French Stereotypes Revealed

So, as I've been living in France for a little over a month, now, I've discovered how terribly incorrect some stereotypes are, and how correct others are. So now, courtesy of "Les Aventures de Vicki" is a new feature I like to call "French Stereotypes Revealed":

French Women Don't Shave: Definitely a false one, because they do shave. Impeccably. And more often than I do. Either that or they just don't have body hair at all.

French People Stink: Also false. They smell rather nice, and, being in France, they not only smell good naturally, but know how to use parfume without putting on too much and reeking. Occassionally, someone will smell mildly unpleasant, but that happens in the States, too. It's not like Americans are super adept at avoiding all perspiration.

French People Love Wine and Cheese: Yeah, this one's definitely true. Food in general, actually, but wine, cheese, and of course bread, are by far the most important. There are three meals a day, and not much snacking in between (but the meals are so big, who needs to snack?) and at special occassions wine is of course served. At first I was unsure as to whether I should drink wine or not, but my host club has been very insistent that I should try their drinks, as in champagne, and all sorts of French wines.

French People Smoke All the Time: Yes and no. Certainly they don't have a smoking age, and there are kids at my school who are sixteen years old who step outside for a smoke during the breaks, but not everyone likes smoking, and it's not acceptable everywhere either, like in stores or most restaurants. Still, it was definitely weird at first to see students just casually standing by the doors of the school smoking.