I never really noticed this when I was in Paris. But I’ve heard this before and found this comment from a year ago in the AskHistorians subreddit. Same question and a seemingly comprehensive explanation. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/s/pUZOD9orwT Answer from enigmaticvic on reddit.com
The Guardian
theguardian.com › world › 2011 › mar › 25 › french-stereotypes-failure-wash
French stereotypes: failure to wash | France | The Guardian
November 26, 2017 - The myth of the great Gallic unwashed seems to have travelled back to the US after the second world war with GIs shocked to discover that a still largely rural population with scant access to hot and cold running water should, after four years of German occupation, not always consider irreproachable personal hygiene an overriding priority. It is, unfortunately, sustained by the odd wayward statistic. According to one 1998 survey only 47% of French people take a daily bath or shower, against 80% of Dutch and Danes.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/tooafraidtoask › where does the cliché that french people don't shower come from?
r/TooAfraidToAsk on Reddit: Where does the cliché that French people don't shower come from?
December 19, 2020 - There's the phrase "french/whore's bath" which is when someone doesn't bathe and they just douse themselves with perfume. It probably comes from a time in France's history when they didn't bathe like they do today.
The Local
thelocal.fr › 20200923 › please-stop-telling-french-people-that-we-smell-we-do-wash-every-day
OPINION: Please stop saying that French people smell - we do wash every day
July 6, 2023 - But the rumour that French people are not the fondest of water and soap actually goes back to before World War II. At that time, Paris, like many other European cities, had very little indoor plumbing facilities - generally only in the fancier areas of the city. With no shower or bath in their homes, many French people could not bathe frequently and had to either share bathroom facilities with neighbours or use the bains douches municipaux (public bathing facilities)....
Reddit
reddit.com › r/blackladies › why do the french stink so bad?
r/blackladies on Reddit: Why do the French stink so bad?
June 2, 2024 -
I’m on the first leg of my expedition to Greece and have a two-day layover in Paris. I have never had more sensory overload than I do right now. It’s like no one here has ever heard of deodorant.
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it’s so ironic because the french are INCREDIBLY pretentious. you have to express yourself like them, eat like them, dress like them or they judge you. massive sticks up their stanking asses
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They have a documented history of horrible hygiene, including but not limited to being against daily bathing.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
The French, hygiene and perfume: Why is the negative stereotype so hard to wash off? - YouTube
The old cliché goes that the French have a questionable relationship with hygiene. And yet they're also famous for their vibrant perfume culture. So where do...
Published November 27, 2020
Glossika
ai.glossika.com › blog › my-8-observations-about-french-stereotypes
My 8 Observations About French Stereotypes | The Glossika Blog
May 18, 2023 - Here are eight observations about French stereotypes: Do they smell or not? Well, kind of. One thing that happens in places where there isn’t that much space is that you end up standing closer to people. In this case, you might end up with your nose in someone’s armpit while taking the subway. This means you will be smelling quite a lot of that person in a cramped space and that person may have been out all day.With or without a shower, you might ask?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askhistorians › what is the origin of the "stinky frenchman" stereotype and how factually based is it?
r/AskHistorians on Reddit: What is the origin of the "stinky frenchman" stereotype and how factually based is it?
July 11, 2022 -
I apologize if it has been answered, I searched earlier questions and, while similar ones have been asked, none had a reply.
In the americas at least, there is a very prevalent stereotype that europeans in general - but french in particular - are dirty, stink, have B.O., etc. In the case of Brazil, where I'm from, there is a more prevalent bathing culture than anywhere else I know of, popularly understood to be inherited from the native people's culture, but, having been around french people my entire life, as well as other europeans, north americans, africans, I am loathe to see a marked difference between the french hygiene habits and the other european countries, or even a difference to that of americans (united statesians) or africans. While I can certainly remember examples of french people who feed the stereotype, if I think about it further, the fact I can remember them as french probably stems from the stereotype itself and the bias it creates, as I can think of equally egregious nostril assaulters from other cultures without associating them with their nationalities.
So I guess the short form of the question is as the title: why have the french become associated with this particular stereotype moreso than other european cultures, and is there a factual difference in habits that supports this view?
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This results from a combination of two factors: France's low standards of hygiene (relative to some other countries) until the mid-20th century, and the less-than-stellar experience of foreign visitors, notably American soldiers who were stationned in France in WW1, WW2, and until the 1960s. The dirty France France had, until the 1950s, very low standards of hygiene. There had been a lively bathhouse culture in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but it had declined in the following centuries as such establishments ( mixed-gender! ) were always suspect of debauchery. Bathing habits did not completely disappear: in fact, they came back in the 18th century, but only for the upper classes (by the way, Versailles was never the open sewer that is complacently described; it was well-equipped with toilets and bathrooms). Public bathhouses also returned in the late decades of the 18th century, due to positive views on the curative properties of water (Vigarello, 1987). However, by the 19th century, there were still practical as well as cultural barriers in France to the improvement of household and personal hygiene: houses were old and remained underequipped in water facilities (starting with plumbing), and there was a variety of traditions - folk wisdom, "oppressive modesty", the Catholic religious view that the body was an instrument of sin and thus had to be dealt with carefully - that were opposed to washing oneself on a regular basis (Zadtny, 2012). In 1850, Parisians took one bath per year on average and even modern houses did not include a bathroom (though some had toilets) (Vigarello, 1987). As reported by ethnographers and personal memoirs, French peasants in the early 20th century "regarded strong body odor as a sign of rude good health and sexual prowess". There's even an old joke about this: The air is cleaner in the countryside because farmers sleep with their windows closed. From the 1850s onward, public authorities, now hygiene-conscious and concerned with fighting epidemics (cholera, tuberculosis) and wanting to improve the health of population, tried to improve sanitation where they could make it mandatory: in the army and in the schools. Students and soldiers were instructed to wash their hands, brush their teeth, take showers etc., and they were provided with facilities to do so. Improvement remained slow: young people who had been taught good hygiene practices could not keep them in homes that had no bathrooms or toilets. But at least people became less hygiene-adverse, and public works progressively brought running water to French households. It remains that by 1941, 20% of the buildings had been erected before 1850, and, if a majority had access to water, it did not mean running water, let alone hot water. The damages of WW2 and the postwar housing crisis did not help. In 1946, only 37% of French homes had running water. By 1951, a mere 6% of French homes had bathrooms, more than Spain (3%) and Italy (2%) but less than Swiss (72%) and Germany (42%). In comparison, 65% of US households in 1950 had "complete plumbing facilities" (piped hot and cold water, a flush toilet, and a bathtub or shower). The situation improved steadily over the next decades thanks to the construction of modern and well-equipped housing, including public housing (Zdatny, 2012). Still, one can still find older houses in France where "complete plumbing facilities" have been an afterthought and clumsily retroffited (I've visited an Haussman-type apartment in Paris, built circa 1900s where the showerhead was installed over the toilet seat). Now, if we can establish that the French standards of hygiene were so-so for a good part of France's history, it doesn't explain why the "stinky" stigma is more associated to France than to other countries. The visitors As noted by historian Harvey Levenstein in his two-part history of American tourism in France, the American discourse on France since the 19th century was shaped by the often negative experience of its visitors, who were more appreciative of the monuments, arts, and landscapes than they were of the French people and their way of life. It was not only Americans: similar views were expressed by other foreign observers. British novelist Frances Milton (Fanny) Trollope, in a letter from 1835 titled Delicacy in France and in England - Causes of the difference between them, made amusing remarks on the contrast between the refinement of the French and the offensive smell of the country, which attacked the British visitor as soon as he/she set foot on Calais: "What a dreadful smell!" said the uninitiated stranger, enveloping his nose in his pocket-handkerchief. "It is the smell of the continent, sir," replied the man of experience. And so it was. And indeed, she found France's severely lacking in the domain of plumbing and water availability compared to Britain (or London at least): In London, up to the second floor, and often to the third, water is forced, which furnishes an almost unlimited supply of that luxurious article, to be obtained with no greater trouble to the servants than would be required to draw it from a tea-urn. In one kitchen of every house, generally in two, and often in three, the same accommodation is found; and when, in opposition to this, it is remembered that very nearly every family in Paris receives this precious gift of nature doled out by two buckets at a time, laboriously brought to them by porters, clambering in sabots, often up the same stairs which lead to their drawing-rooms, it can hardly be supposed that the use of it is as liberal and unrestrained as with us. Against this may be placed fairly enough the cheapness and facility of the access to the public baths. But though personal ablutions may thus be very satisfactorily performed by those who do not rigorously require that every personal comfort should be found at home, yet still the want of water, or any restraint upon the freedom with which it is used, is a vital impediment to that perfection of neatness, in every part of the establishment, which we consider as so necessary to our comfort. Much as I admire the Church of the Madeleine, I conceive that the city of Paris would have been infinitely more benefited, had the sums expended upon it been used for the purpose of constructing pipes for the conveyance of water to private dwellings, than by all the splendour received from the beauty of this imposing structure. American soldiers, unlike tourists, had not come here to enjoy the sights, and had not been willing to go to France in the first place. The "doughboys" who came to fight in WW1 found themselves billetted in the French countryside, in direct contact with the type of natives who hang out near military camps: peddlers, prostitutes, and more generally people who saw the young Americans as easy marks. Writing in 1927 about the American opinion of France, scholar Elizabeth Brett White wrote: The doughboy by the time of the armistice had his own idea of the French, and it was not flattering. He thought the French had rudimentary knowledge of sanitation (he particularly disliked the manure heaps in front of the thrifty cottager’s door): he thought them inefficient, immoral, and exceedingly extortionate. Overcharging was in fact the worst count against them. And, anyway, they weren’t like himself, and everything they did and said was “queer.” They called water “lo,” and were themselves called “frogs,” plus, frequently, an uncomplimentary adjective. [...] After the armistice, the American army wanted to go home, was sick and tired of rain, dirt, and “cooties,” and had plenty of time to find fault. Moreover, the troops sent to Luxemburg and to Germany found themselves in clean, comfortable billets, were well treated, and often decided that they really liked the Germans better than the French. The returned soldier was wont to state with firmness that he would never fight in France or for France again. Amusingly enough, the perception of French people being naturally unwashed did not apply to prostitutes, who were quite appreciated by the doughboys for their state-controlled cleanliness, as information circulated that, thanks to government inspection, the rate of venereal disease among French prostitutes was a mere 7 percent, as compared to about 50 percent among their American counterparts. In the interwar, Americans tourists were still unimpressed by French hygiene standards, particularly at a time when they had become "particularly sensitive" about this (Levenstein, 2010): During the 1920s and 1930s [Americans] were bombarded with advertisements for soap, toothpastes, and cosmetics that made them extremely conscious of personal cleanliness. Newspapers, magazines, and radio stations were awash in cartoons and stories of people whose romances or careers had been ruined by body odor or bad breath—the dreaded “B.O.” or “halitosis.” (Just in case they forgot, the Paris Herald carried large Listerine advertisements saying, “Did you bring HALITOSIS to Europe with you?”) To come from the land of the daily shower or bath, where underwear and socks were changed every day, to a country where these events occurred much less frequently [...] could be disconcerting, if not disgusting. >To be continued
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YouTube
youtube.com › france 24 english
The French and hygiene: Why is the negative stereotype so hard to wash off? - YouTube
Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN Do the French have a question...
Published September 19, 2019 Views 7K
Quora
quora.com › I-went-to-Paris-last-summer-and-came-across-some-stinky-people-on-the-subway-why-dont-a-number-of-French-people-shower-regularly
I went to Paris last summer and came across some stinky people on the subway, why don't a number of French people shower regularly? - Quora
French grooming historically emphasised perfumery, deodorants and fashion over frequent hot showers for some people; that's changed for many but remnants persist in expectations and habits.
Quora
quora.com › Do-French-people-have-poor-hygiene
Do French people have poor hygiene? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): This cliché (as well as the one pretending that french women don’t shave their hair) seems to come from WWII, when the US soldiers coming in France were surprised by the overall hygiene of the locals. The US people has not seen anything looking like a war on their own land ...
The Independent
independent.co.uk › news
French do not wash: official. But the British are smelly | The Independent | The Independent
November 21, 1998 - IT IS official. The French do not wash. Fewer than five out of ten French people take a bath or shower every day and the French buy less than half as much toilet soap as the Germans and the British.
TikTok
tiktok.com › discover › french-people-body-odor
French People Body Odor | TikTok
September 8, 2025 - French Cliché with @hellofrenchnyc Part 5: 🇫🇷French people stink 🤢- Some stereotypes do contain some truth, and sometimes they are blown up into clichés that are difficult to wash off. French people are not generally aware of this stereotype (that we smell bad, don’t often shower, and cover up the bad smells with perfumes, for example) until we travel abroad or speak to non-French natives who share this cliché.
France 24
france24.com › home › shows › french connections › the french and hygiene: why is the negative stereotype so hard to wash off?
The French and hygiene: Why is the negative stereotype so hard to wash off? - French connections - France 24
September 19, 2019 - Do the French have a questionable relationship with hygiene? It's certainly a stereotype that continues to stick, particularly in English-speaking countries. That's paradoxical, given that France is also famous around the world for perfume and beauty products. Attentiveness to personal cleanliness has changed over time, so what's the situation today? We take a closer look. ... The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.
Medium
medium.com › mindtrip › an-american-nose-in-paris-9a9dc3ae84af
The Not-So-Smelly Truths of Washing Like the French | by Devi James | MindTrip | Medium
February 11, 2020 - An AOL Health poll conducted in 2009 revealed that 65 percent of Americans shower or bathe every day, while 4 percent shower more than once every day. Contrast this with the French, who, while not too far off from the American average, still manage to make showering less of a thing.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/tooafraidtoask › is it true french people don’t value personal hygiene that much?
r/TooAfraidToAsk on Reddit: Is it true French people don’t value personal hygiene that much?
August 22, 2022 -
I’ve heard French people are confused by how much stress other countries, say America, put on personal hygiene. And one time I went to a French cafe in my town and the stink rolling off our waiter made me never want to go there again. How much truth is there to this stereotype?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/2westerneurope4u › why do french people always smell so bad when they pass by me?
r/2westerneurope4u on Reddit: Why do French people always smell so bad when they pass by me?
June 5, 2024 -
So, im a fellow portuguese balkan, spending some days in Madrid, Yesterday i went to Prado Museum, and sometimes a group of French people passed by my side, and the sillage that they left in the air was so bad, i barelly could breath, why dont you french people take a shower before going out to the street? Are you fermenting cheess in your crotch for some fine dining cuisine? I know that you invented perfumery, so why not use it ?
EDIT : Probably grammar
Vagabond Journey
vagabondjourney.com › french-hygiene-and-stereotypes
French Hygiene and Stereotypes
December 17, 2007 - Just like science, medicine, and dentistry, the majority of civilized humans around you today has evolved. Link Reply ... The French habits of not-washing with soap and water on a normal basis is a European Continent tendency which leads to the current-day crisis of Corona-disease.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askfrance › do you get irritated by french stereotypes?
r/AskFrance on Reddit: Do you get irritated by French stereotypes?
September 26, 2023 -
I live in Berlin and now twice I’ve been with French friends or colleagues and someone has brought up stereotypes about the French or made an off comment to their face when the French person said where they were from. Like “oh we can’t all be perfect” or bringing up times the French were rude, etc.
I was wondering if this happens often to you as French people and if it bothers you? I know some of the stereotypes about French people more apply to people from Paris but I guess it’s probably applied indiscriminately regardless.
LinkedIn
linkedin.com › pulse › french-stereotypes-truth-myths-2-7-jean-capdevielle
French Stereotypes, Truth or Myths? (2 of 7)
February 14, 2021 - In both instances, let’s just say that the French soldiers were not quite in a position to display the best hygiene practices… · So, the “real” genesis here is that the actual development of a decent water supply infrastructure in England happened much earlier than in France, so ordinary people in British cities began to wash more. A visitor to France in the mid- to late 19th century would have noticed the difference. It seems then that the stereotype initiated in England, was propagated by the English and eventually stayed alive long after France’s water supply infrastructure got the same level as England’s.