual Portrait of France and the French” is the fact that only one in 10 of the population regularly uses soap, while almost one in 25 admit that they never shower or bath, and one in 33 say they never brush their teeth.

Last night Pierre-Yves “PY” Gerbeau, the chief executive of X-Leisure, who came to Britain in 2000 to run the Millennium Dome and stayed even after that project flopped, dismissed the Le Point statistics as “ridiculous, bloody annoying and unhelpful”. Mr Gerbeau, who once described himself as a “short, fat and ugly Frenchman”, declared: “This idea of the 'Frog’ who doesn’t wash, has a baguette on his head and a string of onions around his neck is passé, déjà vu. It’s about as real as the Englishman in his pinstripe suit and bowler hat.”

An internet site of anti-French jokes shows that, whatever the truth, the stereotype is thriving. “What’s the best place to hide your money?” it asks, providing the obvious answer: “Under a Frenchman’s soap”.

An academic study last week on national stereotypes concluded that they are both undesirable and mostly "highly mistaken". Dr Robert McCrae, of the US National Institute on Ageing, found that the English think of themselves as stay-at-home introverts but are actually among the most extrovert people in the world. Indians assess themselves as highly open to new experiences, but are in fact unusually conventional. Thank heavens for the Australians, who judged themselves extremely extroverted, and actually got it right.

Yet Dr McCrae is partly missing the point. We happily perpetuate our own national and local stereotypes, however erroneous, because they are really very useful. Chancellor Gordon Brown, no matter how profligate his spending, is protected by the thrifty reputation of the Scottish son of the manse. The French author Mireille Guillano hit the bestseller lists with her book French Women Don't Get Fat. And how many wily Yorkshiremen have got away with dreadful rudeness because, of course, they are blunt chaps, accustomed to plain speaking?

 

from the sunday telegraph , uk.

for a long time now , some australians and others on this forum , perhaps to remove the odour of suspicion from themselves , have taken great delight in making childish jibes about the supposedly poor personal hygiene habits and allergy to cleaning products exhibited by the british.

well , no more.

its official.

the crown for malodorousness and personal putridity is now at last where it rightly belongs , in the unwashed mitts of the proud french.

Old news actually. There was a study by a soap manufacturer many years ago that came to the same conclusion.

Based on sales of the major leading brands, the average French person used about 1.5 bars of soap.........per YEAR ! I don't recall all the stats, but I think the North American average was over 12 bars (or 1 per month).

Oddly enough, it was noted at the same time that the French led Europe (and the world) in sales of perfumes and deodorants

but I think the North American average was over 12 bars (or 1 per month).

larger surface area to wash.

Old news actually. There was a study by a soap manufacturer many years ago that came to the same conclusion.

Based on sales of the major leading brands, the average French person used about 1.5 bars of soap.........per YEAR ! I don't recall all the stats, but I think the North American average was over 12 bars (or 1 per month).

Oddly enough, it was noted at the same time that the French led Europe (and the world) in sales of perfumes and deodorants 

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From Pommie shower to French shower....bit like going from the Penthouse to the Shitehouse....or did I get that round the wrong way??

From Pommie shower to French shower....bit like going from the Penthouse to the Shitehouse....or did I get that round the wrong way??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just don't start talking about Golden Showers (although I think the French came up with that one too) !

the golden shower oops hope my missus dont read this one

Old news actually. There was a study by a soap manufacturer many years ago that came to the same conclusion.

Based on sales of the major leading brands, the average French person used about 1.5 bars of soap.........per YEAR ! I don't recall all the stats, but I think the North American average was over 12 bars (or 1 per month).

Oddly enough, it was noted at the same time that the French led Europe (and the world) in sales of perfumes and deodorants 

From Pommie shower to French shower....bit like going from the Penthouse to the Shitehouse....or did I get that round the wrong way??

I think you got it right first time ole mate, or do we need to get into the sheep dip shower talk?