Are European women better groomed & better dressed than British women?

[Explodingatomickittens]

Following two interesting threads & posters are saying that the Dutch & German woman are impeccably groomed & dressed. The "scruffy toff with I untidy hair covered in dov hair" is absolutely not a sign of wealth... It's interesting!

I always wonder what continent these brexiteers who think we have “left Europe” think we are part of now? Africa? Asia? Ridiculous people.

I am genuinely puzzled as to where you are to see the streets thronging with orange people. It sounds like you can’t move for them. Yet here in Essex, the home of this look, I’m struggling to spot anyone who looks like this.

a lot of the women who have this look are immaculately groomed anyway so, just because it’s not a style you might like, it doesn’t automatically mean they are badly groomed.

Up north, this look is alive and well! But its not universal - there are also plenty of women here with other styles.

I can't believe people are making this into a Brexit/Europe argument. It's obvious what the OP meant. She could have put 'other European women' but it's just splitting hairs.

I think its utter nonsense. If I picked a random woman off the street in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin I doubt you would be able to tell who was who. We live in a monoculture, there are stylish and not so stylish people everywhere. One westerner looks much like another.

I definitely get the orange women thing though, I have never seen this in France, perhaps they are all on the côte d'Azur, who knows. But in the UK, there are lots of women walking round in the evening looking orange. Also eyebrows are considerably less manic in France, nails, yes, but not to the extent as in the UK. Far less botox because it is much, much more regulated. But mostly I think it is a weight thing.

The examples you've given are all big, fashionable, capital cities.

You would see far more variation between e.g. London, Sunderland, Manchester, Glasgow and the Welsh valleys (and their overseas counterparts) than between big capital cites.

This is Mumsnet. Everyone is white and considers themselves to be middle class, or at least hopes to project that.

I live in France. Huge generalisation but.. British families on holiday, the kids are invariably much better dressed than the parents!

I think it’s nonsense

You see style in Paris like you do in any other capital city. Yes, a 20 something chic parisienne is going to look more stylish than a poor woman from Halifax in lilac tracksuit pushing an ickle bubba pram. Of course. Exactly the same as if you compared her to a berliner or Londoner or resident of Seoul.

I know some ‘normal’ french 20 somethings and they have no ‘style’. They have fallen through the H&M basics section, wearing whatever jeans style is ‘in’, they prize luxury brands like the young ‘uns do here particularly for the bits that everyone can ‘see’ like scarves and handbags. The shoes are always geox or a similar brand, and they always look positively orthopaedic.

However I think the shoe point ties in with practicality. woman tend to be more practical, a quality I link with groomed chic here. Appropriate coat for the weather, appropriate boots, minimalist jewellery. I think that’s something we could replicate here.

but British fashion has flair, individuality, we seem to value and prize those so confident that they don’t care about dog hair or wearing socks and sandals to the supermarket because it’s the shoes you have by the door. I love this. It’s the attitude. Not the look.

Crikey . Where have you visited?

But surely you know that most British women don't have that look either?

@Snoken give us examples of how the Stockholm women are styled please! Both clothes & grooming!

more stylish than a poor woman from Halifax in lilac tracksuit pushing an ickle bubba pram

Wow, could you have made this any more sneery if you tried? The description was entirely superfluous, but you went to town on it anyway.

Well obviously that's not true either.

Yes but we were talking about UK v Europe. It still stands though. There may be more wealthy, well groomed in London, but Sunderland still has its share and I should know I used live there.

Has anyone else noticed that elegant Spanish women have a penchant for colour blocking and get away with it? I think Spanish women, on the whole, are far more elegant than Frenchwomen. I live in France but travel regularly to both Spain and the UK.

eh?

Can you explain what’s wrong with the question

Not all U.K. is the same you know.

I'm not British originally and I have lived in a European city, known for its stylishness (Paris). It was a while ago now but I did notice less "trendy" women and definitely less fake tan, fake eyelashes etc etc.

The thing I found to be absolute bollocks though, was the myth that French women don't get fat! Yes they do. I am pretty chunky myself btw so no judgement here. But I hate it when people trot this line out. I didn't notice a difference between women in London / Bath / the home counties and women in Paris in terms of size.

Of course not, if you read the thread it's about European women, which obviously covers all races & women who live on the continent of Europe. Don't try to twist this into a race debate. Michelle Obama was already mentioned upthread as the epitome of U.S East Coast understated glamour.

There may not be mich difference in the size of people in London/Home Counties vs Paris, but if you compare less affluent areas (which are the areas which tend to have greater obesity issues), the UK ones are fatter, on average, than the French ones. The obesity stats back this up.

Yes, I meant to say I can't speak for the rest of the UK. Expected you to read my mind there!

Also, I meant to say fewer trendies in Paris, but more classic looks. Even on younger women

I was in italy 3 times last year & one thing I noticed that really jumped out for me was how so many women were wearing beautiful dresses & flat leather sandals. All ages & various types of dresses but personinantly v flattering to their age & body shape as well as the weather..it was definitely a more 'timeless,' look than super trendy.

Tourists were sometimes v obvious in their attire - lycia cycling shorts & bra tops with trainers on younger women etc

It made me long to live in a place where I could wear gorgeous summer dresses & sandals all day every day

I think it's because we just don't care as much. We could also look stylish and well turned out if we gave a shit. I think a lot of us British women have different priorities and I'm proud that we don't feel the pressure that French/German women do. It takes time, money and motivation to look good and perhaps we just don't see the point of making so much effort ?

I had my nails done on holiday in Spain a few years ago. The beautician was from Hungary.

She said that in her home town women paid much more attention to looking after their skin than their hair. They were more likely to be found having a monthly facial than going to the hairdresser every month to get their roots done.

If you go up north the women who have made an effort tend to go for that look. I agree it was less of that in London, but still much more frequent compared to where I live now.