Some thoughts on love, sex and the French

French kiss

French letter (old term for condom)

It is hard to be in France and not think of the relationship between the French and love, as well as sex. Coming from the US where we are puritanical in views about sex, where religion infects our bedrooms, our classrooms, and our science, France can be refreshing. Sex is normal and natural. It is biology. Biology is science. Science is science, religion is religion and the two are separate and unrelated.

Riding the metro in Paris and seeing photos of half-naked girls is normal, because bodies are normal and natural. At the beach, we see young girls in bathing suits with no tops, just like the boys, until they reach a certain age where their bodies are changing. Why not?

Women go topless because it is normal and natural to do so. They play paddle ball on the beach topless. But they do cover up for lunch. Because food is serious business, and sex is too, but separate.

So there we were in Fontvielle today, when I noticed the condom vending machine on the wall out in the open on the street. When I've seen similar boxes in the US they are in the back of a bar or nightclub, near the bathrooms, nearly hidden, the same way we prefer to leave sex, sexuality and sensuality. In the US to find condoms or birth control methods is not easy and uncomfortable. Here, to find the same items is an easy trip to any grocery store or pharmacy, and a wide selection of items and varieties.

Here, women are women, and are comfortable being women, exuding femininity, showing style and attitude, without fear. Instead, viewing it as a natural power we all carry and share. Men are comfortable being men,, and less macho for it. Everyone seems to act as adults, and sex and sexual attraction is normal and with no mystery to it.

It is something hard to describe and explain, but to say that French is the language of love is both true and an understatement. To be in France is all about love and sensuality, be it the air and light, the views, the charm of the villages and towns, the beauty of its people, or the sensory delight of its food and wine. If that includes sex, enjoy - cie la vie.