Mirror is feel-good factor for the French
A survey says that most France nationals check themselves in the mirror at least once a day
The looking glass is a feel-good factor for the French and most check themselves out in the mirror at least once a day, according to a poll released Tuesday for a firm that bills itself as "the first observatory of French life".
More women do the looking than men, 81 against 74 per cent, but a whopping 88 per cent of men are delighted with the guy staring back while a still hefty but smaller 73 per cent of women are pleased with what they see.
The poll, by the BVA firm, questioned 954 people 18 and older for the Domoscope Unilever firm, which has set itself the task of reflecting French tastes.
The young crowd, 18 to 24, win out for being most narcissistic: 84 per cent consult a mirror at least once a day.
But the mirror is less encouraging for these post-teens than for their 35 to 49-year-old counterparts, with respectively 80 and 87 percent liking what they see.
In a country hit with creeping, though not yet significant, obesity, 70 percent said they were careful about their weight, while 76 percent of parents admitted they were cautious about the weight of their children.
Only 15 per cent, more women than men, of those surveyed were on a diet while 42 per cent wanted to lose weight, though most of these said the desire came from health concerns and not because they felt they were too fat.
That other essential bathroom tool, the scale, is consulted by 57 per cent of the French one to four times a month. Ten percent don't even bother once a year.
When it comes to clothes in this fashion-conscious country , 55 per cent of the French said they like to dress casually when at home, begging the question of what the other 45 per cent wear after work.
Three per cent of these peel down to their underwear, while another two per cent, all men, admitted they prefer the full monty and just plod around naked at home.