u/gwendodyssey

Hi ! 😊
I’m French, and I’ve always wondered about this :
As Americans, are you aware of how much your culture is present all over the world thanks to films and TV series ?
Let me explain :
I grew up in the 90s, and like many people of my generation, I was raised on American culture because in France there were tons of sitcoms being broadcast :
The Nanny, Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, and many others !
Not to mention movies like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jingle All the Way… which portrayed a certain image of life in the United States that completely fascinated me ! (The parades, the end-of-year festivities, New York, etc.)

I know people often say that we French are snobbish about our own culture, but personally and I think I’m not the only one I was absolutely fascinated by the United States !
Sometimes even by really silly details :
for example, those huge refrigerators in every house. When I was little, that was something you just didn’t see in France !
Or everything related to school life ! The school buses, the clubs, the social « hierarchy » with the different cliques. Even today, I still wonder what was exaggerated for cinema and television and what wasn’t !
Thanksgiving also fascinated me a lot.

Anyway, all this to say that seeing the United States so much through movies and series really contributed to making me fascinated by the country and its culture in general.
The first time I saw actual Americans when I was little, I was like « 😮😮😮😮 Real Americans ! »
I know it might sound silly. 😅
So the question I’ve been asking myself is :
are you aware of this ?
When you yourselves watch films and series, do you think the same thing (for example, those who don’t live in New York when you see New York in movies and shows)?
I know someone could reply, « Well, you’re French and you live in Paris, how do you feel about people imagining Paris as a postcard ? »
But the thing is, I think it’s fair to say that kids in the United States ( at least in the 90s it might be different today with social media ) didn’t grow up exposed to French culture the way we were exposed to American culture in France !
I don’t think our films and series were broadcast over there ! ( And given how bad our series are, you’re not missing much ! 😅)
That’s why I feel like, as French people, we have a more « drawn/painted » vision of the United States ( even if it’s probably idealized too, since it’s seen through the lens of movies and series ).

Sorry for this long message ! But I’m really excited at the idea of talking about this topic ! 😊

Hi ! 😊
I’m French, and I’ve always wondered about this :
As Americans, are you aware of how much your culture is present all over the world thanks to films and TV series ?
Let me explain :
I grew up in the 90s, and like many people of my generation, I was raised on American culture because in France there were tons of sitcoms being broadcast :
The Nanny, Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, and many others !
Not to mention movies like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jingle All the Way… which portrayed a certain image of life in the United States that completely fascinated me ! (The parades, the end-of-year festivities, New York, etc.)

I know people often say that we French are snobbish about our own culture, but personally and I think I’m not the only one I was absolutely fascinated by the United States !
Sometimes even by really silly details :
for example, those huge refrigerators in every house. When I was little, that was something you just didn’t see in France !
Or everything related to school life ! The school buses, the clubs, the social « hierarchy » with the different cliques. Even today, I still wonder what was exaggerated for cinema and television and what wasn’t !
Thanksgiving also fascinated me a lot.

Anyway, all this to say that seeing the United States so much through movies and series really contributed to making me fascinated by the country and its culture in general.
The first time I saw actual Americans when I was little, I was like « 😮😮😮😮 Real Americans ! »
I know it might sound silly. 😅
So the question I’ve been asking myself is :
are you aware of this ?
When you yourselves watch films and series, do you think the same thing (for example, those who don’t live in New York when you see New York in movies and shows)?
I know someone could reply, « Well, you’re French and you live in Paris, how do you feel about people imagining Paris as a postcard ? »
But the thing is, I think it’s fair to say that kids in the United States ( at least in the 90s it might be different today with social media ) didn’t grow up exposed to French culture the way we were exposed to American culture in France !
I don’t think our films and series were broadcast over there ! ( And given how bad our series are, you’re not missing much ! 😅)
That’s why I feel like, as French people, we have a more « drawn/painted » vision of the United States ( even if it’s probably idealized too, since it’s seen through the lens of movies and series ).

Sorry for this long message ! But I’m really excited at the idea of talking about this topic ! 😊