SavvySugar

Diet du Jour: L’Air Fooding

TresSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:45:06 -0800

Sound delicious? Let's translate: it means "air diet" or as it's less commonly called "anorexia." France's latest fad diet is all the chore of eating (buying, preparing, plating), and none of the pleasure (tasting, chewing, digesting).

A Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign that features Madonna holding food to her mouth, but never actually ingesting, is being blamed/credited for the fad diet. Its job, though, is to create sexy pictures that build a brand and sell clothes. Madonna chewing and swallowing probably would hardly have the same je ne sais quoi. What is absurd is that French magazine Grazia is using this campaign to say L’Air Fooding is the new "it" diet. It even provides recipes for those moments when your lips win out over hips: boil water and add salt. Bon appétit!

Do You Care About the Love Lives of Public Figures?

TresSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:52 -0800

If French blogs are to be believed, France's first couple (and one of our faves) is in the midst of not one, mais two affairs. Rumor has it that Carla Bruni has fallen for French singer Benjamin Biolay, while President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken up with a right-wing politician/karate expert. But don't expect a reliable news agency to find out if it's true. The legitimate French press is indifferent about illegitimate relationships of politicians, partially due to strict privacy laws, but also thanks to the view that it's not newsworthy. We know the American press loves it some affairs, whether they involve golf stars or presidents. Do you wish the US was blasé like the French, or are you happy to be filled in on the rumors, true or not?

Do You Prefer a Simple Life, or Life in the Fast Lane?

TresSugar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:18 -0800

Today we got a peek into the simple life of Johnny Depp thanks to an interview he did with French magazine VSD. Johnny says he lives a "truly simple existence" in the south of France with his partner Vanessa Paradis and their children. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"When I wake up I go look at my garden. I go see if my vegetables are growing, if certain flowers have started to bloom."
"With Vanessa and the kids, we live in a sort of little village in the south and I have the impression of being in paradise. It's a property of about 30 acres and you know what I do there? Absolutely nothing."
"Where will we go for a walk? Should we eat at the house with them or maybe go for a picnic? These are the problems we face there."

While I agree that this sounds like absolute paradise, some people might get a little bored. I know friends who just can't sit still on vacation, so the idea of living a slow, simple life, rather than a fast-paced city life probably wouldn't appeal to them. Where do you stand?

Betty Wayne: Voulez-Vous a Civil Union?

Tres Community — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:00:01 -0800

User Betty Wayne posted this story in the France Group in our TrèsSugar Community.

I just learned this and wanted to share: gay marriage is almost-sort-of legal in France! A Pact Civil de Solidarité (or PaCS) is a civil union between two people of any sex who wish to combine their debts, contracts, and assets. A PaCS is not available between: family members, those who are already married or PaCSed, nonresidents of France and those under 18.

Couples can file taxes jointly after three years, may collect inheritance and social security benefits, can share health benefits, and must share a common residence. Partners can not jointly file for adoption, however one partner can file for single-parent adoption. A nonresident can not gain residency through a PaCS, only though marriage. A PaCS ends when one partner dies, or after a three month waiting period if one partner requests it. A PaCS also ends if one partner gets married.

I searched around but I couldn't find any information on whether or not one partner is allowed to make power-of-attorney decisions should the other partner become unable to make those decisions for herself . . . if anyone knows please let me know. I'm also not sure if one partner shares the burden of all the other partner's past debts, or if couples only share debts incurred while PaCSed.

In French, "pacser" has become a verb, as in "Voulez-vous pacser avec moi?" or "Les femmes se pacsent." Un Pacte de Civil Solidarité is not equal to marriage, but it's an important step toward equality. If only the US would do the same.

Check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community. Maybe we'll feature your content on TrèsSugar!

French Give Brits a Lesson in Le G-Spot

TresSugar — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:57 -0800

In the latest battle in the war over the G-spot's existence, French scientists have managed to make their British counterparts look like inexperienced lovers.

Speaking about a recent British study that concluded the G-spot was a myth, top French gynecologist Dr. Odile Buisson insisted that an Anglo-Saxon tendency to reduce sexual mysteries to absolutes showed a lack of respect for what women say about their own sexuality.

Unlike the Brits, she said, the French don't want to explain sexual experiences using genetics; instead they accept ambiguity and a woman's ability to discover this sensitive part of her body. Buisson explained: "It is clear that in female sexuality there is a variability . . . It cannot be reduced to a 'yes' or 'no', or an 'on' or an 'off.'" Do you agree?

What Title Do You Use?

TresSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:00:12 -0800

Those of us who live in America don't have to prefix our names with our marital status. That's what "Ms." is for. But women living in France don't enjoy the same liberté, as there are only two choices: Mademoiselle (for the unmarried) and Madame (for the married).

While it might be flattering when strangers address you as "Mademoiselle," since it implies they think you're young, don't get too excited. As one French woman explains in the Guardian, the Madames get all the respect in the workplace or with strangers. As for Mademoiselle, derived from the medieval sounding damsel, "There is definitely something belittling about the term, as it originally implied the woman was a virgin and not yet the symbolic property of her husband, as madame implies." So we either have to be damsels or property? As the French say: "pfff."

Source: Flickr User antjeveren

Speed Read! France Moves Closer to Veil Ban

TresSugar — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:30:03 -0800

Nicolas Sarkozy favors a ban on the full Islamic veil in France - The Guardian
There might be a Lindsay Lohan sex tape - PopSugar
Obama says Tiger Woods can "absolutely" recover from scandal - The Daily Beast
Nicholas Kristof is proud of Google's free speech stand in China - New York Times
Rachel Maddow blasts Pat Robertson for saying God is punishing Haiti - Mediaite
VH1 has a new documentary about virginity - The Frisky

If You Could Move to Another Country, Where Would You Go?

TresSugar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:00:45 -0800

Each year, International Living publishes its list of best places to live. For the fifth year in a row, France tops the list. Australia, Switzerland, Germany, and New Zealand round out the top five, thanks to their enviable costs of living, culture and leisure offerings, environments, safety, and weather.

But France shouldn't feel so comfy at the top. Mais non! Another list recently compiled by the World Database of Happiness ranks Costa Rica as the happiest place on earth.

If you could move to a new country, would you want to wake up every morning saying Bonjour, Buenos Dias, おはようございます, or something else?

Source

Forced Corporate Gender Equality - Are You on Board?

TresSugar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:45:58 -0800

France's ruling political party recently proposed legislation that would make it mandatory for major companies to have women make up 50 percent of their board members by 2015. Right now, women constitute 10 percent of the board of directors at France's top companies. The US isn't far ahead - only 15 percent of board members at Fortune 500 companies are women.

French lawmakers hope the quotas will help change public attitudes about gender equality, and the requirements might also be good for business. A 2007 study found that Fortune 500 companies with the largest number of female directors significantly outperformed those with the least representation. As France debates the proposed law, would you like to see a similar one in the US?

Louvre Pyramid Turns 20, Proving Change Is a Beautiful Thing

TresSugar — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:00:54 -0800

Sometimes it's hard to accept change - especially for the French. In a country and city that thrives on its traditions the Louvre's decision to clutter up the classic Parisian palace-turned-museum with a giant pyramid was met with much skepticism and contempt. Twenty years ago, critics called the out of place architectural addition a sacrilegious "gigantic gadget." But today, many Parisians love it, and the director of the Louvre told NPR that visitors give three reasons for visiting the Louvre: "For the Mona Lisa, for the Venus [de] Milo, and for the pyramid." I know I've taken my photo outside the "glass heart" of Paris, and the juxtaposition of the clean pyramid with the more traditional stone architecture truly makes for original imagery. Check out some très impressive photos of the pyramid and tell me in the comments whether you approve of updating historical sites with modern features.

View 5 Photos ›