Sex and the French Media

Watching television in France for the first time can be a learning experience on the cultural level, and holds a few surprises for the more puritan American viewers with its relaxed approach to nudity and sexuality. I've been watching French television for four years. Here, I have tried to summarize some major differences in attitude between the French and the Americans when it comes to talking about sex.

The Sex in Sexy

True, sexy, seductive models sell products everywhere, but mainstream North American culture tends to limit how much sex should be in sexy. This often translates into how much and what parts of the human body may be bared for viewers to see, moreover, with different rules for men and women. Where North American media would show a woman wearing skimpy clothing, the French media may show her topless. This is not shocking, and is certainly not considered perverted. Nudity is beautiful and sensual, and in France, it's the sensuality that sells. The nudity is more like a vehical for the sensuality.

There is also a strong element of reality: an ad for shampoo or shower gel systematically includes a beautiful nude woman in the shower. After all, nudity is a part of daily life.

Unlike in the United States, women generally don't consider it as sexist. Even feminist groups don't protest, considering other topics, such as equal pay and childcare, as more important.

Sensuality and Nudity on Television

Nude models may sell beauty products, but fantasies of sensuality sell all sorts of ordinary, everyday items. A television commercial for chocolate mousse, coffee or dairy products will try to convince you that the product itself will transport you into a deliriously orgasmic otherworld.

If advertising shows more nude women than nude men, television seems to make up for some of it. It's not uncommon for a movie to show a naked man leaving the shower or doing just about any other banal activity in the nude. The intent does not seem to be to arouse the viewer but to give a "real-life" aspect to the film by showing the character as very much at home.

The French may not cringe at nudity or sex on TV, but consider violence in films to be a real problem. In a conversation on the subject, a French person will inevitabely question why American films can show so much violence and bloodshed yet shy away from even nonviolent nudity and lovemaking. Many French are turned off by the blend of sex and violence that seems prevalent in American films, although it was a French film that recently incited a fair amount of controversy over the subject.

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