Dating à la française

          Before we get started, it will help to clarify a few points culturally here, so here it goes in order: 

         1) There exists a Franco-American romantic myth. There is a love hate relationship between America and France that goes far beyond modern romance. I guess you could say it all started in the late 18th century when the American colonies asked France for support in the American Revolution. Ben Franklin even went to Paris as the American ambassador, hung out at Cafe le Procope in the 6th, and apparently had a lot of lady friends if you catch my drift. 

               Fast forward to World War II: there are American soldiers swarming Normandy, sweeping up French women while they're at it. Case in point, the French grandmother and WWII veteran grandfather of one of my childhood friends. 

               Let's further add Hollywood, which has added to this Franco-American myth.

            2) The French don't date. Case in point: 

                  

                 http://dateafrenchman.blogspot.fr/

                 http://www.askafrenchman.net/how-do-you-date-french-man/

                 http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/15-things-to-know-about-dating-french-boys-2398904.html

                 For that last link, see point no.4. Spot on.

       3) The French view gender relations differently than us Americans. France is still a very patriarchal country. The upside is that women are treated very galantly--they are the more fragile sex and so chairs are pulled out, doors are opened, and a beautiful woman is admired for her beauty and is told this vocally. Even by strangers. Women and men are expected to be different, and instead of trying to close the gap and strive for complete gender equality, women flaunt their femininity, revel in it, keep it somewhat a mystery, use it as their secret weapon. 

               We American women, however, seem hell bent on achieving absolute equality and this seems to have made it so that American men don't feel so inclined to acts of galantry. I could be wrong. This is just my experience. 

                This is not to say the French are anti-progessive or anti-feminist. Quite the opposite. They just have a different angle of approach: why try to make a woman like a man when she clearly never will be? Why not celebrate her differences and what makes her woman? Not a half bad idea in my opnion.

             4) Get it, got it, good. Now we can start this thing for real.