One bit of culture that is unique to France is their people-watching culture, and they are serious about it.
Up and down the streets of Aix-en-Provence, France, you can find cafes with outdoor seating and people chatting at all hours of the day. All of these people have one thing in common – their chairs are rotated to look at the rest of the street and watch the people go by. As a tourist, this comes off as a little bit nosy and aggressive, but when you dig deeper, it may actually be well-intentioned.
France has a rich history of having communal cities. Businesses are on the bottom floor of every building, and residences are right on top. This creates a close-knit group of people who live in a condensed space. The French are also very elegant and distinctive in their style of clothing, and never leave the house in a bad outfit. The combination of these factors made cities into a runway for fashion – personality could be expressed, and wealth could be shown at all times through an outfit.
So why the people-watching? Historically, the people of Aix-en-Provence likely had their chairs rotated at the café to respect and take note of their peers’ outfits. The world is much more interconnected today, and Aix-en-Provence has over 150,000 people, so it may not be as tight-knit as it used to be, but that has not stopped people from looking at each other. The people in France don’t hate you, and they aren’t judging you either – they are only curious about your actions and your outfits as it has been ingrained in them for hundreds of years.
Barcelona Experience II
Mateo Moyon (Information Science), Elisabeth Overton (Public Relations), Catherine Johnson (Mass Communications), Ellie Phelps (Mass Communications)