Following the passing of icon of effortlessness and honorary Frenchwoman Jane Birkin, we examine the mythology of the French girl — from the culture of chic aphorisms that surround her (Don’t be afraid of aging! Wear a black bra under your white blouse!), her philosophy as a form of IDGAF-ism, and how the most beloved representatives of French style aren't even French at all. Plús, we discuss Franco-American relations, the French girl digital media microeconomy, the subtle art of the basket bag and... le goûter!!

Links:

Image board
How to be Parisian Wherever You Are (full book!)
Alexa Chung's farewell to Jane Birkin
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong: Why We Love France But Not the French
Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (NYT review)
Seducing the French: The Dilemma of Americanization by Richard Kuisel
The French Way: How France Embraced and Rejected American Values and Power by Richard Kuisel
Jane Birkin Vogue France interview (2018) 
Language policy in France
"Fashion Foreplay" by Holly Brubach (NYT on French dating profiles in 1995)

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