Les femmes russes vues par une française

Bonjour à tous !

Après de nombreux essais, j’ai enfin réussi à tourner cette vidéo sur les femmes russes depuis mon point de vue de française. Je n’ai jamais passé autant de temps sur une vidéo ! Mais le sujet m’intéresse.
N’hésitez pas à partager votre point de vue dans les commentaires, ça m’intéresse d’avoir votre avis 😀

Gaby

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00:00 – intro
03:23 – comparaison de quelques pays
07:58 – féminité à l’est et à l’ouest
14:22 – les femmes en Russie
19:14 – à Moscou
26:25 – d’autres différences : rapport aux enfants, poids etc.
30:48 – relations entre hommes et femmes
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Le podcast VR de mon voisin (en russe) : https://t.me/letsdivein
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Le titre et la description de la vidéo sont dans la langue de votre ordinateur/téléphone.
Je traduis chaque vidéo en anglais et en russe, y compris le titre et la description.
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Pour me sponsoriser sur Boosty : https://boosty.to/gabrielle.duvoisin/
Pour me suivre sur Insta : https://www.instagram.com/gabrielle.duvoisin?igsh=Zm51eWYzajd5aTFs
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Hello everyone ! Today, the video will be in French again: I tried to shoot a video in Russian today, but I’m not ready) I hope the next one will be in Russian – I’ll try. This is the 3rd time I’ve tried to record this video, about Russian women,

Because it’s not an easy subject to talk about. In general, I try to be as honest as possible, and at the same time find a wording so as not to offend people, because when you have an emotional reaction, it’s difficult to start a discussion.

It’s not the goal of my channel to upset or hurt anyone, so I try to speak as correctly and politely as possible. In my previous videos, there are things that I should have phrased differently, but I’m learning little by little, I’m doing my best. The problem with YouTube

Is that everything is set in stone, and since it’s not really a conversation, we can appear more arrogant or extreme than we are, because we don’t have a response from another person to soften our words. And we’re human: we change our minds regularly,

But on YouTube, we can’t change what we said. That’s why it’s a little scary to post a video on the Internet, because we say things that we might not think about in a month, depending on our experiences. But YouTube, I see it as a way to start a conversation,

So let me know what you think in the comments, share your experience. According to the stats on YouTube, my audience is mainly male, and when it was French people who followed me, it was even more the case. So Russia doesn’t seem to interest European women. Conversely,

There are quite a few European men who are interested in Russia, and one of the big reasons for this interest is Russian women. So I thought it would be interesting to talk about it from my point of view as a French person, and as a woman.

When I return to France, a lot of people ask me questions about Russian women. Once again, I have lived in Moscow for a little over a year, so I have not seen everything in Russia, not met all the women, I am making generalizations, of course,

Not everyone is the same. My point of view may also evolve, as I learn to understand Russians and Russia better, but I still want to share my observations over the course of this last year. In my videos, I compare my experience in Russia and in other countries, but that does not mean

That all Russian women are the same, or that all French women are the same. The topic of women and the place of women is a subject that interests me, first because I am a woman of course, and then because I realized that, from one country to another,

The place and the image of women changes a little. So seeing different dynamics also helps me understand the points on which I agree or disagree, and understand what I want for myself. I have lived most of my life in the West,

And even if the women there are similar, there are still small differences that I noticed between the countries. For example, I lived in Sweden for a bit, and that’s where I saw the most equality between men and women: I really had the impression of being considered first and foremost

As a to be human, and then, only, as a woman. People make little difference between men and women. This is where I saw the most neutral male/female relationships possible. I also traveled a bit in Finland and Germany, and I saw similarities between these countries:

Women are quite authoritarian, and perhaps a little more masculine. Of course there are feminine German women, I’m speaking in general. We sometimes see it in the way they dress, in costumes etc. German women even scare me a little because they are sometimes strict

And authoritative, and even physically, they are impressive too: they often go to the gym, for example. When I was in Sweden and I walked past the gyms, there were transparent windows where I could see the people running: there were often tall, athletic blonde women with ponytails flying behind them.

They are definitely more sporty than the French. The same in Germany: people cycle, there were quite a few marathons organized in Berlin when I lived there… The first time I arrived in Berlin, in fact, on the plane, I was sitting between two German women with

Swimmers’ shoulders (I couldn’t move), with big blonde braids: very beautiful, but I felt like a tiny mouse, between the two of them. In the South of Europe, the women are a little more feminine, I would say – not all, but we still can find, in Italy, in France,

More traditional women, who wear dresses, who are elegant, but with femininity, unlike sometimes Scandinavians or Germans, who are also elegant, but perhaps in a more masculine way, or “girl boss” way)) I lived a little in England, too, I worked there during the summer. I probably have a slightly biased opinion, because

I was in the countryside most of the time, but I had the impression that for English women, it’s not super important to be elegant (except in London no doubt), they take less care of their physical appearance and the way they dress. Besides, I’m not the only one

To say this, because in France, I met 3 English men and, spontaneously, the 3 of them told me that one of the reasons why they wanted to move to France, it was the women)) But once again, I spent some time near Oxford, in the countryside, and then also some time

Under the border of Scotland, just under Hadrian’s Wall, so it was really in the countryside, perhaps not very representative… but people didn’t take care of themselves, most of them were very overweight, and the women didn’t pay attention to their appearance.

I think that in France and Italy, even if things have changed in recent decades, there are still women who are looking for elegance. Also because in France and Italy, the way we dress still has a lot of social importance, so we are judged on it

More than in other countries like England or Canada. When I lived in Quebec, at the beginning, it was liberating to see that people wore whatever and no one paid attention, no one looked at you askance if you were dressed in fluorescent yellow etc. But actually,

I realize that I still appreciate it when people make the effort to dress properly. So I think that now, in Western Europe, it is in Italy that women have kept this idea of ​​femininity the most. In France and Italy, there are still remnants of the idea

Of ​​good taste, of discreet elegance, I would say. So those are the little differences that I noticed while living in the West. But between East and West, I noticed more differences, and especially when coming to Russia. So already, Russia doesn’t attract women

From the West, and it’s difficult for me to understand why. I think it’s because we have a false idea in the West: I know that a lot of French women still think that Russian men are violent, that there is a lot of domestic violence, etc. And I don’t know

What’s happening in the villages in the depths of Siberia, I haven’t been there, but in all the big modern cities of Russia, it’s an outdated idea. I also think that it is because in the West, women reject the traditional vision of women,

That for them, it is a degrading and humiliating vision – the traditional, feminine woman… For me, the biggest difference striking between women in the East and the West is the notion of femininity. Here, on average, I have the impression that women are more proud to be women,

That feminine qualities are more recognized than in the West, and valued, put forward, and that women maintain them. This is something that I really like in Russia, and which makes me feel good here: men and women seem to appreciate each other’s qualities,

To recognize them, so in a sense, relationships are more balanced than what we have in the West at the moment. Whereas in the West, we fight for the role of men, and feminine qualities are no longer valued: they are considered weakness. The women

Are encouraged to be more masculine, and men are encouraged to be more feminine, which is a bit of a world turned upside down) The worst part is that it doesn’t make women happy, because it’s a somewhat unnatural, to force us to be more masculine. In fact, in the West, because of

Modern feminism, feminine qualities are considered weakness, so women are ashamed of them and try to get rid of them, without understanding that these qualities are valuable and give us a lot of strength. advantages in life. So that’s why I always say

That I’m not a feminist, in the modern sense of the term: I’m against the erasure of feminine qualities, and I think it’s a disservice to women to try to transform us in men. In the West, women also tend to have a victim mentality,

Where we are repeatedly told that we are oppressed by society, patriarchy, etc. That, for once, is a mentality that weakens us: when we have the impression that we cannot move forward because of patriarchy, we don’t want to make an effort, we just want to complaining and whining

Because we supposedly “don’t have as many opportunities as men”. In France, I have never felt oppressed or limited because I am a woman: of course, there are men who are a little macho, but there are also “anti-men” women, so we cannot convert everyone)

When I was in Montpellier, there were quite a few very feminist girls in my class, and they sometimes gave me very crazy figures: for example, that 80% of women are victims of an “aggression” from men during their studies … I think it depends on the definition we

Have of the word “aggression”, because right now, in the West, it can be considered aggression to receive a compliment, or a slightly sexist joke, something very slight can be considered an assault. So from there, the numbers don’t mean anything, I think. It’s a big waste of time and energy in the West,

This battle between women and men, and it doesn’t make people happy. Plus, it’s funny, because women are all more or less attracted to the same type of men: capable of making a decision, rather confident, etc. And at the same time, in Europe,

Men are asked to become more feminine, weaker, etc. And women don’t like it, even feminists don’t like it)) Of course, I think that women should be educated, that women should be free to choose what suits them in life, but in the West,

I think that feminism has become something else: it is no longer about women’s rights (because we have already obtained the same rights as men), but rather to convert women into men, and therefore I do not agree. In the West, for me, there is no more common sense

Or balance, we try to modify all our benchmarks and our codes, as if it were something bad and shameful for women. Of course, there are women who don’t want to have a family, for whom family isn’t important, so they must be free to

Do what they want, but in the West we say to young women that they will be happier with a career, no children, no family… And above all, we make women feel a little ashamed for wanting to be more traditional and to keep their role

As women – I think it’s nonsense. And in this regard, France is not the worst country, because in the Anglo-Saxon countries, the situation is even worse. Perhaps you have heard of the Canadian Jordan Peterson, a doctor of psychology: I have heard him say several times,

In interviews, that there are patients who come to see him saying that they do not dare not admit to wanting to have a family, because it is considered shameful, today, other women will turn against her by saying that she has no ambition,

That she wants to be the slave of her husband, etc. if she wants to stay at home, take care of the family and the children. So I have the impression that in the West, women no longer know very well who they are, and no longer want to be women.

Coming back to Russian women, one of the questions I receive the most when I return to France is “are Russians as beautiful as they say?”, because it’s one of the main clichés we have about Russian women, that they are all very beautiful. And I think that yes,

There are many who are very beautiful, but it is also because they know how to show off and highlight their qualities, and they want to please, unlike the European women of today. In Moscow, sometimes, we see women passing by in the street, at whom everyone turns, for several reasons: already, because

They are indeed very beautiful, also because they sometimes walk like in a fashion show , so it attracts attention, and also because sometimes, they wear clothes that reveal everything, so obviously, everyone turns around)) So yes, they take a lot of care with their physical appearance.

There are many who go for sports, cosmetic procedures, etc. It’s more important than in France. And unlike France, they are proud to be women, to be feminine, they put that forward. In France, it’s very easy to be “too feminine,

Too dressed up”, whereas here, no, you can wear as much makeup as you want, it’s normal. In France, we are often ridiculed if we are too feminine, we are told that we are trying

To attract the attention of men etc., it is poorly perceived. And then there is also a lot of insecurity in the street: even when we are dressed normally, and we are not trying to attract attention, we often get whistled at in the street, in certain cities, so obviously that discourages women to

Wear dresses, etc. Whereas in Russia there is no such problem. In Russia, I got whistled twice , but each time it wasn’t Russians, and it wasn’t as aggressive as in France, where once someone caught me by the arm in the street, or often some insulted me.

In Russia, this doesn’t happen. Here, it’s really expected of a woman to take care of herself and be feminine: I’ve noticed it in very small things. When I arrived in Russia, I had to take medical tests to get my work permit,

And the nurse who gave me the tests walked me to a mirror so I could fix my hair at the end: she was sure that I would need 5 minutes to fix my hair and put my outfit back in order. Last year too, I worked a lot

With plants in the lab, and sometimes you need to get your hands dirty: several times, male colleagues came to me to offer to do my work for me, so that I don’t get my nails dirty. In France, if I ask a colleague to repot a plant for me,

Because I don’t want to get my nails dirty, he will just laugh in my face)) Also, my neighbor has a podcast where he talks about virtual reality (VR) headsets, he tests headsets etc. I had read one of his posts on a VR headset, where he mentioned that one of the main

Disadvantages is that the headset has a plastic bar that goes over the head, and therefore will destroy the hairstyle women. In France, it would be ridiculed, if a woman is afraid of damaging her hairstyle or her nails, everyone will laugh and make fun of her.

In France, at work and at high school, teens are quite cruel to girls who wear makeup or who try to be a little polished, feminine: they were often ridiculed. It’s very easy, in France, to make a mistake in “bad taste”, there’s a lot of judgment, people will laugh at you.

In Russia, it’s a relief to see women who are proud of being feminine, and it’s liberating to tell myself that I can be feminine, that it’s normal. It’s also quite funny to see the difference between the Insta pages of my French and Russian friends: the French post

Landscapes, an activity, a group photo, while the Russians post photos of themselves more often. In France, this would be frowned upon, but in Russia it is normal. There are advantages and disadvantages on both sides, I find: in France, we are more natural, and we waste

Less time on our physical appearance… so I think we have to manage to find a balance between the two) Moscow is the most… superficial city, in terms of physical appearance, in which I have lived: some of the women in Moscow spend far too much time there,

And for me, that bothers me. bored. I know that my audience is mainly male, and that you will not necessarily agree with me)) I have already talked about it, but there is, for example, an abuse of botox and cosmetic surgery, in Moscow, which is quite… heartbreaking)) especially since Russian women are

Naturally very beautiful, so I don’t see why they do such a thing. Sometimes, in Moscow, I see women passing by with cheekbones sticking out of their heads, as if they had swallowed a UFO. The makeup is sometimes also exaggerated. There are plenty of women

Who have exactly the same face, in Moscow, because they have the same swollen lips, the same cheekbones with botox, the same way of dressing… there is nothing natural anymore, they all have exactly the same head, and it’s disturbing, especially since I’m not used to

Seeing faces distorted like that, I see that there is something wrong, it’s not done with a lot of good taste, so it’s a shame. In France, in general, when we wear makeup, it’s not supposed to be the first thing we see when we look at a woman,

But just to enhance our features a little, not to transform us into someone other. So here, I prefer the French side, especially since it must be quite traumatic to remove all that makeup and see yourself as you are, to get used to your normal face again) Just for that,

I don’t want to put on so much makeup. Also because it takes time. Besides, another difference between Russians and French women is that women in Moscow do their nails and eyebrows very often, while in France it is not at all common.

As for me, I’ve never done either one or the other, and I don’t intend to, because it’s a lot of time, for… not much) Another difference, that’s is that in Moscow, many women really try to attract attention, by wearing tight-fitting clothes or clothes

That accentuate the figure, whereas in France, we are generally more discreet. Once, on Insta, there was a small clothing store that contacted me, in Moscow, to try on their clothes: they also offered the services of a stylist to help me choose. I thought

It would be a good experience, and I went. I said to the stylist, when I arrived: can you get people to stop taking me for a student, try to dress me in a more mature, more “feminine” way. But when I saw myself in

Very tight dresses, it just wasn’t possible for me, and I went back to my pants, I’m not ready to change still, I’ll have to spend a little more time in Russia) I think it’s also because in France, we receive a lot more negative attention in the street, attention

We don’t want, so I can’t imagine walking around like that outside. Russian women, in Moscow or other cities, also really like to give themselves an image of sophistication and luxury, it attracts them a lot, whereas in France it is easily considered bad taste.

There is a very “fun” side in Russia: as women are not ashamed to put themselves forward, they sometimes wear big ball dresses etc. Last year, when I went to concerts or to the theater, I saw women who actually wear evening dresses,

So it’s interesting just to watch the way they dress, watch them pose, also, they are not afraid of the gaze of others: stop everyone, stand in the middle of the room and ask someone to take 40 photos with the glass of champagne)) Sometimes, when

I went to concerts, I had the impression that a lot of women went there more for the Instagram photo than for the music)) Sometimes, it’s tiring because you have to take photos of them all the time (and even then, I don’t I’m not a man)): when I traveled with a Russian woman

In France, she asked me to take a photo of her in front of each building. I can do it from time to time, no problem, but after a few days it’s boring. A new experience for me in Moscow was photoshoots: it’s very popular in Russia,

Even if you’re not a model at all, women do it just to have professional photos. This is something I had never heard of in France. I don’t know anymore… on Instagram, a small agency offered to do a photo session: I went there to try. For me,

It’s very difficult, I’m not used to it, and I’ve always hated photos since I was little, I would run away as soon as my parents took out a camera. So obviously, I wasn’t at all comfortable)) in the first photos I took, you can see in my eyes

The terror and uneasiness I felt)) I had done a session with a photographer very patient, but after an hour, he was tearing his hair out: he was trying to show me the poses I could take, but for me, it’s not natural, to put his hands like that, the angles…

Each time, he showed me the break, and once it was my turn, I felt like I had 5 or 6 arms and legs, and I didn’t know how to put them on. So anyway, it was torture)) but recently, I did another photo session, and it started to become

A little more natural, I look a little less terrified in the photos, I’m proud of myself)) Something that also makes me laugh, among Russian women, is that when they learn that I am French, they look me up and down, to see how I am dressed:

France still has this image of elegance and sophistication, which is no longer very deserved… at least less than 50 years ago. But it’s still a reflex for them to look at how I’m dressed. So, Moscow is a pretty special city: the appearance of women is very

Important, and sometimes I find it very “fun” and pleasant, it helps me gain self-confidence, and sometimes it’s exaggerated, it’s lacking natural. So the first part of this video was about femininity, because that’s the biggest difference I see.

Another very interesting difference, and one that I had not anticipated before moving to Russia, is the relationship of women with children: I feel like in Russia, children are more the center of the world and more pampered only in France. Maybe I’m biased because I come from a large family,

And from a particular milieu, but I have the impression that in France, children should be seen, but not heard, that should keep quiet, adults take less care of them. In Russia, women give them more attention, they have more right to express themselves.

But this is a subject on which I am not up to date, I have not lived enough in different Russian families, so I would be curious to know what you think about it in the comments, especially if you have lived in the West and East. I had a chat with a Franco-Russian girl,

Who did part of her schooling in a French school and in a Russian school: she said that it was the same thing with the teachers, who were harsher and more severe on the French side, while on the Russian side, they were much more encouraging. I have also

Noticed that Russian women, especially a little older, are more maternal and warm than French women with children – or with me, for that matter: when I go to a Russian family, I feel very quickly adopted: they give me food, give me advice etc.

In France, we are colder. In Russia, they have a sense of hospitality: we feel welcomed like a member of the family, with great simplicity, whereas in France, with our guests, we are colder: we try to do well, to impress them, but

Not necessarily make them feel at home. Conversely, when it’s the first time you meet someone, people are colder here: you already have to break the ice, and at first, Russians can seem distant, but that’s just a facade, and as soon as we go to

A Russian family, we are welcomed for real. A small difference too, and which is linked to this idea of ​​sophistication, is that Russian women are very oriented towards culture, they really like cultural events, theater, concerts… in France, sometimes,

I have the impression that we try to appear less sophisticated, so as not to seem like we’re part of the bourgeois environment, or… a more affluent environment. Though it must still be said that some Russians like these cultural events, museums, concerts, etc. only for the Instagram photo))

A question that I am also asked about Russian women is in relation to weight, because it is a cliché that we have in France, that Russians are very thin when they are are young, but after marriage, they tend to gain a little weight. Actually,

I think it’s rather true, to be honest, just from my observation. So I looked at the stats, and I saw that we are roughly the same height, on average, between French and Russian women, but that Russians actually tend to be more curvy. I think it comes from eating habits, because in families,

Food is often heavy and fatty, with a lot of mayonnaise, a lot of meat… In my opinion, it’s also a question of generation, and things change too. in France and Russia, so I don’t know how reliable the statistics are… But I think yes,

Older Russians gain more weight. Also, we are always pushed to eat here: I have already said it, but I am fed far too much, and Russians even told me that I was too thin, that I had to eat, etc. which was absolutely never said to me in France))

I think that there is a culture of hospitality and generosity which means that we eat too much) So basically, in Russia, the relationships between men and women are less tense because women don’t want the man’s role, women are more feminine and men more masculine, which is more natural. Here, it’s normal to

Try to please, so women accept attention from men as a compliment, not a personal attack or insult. The men are also more polite: several times, I have been approached by Russian men, and they are very polite: the last time,

In the metro, a man asked me “can we get to know each other?” and I said no, because I was in a hurry etc. And he kindly stepped aside, said “no problem,” etc. So I almost had a guilty conscience, because he was super nice. In France, it never

Happened to me to be approached politely in the street. However, while being feminine, Russian women are also very harsh with men, they expect them to be masculine and real men. So for French people who dream of a very feminine and traditional Russian woman,

You will also have to be ready to… pay for her, first of all)) and also be masculine, know how to make decisions, etc. What French men no longer always know how to do, in my generation.

I’ve also met quite a few Russian men who complain that Russian women are a little too princess-like, and expect a little too much from them. I don’t know if it’s specific to Moscow, or if it’s like that everywhere in Russia, but I think it also comes from men)

I have the impression that Russian men are, for example, more romantic than French (which is quite funny, because foreigners think French people are romantic, but really they’re not). I kinda feel like that Russian men also allow themselves to be more easily manipulated by women:

I have seen Russian women who were very… seductive, with exaggerated behavior, at least for me. It seems to work in Russia, but I don’t think it would work in France. For example, once, I was visiting a Russian company,

And there was a woman and a man in a meeting, and the woman had a very attractive position, she was wearing a skirt and she put her legs in front of her etc. I have seen several times women posing in front of men, and in France, everyone would laugh at them,

Because it is obvious that they are trying to seduce – but in Russia, that is seems to work, because men become like zombies)) so I guess that it’s effective, and they know what they’re doing)) When I was learning Russian,

I was watching random Russian videos on YT, and there are a lot of women explaining how to seduce a man, how to look richer to attract a rich man, how to make something fall elegantly… At first I didn’t think it was serious,

That people can really act like that in life, because obviously I’m a woman, it doesn’t have any effect on me, I don’t turn into a zombie, so it’s funny to see that it actually works on men) I also think that men take it as a compliment, because

The woman tries to be more attractive to them, makes an effort for them… but in France, I have never seen this kind of very open seduction. So here people make more mutual efforts to please each other, I guess.

I have also heard several times Russian women say “our men”, and it is an expression that I do not hear in French: we do not have this sense of pride for “our men”, as they say here. Same thing on the other side: I hear Russians who say that their

Women are the most beautiful in the world, etc. while I haven’t heard this from French men, about us French women)) Maybe I will make a whole video about Russian men, I have already been asked, but what can I say, in the meantime, is that Russian men take

More care of women, appreciate femininity more and pay more attention to it than in France. They give more compliments, they are generous in the sense that they have little touches, like giving flowers, ordering a taxi for her, etc. It’s something I appreciate. And besides,

We quickly get used to this kind of thing, we very quickly become princesses here)) When I arrived in Moscow, I met Russian women who were interested in French, and who were also interested in me because they wanted to find a French husband… so there is

Still a little bit of this dream of the European husband, but it remains a minority. I meet women like that because I’m French, obviously, but they are not very representative, and I think that this dream is disappearing little by little, as they realize that French men

Are not like in the movies, and that they are not necessarily ready to pay for them, to hold the door for them, to help put their coat on… So I met women who had an experience with a European man, and who came rushing back to Russia)) Although, of course,

There are also Russian women married to French men, very happy etc. I know some too. So in short, the dynamic between men and women in Russia is more productive than in France, because men seek to develop their masculine qualities, and women their

Feminine qualities, and of course, I am not saying that things are black and white, that everyone is 100% female or 100% male. Afterwards, with me, Russian women are not all very pleasant, it depends: sometimes, we have a first contact which does not go very well,

It has already happened to me to see hostile women… I think that it is because I’m French, and… I don’t know, they don’t like it. Also maybe because there is more competition between women in Russia, so sometimes they are not happy to see me, at least women my age.

On the other hand, older women are always lovely to me, very maternal… And of course, there are plenty of women my age who are also nice to me, who are interested in my nationality, in French, etc. But it still happened to me a few times to be perceived with

Hostility by Russian women)) So overall, I have a lot of admiration for Russian women, they help me to better understand what it is like being a woman, that it is a good thing to be feminine,

And that I can be proud to be a woman. And they scare me a little bit, sometimes, too))) In any case, I am very lucky to have been able to live in several countries, to compare how people live, especially when living in families: it allows me to take away what I love,

To build a life that I like. So it’s a very enriching experience to live in different families and countries, and I am very happy to have done it. That’s all for today. As this is a topic that interests me, there is a chance that I will talk about it again,

If my YT channel is still standing in a year) Thank you very much for watching this video until the end – it does not was not easy for me to shoot) Thank you for your support