Michel, what really amazed me was I did not know that Serrault was that wonderful fey barber in my favorite anti-war film, King Of Hearts.

cigalechanta - thanks for the info on AJ.

We think we saw Bardot shopping in St. Tropez. Can't be certain, didn't run up to her, rip off her Jackie-O's and stare...
My DH smiles contentedly that he saw her...he sorta sighs still, when I think about it.
The lady was lovely. Is she very short? This lady was, and well, a bit on the plumpish side now...but a little fat under the skin of the face goes a long way to fill in crevices.

I think the OLDER Spanish señoras win the ultimate prize for refined elegance (and serious jewelry) but they would not be classified as sexy.

Anyone thinking about plastic surgery should take a walk in Paris. Drop dead gorgeous dames over 75 are everywhere. I think they just accept who they are and are happy with it....that might be the exact definition of allure!

Alas, I fear that the visual appeal of so many Parisian women 'of a certain age' has origins not available to most of the posters on this forum -- genetics.

My question about why French women look so much better in chic outfits than Americans or BRits do was answered long ago on my first trip to Paris... I looked closely at the wrists of French women of ALL ages -- almost all of them were far narrower than mine, and I was a very trim 110lb size 9 at the time... their bone structure is just plain smaller than those of the sturdy yeoman English-Swedish stock from which I spring. Continued observation decades later confirms this.

In addition,erect posture seems much more common (can this be genetic too?). Not to mention that Parisian women know what to do with scarves and we don't.

Also (along with the ability to resist plastic surgery) there is the subtler approach to hair. USA is huge on bottle blondes, Parisians mostly not... their approach to hair-color enhancment is more usually a restrained skillful henna highlight to dark hair.

THis may be partly a cosmopolitan/Paris thing... think back to women in Villages of Southern france, selling stuff at markets etc. Not so much.

When I was studying abroad in Paris years ago, the American guys in my program all decided that the allure of French girls/women came from the way they hold their lips in a sort of pouty kissing position due to the accent/ pronunciation of their language.

All the American women in our group tried making "pouty lips" but it just didn't seem to work for us. Darn. I guess it has to be unaffected.

Do they still wear 'tissue paper pants'?

BS try to say "Voulez vous la poule au dessus ou en dessous?" and all the words with "ou" and you should get it. ;-)

Coco,

Ooh la la! Je vais le pratiquer chaque jour devant le miroir et peut-être je peux me debarasser de cet accent dont j'ai honte. ;-)

Rapelle! C'est defendu de ecrire francais ici! Just joking - practicing my 'perfect francaise'.

PalenqueBob,

Not too shabby!

We, Froggies love the English accent, so please don't lose it too fast!

Merci, Coco. Since I speak French more often now than English, I am told I am losing my American accent and replacing it with an English accent. I don't complain.

You are told that because I'm sure you worked hard on your "R". If you can say it properly we won't be able to tell where you're from!

Although it is stating the obvious, part of the attraction of foreign women (men) is the allure of something new. As well, on vacation we have more time (and more inclination) to notice that which is around us.
travelerjan - there is a theory that the lack of hormones in the meat (you know they have been banned since 1952 in France) is responsible for slower aging in the French. It is also attributed to a later and more natural maturation of French youth. This can be seen in size as well.
BTW I do not normally ascribe to conspiracy theories.

Coco,

You made me laugh! You may be right. I discovered I had a throat when I began to try to properly speak French.

robjame, you are so right. I know woman who would never have an affair with a fisherman in Provencetown but in Greece, she found it exciting.

<i>the allure of French girls/women came from the way they hold their lips in a sort of pouty kissing position due to the accent/ pronunciation of their language.</i>

Exactly! (As I stated in an earlier post.) Facial structures definitely vary with languages. We do not use the 'u,' for example. African languages, of course, require other palate/lingual accommodations, some of which are practically &quot;unlearnable&quot; for non-natives. The study of linguistics is fascinating; the effects of a language on a culture (and, of course, vice versa) is huge.

coco- Thanks for the tip! It has been twenty years but maybe I will finally get the pouty lips correct!

If Segolene Royal, who still fills out a bikini nicely at age 52, becomes President of France, can we expect her, George W. Bush, Stephen Harper, Tony Blair and the other big leaders in swim suits together during their free time at the G-8 meeting this year?