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Besides the common Parisian judgement according to which, if you work out, you are either gay or stupid, the general perception of sport in Paris is that it is a retarded and pointless activity. It is therefore seldom practiced by most Parisians.
Yet, most Parisians like to remind their friends they used to play sports when they were young: judo, tennis, football, fencing or basketball for young Parisian boys, dance for girls (usually starting with ballet, moving into ˜modern rock’ as a teenager, though today, ‘modern rock’ tends to be supplanted by hip hop or salsa). Most Parisians were actually quite good at the sport they used to practice.
When jogging in the streets of Paris, foreigners usually have Parisians smile at them. Which is a rare but in that case much deserved thing. These smiles come in two forms: the marvelled kid smile (think 3-year old kid getting excited when he sees a dog), or the accomplice in provocation smile (think of a tennis player smiling when he sees a guy running around naked in the middle of his game on Wimbledon’s Center Court). Seeing someone jog takes the Parisian to poetic levels of excitement. He cannot resist this delightfully provocative and refreshing show.
In Paris, joggers are showmen.
It is important to realize that exercising is especially ruled out for Parisian women. Parisian women are not to sweat. And not to wear sneakers (except for trendy ones). Most Parisian women deal with it nicely for they tend to dislike sports.
Rather evidently, the physical consequences of substantial and frequent working out sessions (i.e. healthy figure or large muscles) will have you immediately categorized by Parisians as gay or stupid. Parisians are logical.
When attacked on their lack of physical activity, Parisians systematically respond ˜I walk a lot’. Parisians are hard to beat.
Useful tip: If you do exercise, hide.
Sound like a Parisian: « Je faisais pas mal de tennis quand j’étais petit ».
Also be sure to check out this response post on L’Etrangère – Working Out, Or Working It
Tags: exercising, jogging, Paris, sport
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This is so true. I live across the street from the Bois and walk five miles around the exterior of Longchamp most days. The indulgent smiles I get, suggesting “Oh, you poor stupid American” often make me wish I could render myself invisible. The few local women I see running aren’t wearing trendy sneakers – but they are wearing trendy workout clothes.
I just found your blog via Tara Bradford. I love it! You go to my blogroll, if you don’t mind.
Greetings from Poland,
Ewa
Paris Parfait sent me. Your words make me smile! Thank you!
Yep… This is all true…
Two anecdotes:
-Back in the days when I lived in the US (I taught French) I was giving a “cultural crash course” to some students that were gonna spend the summer in France. One student asked me: “Where can I run in France?” and I responded: “You just don’t”…
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a blank stare of not understanding before…
As I’m French, I don’t exercise and I don’t pay attention to what I eat, and of course, during my time in the US, I gained about 25 pounds…
When I returned to France, I lost it all just by walking daily and eating French food…
To this day, even after 7 years in the US, and countless American friends, I don’t understand why you can’t have an American walk three blocks without them wanting to take their car, but later they’ll be throwing a fit if something prevents them from running their daily run…
Olivier… J’adore ton blog, c’est tellement vrai tout ce que tu dis, et pour la Parisienne expate que je suis, tu me fais sourire avec tes histoires de Parisien!!
Your blog is spot-on brilliant. I have a different take on the issue of Parisians exercising: it’s fashion that counts. Check out my blog – the most recent post is all about that. http://l-etrangere.blogspot.com/
Hi Olivier… Thanks for emailing me with your blog link.. It’s great! I emailed it to all of my friends, in fact!! I may have to disagree with you on this one to some degree- even if it’s a micro degree. I have fit “Parisian” friends- women… and at the gym I work out at, there are TONS of sweaty ladies.. they really love the spinning classes that just started about a month ago… I even see a few women here and there in the weight room.. The gym is Moving, in La Haquiere… I know that is really in the burbs, too… so maybe you can’t really count it as “Paris.” Let me know…. Cheers, Leesa
Felicitations pour ton noveau blog…
Very funny. I live close to Parc Monceau (yes, in the 8th, quel beauf) and either the population here is very stupid, very gay or not parisian. So am I.
[...] of the reasons I thought I wouldn’t benefit from an iPhone is that I work at home and, like a good Parisian, shun exercise for its own sake – so I don’t really need a portable gadget for listening to music [...]
Paris Parfait… Try and run, you won’t have to suffer from the looks as much: quicker to pass people!
. I’d say most Parisian women in gyms are on a direct or less direct quest for a lover… maybe I should sign up to a gym!!
Ewa… merci Ewa!
Rochambeau… if only you saw my face!!
David… I love America!! Good story, can totally imagine the looks you got in that classroom!!
Don’t be so French… merci, adorable!!
Jessica… well for sure, the Parisians that exercize are the ones that are really very much into their appearance, go they go against social norms!
Leesa… Yeah, needless to say, outside Paris does not qualify
A clear Blue Sky… I went for a run (bouhhhh) in the Parc Monceau for the first time a few weeks ago! Just priceless! Total scene!! Id say most people in there use the excuse of exercizing to parade! (except for you and I of course!!)
I see that you’ve become a true parisian, spending time writing an article just to complain against other parisians.
Do you want to compare how fat is the average american to an average french? Doesn’t seem like jogging does much good to them.
Anyway for your info, in paris you can choose among 195 different sports.
There are more than 2000 sport associations.
You’ve got almost 400 sport sites, and they’re open all year long.
If for you, sport = jogging, then indeed parisians don’t seem to do much sport (which is false, go to the Luxembourg garden or Champs de mars around the Effeil tower, and you’ll see people running at any hour)
If people tell you that they walk a lot (unlike in the USA where people take their car even for walking distances), it is true, if you live in Paris you’ll have to walk even when taking the metro, especially during strikes <:)