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From toiletries to underwear… the surprising study on French hygiene

2020-02-26T05:15:06.891Z


In a study that we reveal exclusively, the evolution of the cleanliness of the French is scrutinized. Some results leave p


"It is the basis of public health, it is the very sign of civilization". What is Françoise Giroud talking about in 1951 in an article in the magazine "Elle" of which she was, at the time, the managing editor? Feminine hygiene. In a major survey by the weekly (carried out by Ifop), answering the question: is the Frenchwoman clean? (spoiler: no), the journalist protests against the negligence of her fellow citizens sweeping away the argument of the lack of sanitary comfort in homes after the war. For her, cleanliness is a question of "discipline and education". Close the ban.

Almost seventy years after this vitriolic inquiry which had caused scandal at the time, we are publishing exclusively a new Ifop study allowing us to take stock of the cleaning habits of French women and, this time also of French people. . Work carried out on behalf of Diogène France, a company specializing in cleaning the accommodation of victims of Diogenes syndrome (a disorder which is characterized in particular by the lack of personal and domestic hygiene).

Letting go with singles

What do the results say? If, in 1951, only 52% of women carried out a complete toilet "at least once a day", today they are 81% to do so. It is worse among men (71%) and even worse among men over 65 (57%). Another even more intimate and clothing example: the frequency with which we change underwear. And it is clear that, discreetly under jeans, equality is not required…

Be careful, you will no longer look at your male comrades in the same way. Thus, if almost all women (94%) change their panties every day (against 17% in 1951!), This is far from being the case for these men: barely three out of four French people (73% ) put on new underpants, boxer shorts or boxers daily. Let us note a slightly more salient neglect among our single friends (where only 71% of them have adopted this habit). And the rate drops even more among those who have less than one sexual intercourse per week (63%). Among women, the percentages hardly vary regardless of the frequency of sexual intercourse.

Enough to lie Françoise Giroud who wrote in 1951: "Most men are sharper than women. Do you know many who agree to donate a shirt with a dirty collar? A stained tie? ". Perhaps, but the dated clothing observation of the famous journalist remains on the surface. “Finally, it cannot be said enough how much men are responsible for untreated women. Let them demand, and they will get, ”she even advance.

Current with coronavirus

Overall, better hygiene behavior has been observed since the 1950s, “but there is still a long way to go. The French are not the champions of cleanliness, "judges Doctor Frédéric Saldmann, cardiologist and nutritionist, an apostle in the hunt for microbes. “This is all the more topical, with the coronavirus pandemic that we are encountering today. These are the rules of hygiene that protect us. In the 1960s, they were taught in school but with antibiotics, they fell into disuse. We thought we no longer needed them, ”laments the doctor, who brings them up to date in his latest book,“ We ​​are never better treated than by ourselves ”( Plon, 360 p., 19.90 euros ) .

VIDEO. Pee button, doormat, hand nails: the 3 hygiene tips from Dr Saldmann

And to regret, for example, the disappearance of the nail brush in the bathrooms (when the 1951 study talks about it a lot). "Under the nails, it's a jungle!" "Warns the doctor. It is therefore not the day before tomorrow that the image of dirty French, which sticks to our skin abroad, will change. “In the United States, for example, before flushing the toilet, you lower the toilet lid. In France, almost everyone flushes the toilet with the toilet seat up. Tons of bacteria and germs nestle inside and flush the toilet in this way diffuses all this dirt, ”further illustrates Frédéric Saldmann.

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In this regard, what about hand washing after going through these famous toilets? 71% of the population "only" does it, but it is still 2 points more than in 1994 (75% for women against 68% for men). On the other hand, we are much less likely to have this reflex before sitting down to eat. Only 49% of us have it, that's 10 points lower than 26 years ago.

Source: leparis

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