Inside France: Feminist milestones, Miss France and smoochy kisses
From milestone events in French feminism to presidential greetings, cutting putdowns and the Miss France test, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
French feminism
It's been a good week for a woman's right to choose in France, with the parliament voting to take the first step to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution.
Abortion is already protected under French law, but changing the constitution would make it harder for any future president to roll back abortion rights (Marine Le Pen, who came second in the 2022 presidential election, has always been conspicuously reticent on this topic).
This week also marked the 50th anniversary of the court case that led to the legalisation of abortion in France, and Emmanuel Macron's office put out a long statement in which the president "reaffirmed his attachment to this major conquest for women's freedom".
Adding: "At a time when so many women are still deprived of this right, when countries are taking it away from them or challenging it, France will continue to tirelessly defend it and support those who, throughout the world, are fighting to obtain it."
France is far from being any kind of feminist paradise, but let's mark these moments when they do happen.
(And if you're interested in this topic, the Carnavalet museum in Paris has just opened a major new exhibition on the women's rights struggle in Paris between 1789 to 2000. I haven't been yet, but it's definitely on my to-go list).
Talking France
The Talking France podcast is back after a short break and we're diving straight into the big questions - how serious are the fractures in France's far-right party? What do new immigration and passport control rules mean for foreigners in France? What will Christmas lights look like in this winter of 'energy sobriety'?
We also try our hands at the Miss France test - the quiz on France's history, geography and politics that contestants in the beauty contest must answer. We didn't have a swimsuit round, though.
Listen on the link below or download it HERE.
Bromance
There's been a few excited headlines in the UK media about a 'bromance' between Macron and the new British prime minister Rishi Sunak after the pair were photographed hugging and clasping hands at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
I hate to break it to them, but Macron is just a pretty tactile guy - all the world leaders that he meets get hugs, kisses and the sort of gestures that make great photos. Google 'Macron kiss' and you'll get pictures of smoochy moments with everyone from Donald Trump to Justin Trudeau and the Pope (plus of course his wife Brigitte).
For my money though, nothing can beat the gallery of Macron-Merkel greetings.
Sure many people will miss Angela Merkel's political experience on the world stage, but I will miss the adorable Macron/Merkel photoshoots
(Photos: John Macdougall/Philippe Desmazes /Christophe Simon for AFP) pic.twitter.com/9pn2nJnOOZ
— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) November 4, 2021
Brutal putdown of the week
This French Twitter user appears unimpressed with Mastadon, the social media app that many people are migrating to after Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, delivering the brutal verdict that is is 'like Twitter, but run by the Limoges URSSAF office.'
URSSAF is the agency that self-employed people in France deal with and it has a reputation for the most bureaucratic and inefficient organisation in the whole of France (which is quite some accolade).
J’ai testé Mastodon : c’est comme Twitter, mais administré par l’URSSAF du Limousin
— Olivier Paquet (@Erion_) November 6, 2022
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
French feminism
It's been a good week for a woman's right to choose in France, with the parliament voting to take the first step to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution.
Abortion is already protected under French law, but changing the constitution would make it harder for any future president to roll back abortion rights (Marine Le Pen, who came second in the 2022 presidential election, has always been conspicuously reticent on this topic).
This week also marked the 50th anniversary of the court case that led to the legalisation of abortion in France, and Emmanuel Macron's office put out a long statement in which the president "reaffirmed his attachment to this major conquest for women's freedom".
Adding: "At a time when so many women are still deprived of this right, when countries are taking it away from them or challenging it, France will continue to tirelessly defend it and support those who, throughout the world, are fighting to obtain it."
France is far from being any kind of feminist paradise, but let's mark these moments when they do happen.
(And if you're interested in this topic, the Carnavalet museum in Paris has just opened a major new exhibition on the women's rights struggle in Paris between 1789 to 2000. I haven't been yet, but it's definitely on my to-go list).
Talking France
The Talking France podcast is back after a short break and we're diving straight into the big questions - how serious are the fractures in France's far-right party? What do new immigration and passport control rules mean for foreigners in France? What will Christmas lights look like in this winter of 'energy sobriety'?
We also try our hands at the Miss France test - the quiz on France's history, geography and politics that contestants in the beauty contest must answer. We didn't have a swimsuit round, though.
Listen on the link below or download it HERE.
Bromance
There's been a few excited headlines in the UK media about a 'bromance' between Macron and the new British prime minister Rishi Sunak after the pair were photographed hugging and clasping hands at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
I hate to break it to them, but Macron is just a pretty tactile guy - all the world leaders that he meets get hugs, kisses and the sort of gestures that make great photos. Google 'Macron kiss' and you'll get pictures of smoochy moments with everyone from Donald Trump to Justin Trudeau and the Pope (plus of course his wife Brigitte).
For my money though, nothing can beat the gallery of Macron-Merkel greetings.
Sure many people will miss Angela Merkel's political experience on the world stage, but I will miss the adorable Macron/Merkel photoshoots
— Emma Pearson (@LocalFR_Emma) November 4, 2021
(Photos: John Macdougall/Philippe Desmazes /Christophe Simon for AFP) pic.twitter.com/9pn2nJnOOZ
Brutal putdown of the week
This French Twitter user appears unimpressed with Mastadon, the social media app that many people are migrating to after Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, delivering the brutal verdict that is is 'like Twitter, but run by the Limoges URSSAF office.'
URSSAF is the agency that self-employed people in France deal with and it has a reputation for the most bureaucratic and inefficient organisation in the whole of France (which is quite some accolade).
J’ai testé Mastodon : c’est comme Twitter, mais administré par l’URSSAF du Limousin
— Olivier Paquet (@Erion_) November 6, 2022
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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