Because We Are All Worth It

Last week,  the New York Times ran an interesting article on the reality perception, that French women age more gracefully than their American  counterparts, ("Aging Gracefully the French Way").    My friend Ginger, thought my thoughts on the subject might make for an interesting Blog.  Like most women, I am a little awed by French women.  Here's my take on taking a page from their livre.
The French like to point to their older beauties, Catherine Denueve, Ines de la Fressange, Juliet Binoche with great pride, as they should, but we have a couple up our sleeves too, (Diane Sawyer, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, to name but a few).   The point is, that despite the years and perhaps some thoughtful nips and tucks, they still look like themselves.  While there is a lot of unattractive booblipcheek plumping and Botox abuse amongst young Hollywood, I certainly don't think they define us as a nation.

French women are lucky in one regard;  men there appreciate an attractive woman regardless of age.  If you have strolled  down the Avenue Montaigne, you know just what I  mean...it's not lewd it's lovely!   American men, tend to hoard those glances, in the hopes of catching Meghan Fox, shopping in a thong  on Madison Avenue... I ask you, where is the love???

Here are some of the highlights from "10 Ways to Age Like a French Woman":

They Look Out for #1-  They take great care of themselves.  I tend to agree.  They take more pride in their appearance in general.  A French woman would not leave the house, without consideration of her accessories, hair and makeup (which is done with a deft, light hand).  just to please themselves.  They zap unsightly varicose veins and wear skirts often.  Overall,  American women clean up like champs, but by day there is very little effort, comparatively.

They Take Great Care of Their Skin- From an early age, they learn to take care of their skin.  It is a grandmother-mother daughter tradition.  They don't use face soap, and focus on hydrating and protecting their skin with sunscreen.  Contrast that to our teens, still basking in tanning booths or at the beach,  with little protection, despite knowing all the damage it will cause.  They visit their Dermatologist's often and like the extra kick  non-OTC skin remedies.  They are staunch believers in head-to-toe cold water rinses, to rev up circulation.  I will try out the cryogenics personally and report back!

They Work Hard at Staying Thin- French women are extremely attentive about what goes in their mouths and will nip the pounds in the bulge, the second they creep up.  Smart cookies?  Yes and no...the article did make it sound like appetite suppressants,  popped like breath mints, are commonplace...two demerits.  I do think that nothing ages or detracts from a woman's beauty, more than packing on the pounds.  I recently saw Lorraine Bracco in N.Y.  She was nearly unrecognizable.  Could she still be a beautiful woman???  Yes.  As soon as she lays off the fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits.  There is a world of diff. between 5 extra lbs. and 50.  French women stay fit by walking and going to spas.  It's lifelong and ingrained.  Americans are fickle and faddish about exercise.  From Tai Bo to Zumba, our mentality is fitness du jour.  Maybe they are on to something.

They Have Different Plastic Surgery Goals-  When they tweak,  they do so with the objective of still looking like themselves, not trying to turn the clock back 20 years.  There is nothing more unattractive than a too tight face lift, tight as a tom tom, bloated with fillers.  American Plastic Surgeon's are constantly refining their techniques and encouraging patients to embrace refreshed, natural results.  I was recently contacted by Dr. Sam Rizk's publicist.  I went on his website and was blown away by the extraordinary results on very normal looking people with  an extra $15,000 or so to achieve them.  A definite step in the right direction, for those with means.

They Think Sexy- A chicken vs the egg proposition...If we made the same effort, we might get a more appreciative response from the opposite sex, which might lead to, "thinking sexy".  American men are youth obsessed.  If the goal is to chase our youth to stay in the game, we are bound to lose.  If we choose to take care of ourselves for good health, longevity and pride, the rest just may fall into place.

C'est tout.

xox,
DD