Scarlett Johansson’s Culture Shock in Paris

Paris has taken yet another American expatriate by surprise, and not in a good way. Scarlett Johansson: the sexy, candid, American actress made the decision to become Parisian. Following her engagement, and wedding plans, to French journalist Romain Dauriac, the native New Yorker took the plunge and moved to the French capital. After the tedious process of buying an apartment in one of the city’s artistic districts, the tenacious actress took to the streets of Paris intending to merge herself into the Parisian culture head first, or in this case baguette first.

Charming were the narrow thoroughfares, as were the inhabitants, and the hordes of drunken students marking their territory in the fashion of dogs, but after six months of promenading through Paris, Scarlett has had enough. She may be famous, gorgeous, talented, and successful, but she is still an American in Paris and with that inevitably comes the utter culture-shock.

The first six months are what I call the honeymoon stage of moving abroad. The good aspects of the new city and culture are seen as great, the mediocre wonderful, the bad good, and the horrible simply unique and charming. One day though, we all wake up to see the clouds lift from our observations, revealing reality.

Scarlett’s day of reckoning has come, the once-enchanting city has become a “provincial town, where people don’t know how to walk,” explained the actress on the David Letterman show. I believe these were my thoughts verbatim when I first moved to Paris, and alas, I am not alone. The actress continued to vent her frustration about general behaviors in Paris, concluding that she will no longer stand for this treatment, and swore to be aggressive in the future.

Johansson’s reaction to the reality of living in Paris is normal. Many foreigners vow to emerge unscathed, while taking a stand at the same time. Unfortunately, this is a paradox; becoming aggressive in the American sense will only further isolate any expatriate from French culture. Then again, she may have more luck as a celebrity. The misunderstanding stems from the French failing to meet the actress’ preconceived opinions of France. The French have not changed, and will not change any time soon, we just have to accept this like the mold that comes with the cheese, at least according to the French.

Mere seconds passed after Johansson expressed her opinion of France on television before the French had their hands on the information. Once public, the retaliations against the damaging comments began. “Go home!” were among some French rebuttals. Other members of France chose to attack American culture instead, “She can return to her fellow [Americans] who wear their hats while eating with their elbows on the table, they are neither rude nor coarse, even when they add the word f### every three words.” This is the underlying issue, Americans and French define rude actions by different sets of behavior.

When the day comes when Johansson understands the French culture well enough to make a decision, she will have to decide to either accept or reject everything that comes with it. She will receive less respect both as a person and celebrity if she chooses to stay in France. However, she must understand that she too may be offending locals due to her misunderstanding or rejection of certain normalities.

For example, the French consider anything ostentatious to be vulgar. These vulgarities can be as subtle as red lipstick and nail polish, wearing eyeliner at the same time as mascara or wearing stilettos with short shorts, a dress, or a skirt during the day. Even on a Saturday night, this appearance may offend the Parisians. Despite the reputation Paris has for being a city of creativity and art, Parisians both participate in and expect somewhat conservative conformity. Parisians like subtle, elegant beauty; females do not have the freedom to look and feel sexy in this city without harsh comments.

While describing her pedestrian issues in her new home, Scarlett stated that she is determined to take a stand, “So now I just do a stare down from halfway down the block, and I started getting really aggressive with people now, and I don’t care!” I hate to be the one to point this out, but aggression is the last thing that will earn anyone respect in Paris. It is considered vulgar to “stand up for yourself,” even when someone “accidentally” pushes you in front of an oncoming bus, or steps on your new Dior pumps, cuts you in line, or simply stares you down before heaving a shoulder into you.

In French culture, and especially in Paris, people are expected to let these incidents go unnoticed and unpunished. The French view these behaviors as innocent, because to them none of these behaviors are “a big deal,” or create “real problems.” My advice to Miss Johansson is to accept that the Parisians are rude by American standards, and then become one of them. As a talented actress, she may have more luck blending into the character of the Parisian than other expatriates. Months or years from now if she still has a hard time accepting these cultural differences, then returning to the U.S. would be best for both her mental health and overall happiness.

The verdict is out; the infamous Parisian rudeness makes no exceptions, not even for famous starlets. Scarlett Johansson has lived in Paris for more than six months with her French fiancé, Romain Dauriac. Hitting the breaking point, the culture shock has taken its toll. The actress admits to becoming more aggressive towards people, and she doesn’t even care. This is what many foreigners go through when adjusting to Parisian life. There are differences between American and French opinions concerning rude and polite behavior. The best advice to anyone in this situation, including Scarlett Johansson, is to analyze the situation, then either accept it, or reject it. Trying to change the situation is not worth the upward battle; one foreigner cannot change an entire culture.

Jacqueline Perrier-Gillette is currently a resident of Paris, France, where she lives with her husband. Together the two of them operate their small translation company, giving Jacqueline the opportunity to observe the French and their culture up close. She is an avid reader, writer, and student of foreign languages.

By Jacqueline Perrier-Gillette