Finding Your Inner French Girl My mother is from France. But I was raised in a


small Texas town where my mixed heritage was a novelty…


Our family spent vacations in Paris with cousins, and I left the US to live there as


a twenty-something adult. I stayed in Paris, until kicking and screaming, I had to return to be a “serious person,” whatever that means. When I explain my situation, Americans often exclaim how lucky I am, as if I have the key to the secret French women have to being impeccably chic.


I used to bristle at the hardcover books with loopy cursive writing on the cover


“Vivamus et metus.”


about French women not getting fat or about how they had magical sexual powers to ensnare the otherwise elusive French man. Not that I haven’t read them, of course. The contents were nothing but mostly good common sense about moderation in diet and dress with the occasionally thinly veiled advertisements for champagne.


If I learned anything, it was from observation. French women, on average, are smaller than American women. A visit to Paris, however, will not give you an accurate view of the average French woman any more than a stroll in Manhattan gives you an idea of a typical American woman. The French, as do many European cultures, place importance on fresh food, eating at the table with friends and family and shunning fast food.


What’s Raney Wearing? Audrey Sunglasses, Anne Fontaine. Turquoise Pashmina Scarf. Navy Blue Cardigan, Banana Republic. White Tank Top, Anne Fontaine. Black Yoga Pants, Banana Republic.


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