Wednesday, April 20, 2011

French phrase of the day: jolie-laide

Def: so ugly, she’s pretty

I've played the "Sexy-Ugly" game (e.g. Benecio del Toro), but have never applied the principle to women. Go ahead—give it a shot.

4 comments:

  1. "Une jolie-laide" is the most fascinating category of female beauty. The French designer Ashley Putman comes to mind. She has one of the most interesting faces in this category. Perfection is incredibly overrated and very boring to the French mind.

    The French idea of beauty is to come close to perfection and then take several steps back. Much more interesting and never boring, which is the French version of a mortal sin.

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  2. Oh, I love that "to come close to perfection and then take several steps back" - you describe French beauty, so nuanced, so well!

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  3. Asia Argento is a good example of that.

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  4. Oooops! In my previous Comment I called Mme Putman "Ashley" Putman. Her christian name is "Andrée." Apologies to Mme Putman whose work I admire -- must have had a PMS brain freeze (PMS: Post-Menopausal Syndrome). I know her name as well as my own. Wait......what's my name again?

    Pleased you liked my turn of phrase about French beauty.

    Love your Blog, Amy. It has such passion, and a woman cannot be really beautiful without it.

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