Today, I was walking to my tutor session and approached a circle. (Side note, there are so many traffic circles here. I pass three on my seven minute walk to the tutor.) A van with two men stopped to let me pass and as I was passing, they pulled up so close to me the passenger could have touched me if he wanted, and shouted "Aren't you going to say hi to us?" using "coucou" instead of "bonjour" for "hi" which denotes familiarity. Coucou is typically only used among friends, to children, and to pets. It got me to thinking about how women are treated and expected to act in France, and I figured I would share.
Women are expected to look nice at all times. Ironed clothes of high quality, expensive shoes, and make-up is a must. If a woman is to wear jeans, they should be skinny jeans with heels or boots. Teenagers and college kids are treated more leniently and may wear patterned canvas shoes. A scarf should always be incorporated into the outfit, regardless of temperature. Sneakers should only be worn for exercise. Make-up is typically along "natural" colors (no bright blue eye-shadow or glitter lip gloss) but still obviously apparent. Hair should be kept well, but elaborate styles are not necessary. I feel this is because since everyone walks everywhere and spends a lot of time outdoors, they know a more elaborate hairstyle would just get ruined by the wind anyway.
To compare, the typical man is wearing a tee-shirt or button down, jeans of any fit, and canvas shoes or sneakers. Teenagers and college kids do tend to style their hair, but it is not necessary. Men may opt to look more presentable via business casual clothing and dress shoes, but again it is not necessary.
Catcalling is abundant here as well. The aforementioned story in the beginning of my post was definitely a harsh catcall and while I have had a couple incidences similar to that one, for the most part catcalling is more passive or subtle here. A scan up and down your body with something muttered under the breath is more common here, especially in center city. The further out from center city (like heading toward my tutor) the more likely a woman is to receive a more aggressive catcall or diminutive name thrown her way, like when I got called a "vache" (cow) for no apparent reason while walking past two men.
I don't know much about women in the workplace or politics, but a little light research shows that France is one of the worst European countries for equality. In 2013, they ranked 57th in the world for women's overall equality (the US is 19th), 63rd in political empowerment (US is 60th), and a whopping 129th for wage equality (US is 65th). In a poll, again in 2013, 80% of women in the workplace feel they are victims of sexism, 82% have experienced diminutive speech, and 93% feel excluded from the professional sphere. In fact, it was only in 1969 that women obtained the right to work without officially asking their husband's permission.
Do I feel safe here? Absolutely. I have no fear of being physically hurt or mugged if I am walking alone during the day. That said, I don't enjoy walking by myself as I don't enjoy the scrutiny that women live under. With Jeremy by my side I may still get looks, but at least nothing is said to me. I have only been here 4 months and already I feel resentment for being expected by society to look perfect. Too bad, hopefully one day they'll learn that beauty shouldn't be determined by a price tag and how many hours are spent in front of a mirror, cause I ain't gettin' up earlier just to look pretty when I'm already beautiful on my own.
Women are expected to look nice at all times. Ironed clothes of high quality, expensive shoes, and make-up is a must. If a woman is to wear jeans, they should be skinny jeans with heels or boots. Teenagers and college kids are treated more leniently and may wear patterned canvas shoes. A scarf should always be incorporated into the outfit, regardless of temperature. Sneakers should only be worn for exercise. Make-up is typically along "natural" colors (no bright blue eye-shadow or glitter lip gloss) but still obviously apparent. Hair should be kept well, but elaborate styles are not necessary. I feel this is because since everyone walks everywhere and spends a lot of time outdoors, they know a more elaborate hairstyle would just get ruined by the wind anyway.
To compare, the typical man is wearing a tee-shirt or button down, jeans of any fit, and canvas shoes or sneakers. Teenagers and college kids do tend to style their hair, but it is not necessary. Men may opt to look more presentable via business casual clothing and dress shoes, but again it is not necessary.
Catcalling is abundant here as well. The aforementioned story in the beginning of my post was definitely a harsh catcall and while I have had a couple incidences similar to that one, for the most part catcalling is more passive or subtle here. A scan up and down your body with something muttered under the breath is more common here, especially in center city. The further out from center city (like heading toward my tutor) the more likely a woman is to receive a more aggressive catcall or diminutive name thrown her way, like when I got called a "vache" (cow) for no apparent reason while walking past two men.
I don't know much about women in the workplace or politics, but a little light research shows that France is one of the worst European countries for equality. In 2013, they ranked 57th in the world for women's overall equality (the US is 19th), 63rd in political empowerment (US is 60th), and a whopping 129th for wage equality (US is 65th). In a poll, again in 2013, 80% of women in the workplace feel they are victims of sexism, 82% have experienced diminutive speech, and 93% feel excluded from the professional sphere. In fact, it was only in 1969 that women obtained the right to work without officially asking their husband's permission.
Do I feel safe here? Absolutely. I have no fear of being physically hurt or mugged if I am walking alone during the day. That said, I don't enjoy walking by myself as I don't enjoy the scrutiny that women live under. With Jeremy by my side I may still get looks, but at least nothing is said to me. I have only been here 4 months and already I feel resentment for being expected by society to look perfect. Too bad, hopefully one day they'll learn that beauty shouldn't be determined by a price tag and how many hours are spent in front of a mirror, cause I ain't gettin' up earlier just to look pretty when I'm already beautiful on my own.