Packing for Paris, I was unabashedly giddy. I couldn’t wait to bring my cheetah print high top boots and my hip, off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. I brought the trendiest clothes I own (mostly acquired from Brooklyn flea markets during my stint as a Williamsburg hipster). Since the buzzword while packing was “edgy,” I debated whether to even drag along my un-cool Uggs. (Until I googled the question in my title and got resounding “yes! Uggs are everywhere!”).
But when I arrived at my new home I was met with a much different type of Paris than the liberal, trendy one in my mind.
The other day at dinner I told my host-mom about the babysitting job I just acquired, watching a set of Franco American twins nearby in our swanky neighborhood, the 16th arrondissement– comparable to the Upper East Side in New York. She smiled and told me what a great idea it was and how good it would be to earn some cash while I’m here.
Then, she got very serious. The smile almost always illuminates the strong, Peruvian features of her bronzed face was completely dispelled. “Ma-eve,” she said solemnly (the French have a lot of trouble with my name and always pronounce it in two, broken syllables, like a GPS would). “Ma-eve, you need to take our your nose ring. Here, Ça ce n’est pas marche,” she told me. She went on for several minutes about the stereotypes of people like me, with piercings and tattoos, and how in this neighborhood they will often be publicly scoffed at. Her husband seconded the notion later that day and when I told him I would buy a small stud to replace my silver ring, he exclaimed “Do it, do it” almost urgently.
Since the conversation I have become more wary of stares on the subway (and there have been several) and of the conservative nature of much French clothing. Earrings, in my neighborhood, are looked down upon and pretty much everywhere, necklines don’t brave past the collarbone.
So, at least in the 16th, it seems as if I’m better off wearing J-Crew than my original thrift store ensembles (I’m still wondering about my neon green running shorts). But more than that, the conversation has made me wonder what other social cues I’m blissfully ignorant of while I hum on the metro in my cheetah print boots. Stay tuned while I find out this quarter, one way or another.
No Maeve! No uggs! Not even in Evanston!
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