https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 05 May 2026 19:32:18 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-188212 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:27:12 +0000 bj1111 188212@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>overgeneralization ahead...</p> <p>one thing i appreciate about the europeans' apparent approach to surgical or other enhancements is the lack of handwringing and "should i or shouldn't i" perseveration over the decision. europeans seem to decide, get it done and get on with the day. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-188207 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:14:07 +0000 Scarlet 188207@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I just wanted to say first of all that I really enjoyed reading the responses from different people. </p> <p>I deeply suspect that the french woman's secret is simply to be accepting of oneself and not publicly discussing or acknowledging what one doubts about one's appearance. That is to say, projecting confidence whether one feels it or not. But this is cobbled together from books and not actual experience. One thing i can say about Germany, at least, is that people here smoke a lot more than Americans and it shows up on their face, big time. Tanning beds are also shockingly popular. Although frankly after living through the last totally sun-less winter I was contemplating one myself to fight sun-starved depression. Imagine 2 months without even being able to see where in the sky the sun was because the clouds were too thick. But in any case fear of cancer won out. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-187802 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:44:09 +0000 medusa 187802@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've been traveling for a few days and haven't gotten back to this thread, so sorry for the delay. Thanks for the comments, they are interesting! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184708 Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:01:17 +0000 taylor 184708@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That was a really interesting article. I don't put too much weight into any culture having :It down" as far as aging better than another culture or people. Women are women and we all pretty much deal with the same issues wherever we live...after all isn't all about one's "attitude" in ageing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184626 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:05:10 +0000 Maya 184626@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh please! French women aren't so glamorous and gorgeous because of their skincare regimes. They are just living in a completely different culture that affects their general health more positively, and it goes without saying that better health = better skin, hair, and more graceful aging. That's like saying the reason women living in abject poverty in Afghanistan age sooner and worse is because of their lack of skincare treatments...not because they live a much harsher life (a gross understatement, I know).</p> <p>What I don't like about these articles is that they dish out a lot of accusations without a lot of solutions. Yes, French women walk a lot, and yes, it's a lot less soulless and inconvenient than working out in a gym. But how can it be expected of American women to start walking in any meaningful capacity when our infrastructure simply doesn't allow it? How many hours do French women work per week vs. American women (not even counting chores and kids), and therefore have the time and energy to cook real food and not rely on convenience? How many American women are suffering without proper health insurance compared to French women (hint: the answer to the latter is 0)? Let alone getting free spa treatments, a lot of American women (myself included) can't even get basic dermatological care...and might I add that I *have* insurance. That I pay for myself.</p> <p>It's an interesting article but it's a lot of fluff. And I assure you no matter what treatments I get I will never look as good as Catherine Deneuve at any age. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184592 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:06:50 +0000 Lisa 184592@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting article, thanks for sharing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184446 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:49:05 +0000 Itari 184446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't know about American women, as I've never been to the US ;)</p> <p>Mac - that's interesting. Thanks for your insight.</p> <p>I have a feeling that many European people display a kind of arrogance, especially towards Americans, whom they perceive as ugly, loud, obnoxious, overweight. tasteless and overly prude. This means, of course, that the same European people consider themselves a kind of superior race.</p> <p>And I think that Isabelle Adjani should be put in the article. Of course, she's undergone many treatments and probably surgery too, but she's still gorgeous. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184325 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:01:15 +0000 April 184325@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I haven't yet read this article, but when I was on the train earlier this evening, a man standing near me had the NY Times tucked under his arm, with this article sticking out. I saw it and thought, "Oh, that's the one Medusa posted..." </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184107 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:29:20 +0000 Mac 184107@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's true - in France they spend a TON more money than in the US on "treatments," from skin care to anti-cellulite creams to supplements targeted to just about anything. Trouble is, French women are (sadly) still more likely to stay slim via aging methods, like drinking heaps of coffee and smoking and that certainly takes its toll on their skin and teeth. And I don't know any French women who wear sunscreen daily - of my younger French acquaintances, those who wear it at all only do so when going to a beach or spending a full summer day outside the park or garden.</p> <p>So, I actually think that French women - especially older ones - often have much worse skin and teeth than their American sisters, with more bags under their eyes and more lines (from smoking) around their mouths. Also, orthodonsitry and dentistry weren't popular in France until recently (and, I can't tell you how many 30-something friends I have who haven't been to the dentist since they were kids), and older french women's teeth definitely show these decades of neglect.</p> <p>The average French woman IS darker than the average American, so if you took both groups of older women and never applied sunscreen, the French ones are less likely to have accumulated years of sunburns that Americans might have had... given that in the 1960s and 1970s, sunscreen wasn't popular on either side of the ocean. So, that helps the French aging process, I suppose. </p> <p>And yes, maybe plastic surgery isn't as common there as it is in the US (in part, because France is still far less affluent than America) BUT, I do have several French friends who've had work done (one, in her 40s, to reduce under-eye bags; another, in her 60s, with an eye lift) and I find it funny that they article uses Catherine Deneuve as an example since her face has been pulled and prodded within an inch of its life.</p> <p>Older French women seem to win out, though, when it comes to their style. I've seen heaps who dress in a way that I find extremely unappealing, BUT they do seem good at avoiding that 60 years-old-dressed-like-a-teen look that I think makes some older American women look foolish and, well, older than they really are. They pay a LOT of attention to getting hair cuts and keeping them maintained (even though I generally find the hair colouring to be much worse than in the US). They tend to not do the stiff hair spray/ "helmet hair" that some American women favour.</p> <p>And they do tend to keep their figures slim - although they don't generally do much exercise so they don't have much definition/ muscle tone. </p> <p>I think it's pretty sad that Americans love to look at women from other countries and say, "ooooh, they're all so much more attractive than we are." Because I don't believe for a second that it's true. And in France, they love to look at women from other countries and say, "ooooh, they're all so much LESS attractive than we are." And I absolutely don't believe That's true. </p> <p>So, to sum up this long note, I think there are many things that French women do well when it comes to their looks but many things that they do badly. The biggest difference is just that they even the ugliest and least stylish (*cough* my partner's mom *cough*) think that, as French women, they are the most elegant and sexy people in the world whereas American women generally don't project the same level of innate confidence. C'est tout!</p> <p>(as a Canadian, I've been able to observe both cultures as an outsider and I just wish that Americans would accept and embrace their own attractiveness!) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184090 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:49:14 +0000 Angie 184090@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, Medusa! Like I always say - its the older lasses in France who blow me away with their style - not the younger gals. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184080 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:39:33 +0000 Isabel 184080@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think that I agree. Though I was raised in the US, I am Portuguese. My mom has always advocated good skincare. Washing, exfoliating, moisturizing, sun hats, and now sunscreen. I have worn sunscreen everyday since I was 23 or so.</p> <p>I am working hard to instill the same in my children ( 7 and 8 ). My American girlfriends seem to care more about their hair, make-up and jewelry. My mom was never a big make-up fan ( she really couldn't afford it and she felt you wouldn't need it if you skin looked good ).</p> <p>That brings me to a point, my parents' families were very poor. They didn't have access to or money for things. So they used mild, natural cleaners and olive oil to moisturize. My mom always felt that even if you were poor, the least you could do is be clean and "presentable". Those details were cheap, doable, and respectful to those around you.</p> <p>Though I have to say that there are Americans that fit this mode beautifully :</p> <p>Ellen Barkin ( who then showed in the article )<br /> Lauren Hutton<br /> Susan Sarandon ( though she could use a bra more often, no ? )<br /> Diane Sawyer<br /> Iman ( ok, she is Ethiopian - I LOVE her ) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184062 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:14:23 +0000 Sihaya 184062@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nice article. I think this really speaks to Angie's point about beauty and style from the inside out. I find that in my 40's, I am a LOT more comfortable in my own skin, a lot happier from the inside out. I will be walking down a street and people will smile at me. Because I think I'm smiling from the inside out. The things that I have paid more attention to: getting more sleep, getting regular facials (though I still fall down on this once in a while), getting much edgier in my style (I care so much less about what other people think as long as it makes me happy)! On the down side, I have to do much more facial de-hairing (yuck). At this point, I don't think I'll ever do things like botox and surgery. I prefer aging to the alternative! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184061 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:13:31 +0000 Beth 184061@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting article. While I don't think there are any secrets, so to speak, I do think there's some wisdom there. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/article-on-aging-and-style-in-france#post-184060 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:09:22 +0000 medusa 184060@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I found this article interesting. It discusses French women's "secrets" of aging and how they differ from Americans', with a lot of discussion of skin care.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/fashion/15French.html?_r=1&#038;src=me&#038;ref=homepage&#038;pagewanted=all" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07.....wanted=all</a></p> <p>I'd be curious to hear what some of our European forum members think of this. Do you think it's accurate? </p>