How often do French people bathe?

Question

I've never had the courage to ask a French person that, but I have heard that Italians are the only European people who keep themselves clean. Now I do want to say that the French women whom I've met over here smell and look wonderful, but I don't know if they were just masquerading as clean women to blend in over here.

How many showers a week do you think a middle-to-upper class French person takes in a week?

Answer 1

The last study on European washing habits put the French at the top of the list with five showers and one bath a week on average, more that the Germans who are second and the Brits who are third. Of course, some papers immediately printed that the French bathed only once a week.



A previous study showing that the French used half the soap other European nations did (which seems strange with the number of showers they take) was in fact not reporting the right numbers as it didn't include general purpose un-perfumed soap which is used everywhere to wash clothes or cars... and in France is used in showers and bathes and accounted for half the soap used by the French (savon de Marseille). That soap is still not included in the studies, though the French are using more and more perfumed soaps at least a quarter of the soap used in France is of the unperfumed general purpose kind.

(source: The Economist)

Answer 2

There is a small part of the population that doesnt bathe much, homeless, rebellious people, who live off the grid, punks, goths, rastas, etc...these people exist, it's very accepted in France. But you dont see them everywhere. It's a large country and there are many types of plaes, cities, towns, villages, commnities, large residential areas of buildings....(HLM)

Otherwise the stereotpe is for drunks probalby, in the 60's and 80's I think it was kind of common...but they're a very small part of the population.

Answer 3

Where on earth did you get that information? It's rather insulting, to say the least.



Most people wash themselves at least once a day, usually with a shower and soap or shower gel.

Answer 4

We don't take a bath often because water is not easy to heat in large quantity here (not enough place) but we shower everyday.

If you hear something about the french from anywhere england settled, don't trust it.

Answer 5

In the morning, after work/school, after a workout, when they go out, etc. The usual.

Answer 6

7.



The is almost as ridiculous as 'german women don't shave'.

Answer 7

Nowadays most people in France shower daily and sometimes even twice a day.

The story that French people did not bathe is an old chestnut that harks back to the post war era when many places suffered a lack of water due to the destruction that occurred and the time it took to restore the infrastructure afterwards. However most people still washed collecting water from communal taps or street pumps, using ewers, basins and washing mitts or flannels, and rough soap to do so.

In Europe people are constantly reminded not to be profligate with water and encouraged to shower rather than to bathe for environmental and economic reasons.It is possible to be clean and sweet smelling without having a bath. http://www.why.do/why-do-we-need-to-save-water/

It would be interesting to know how hygienic are Americans who live in regions where purified water is scarce. Incidentally whilst in New York I have been driven by taxi drivers who absolutely stank, and to the best of my knowledge there is no shortage of water there.

Answer 8

At least 7 if not more. I lived in France and went to school there and didn't know anyone who didn't bathe at least once a day. If they work out, then they will normally shower after their workout as well

Answer 9

not many often