法國女性6招教你如何優雅變老

Before moving to the New York City area, I lived in London for seven years. During that period, I traveled more than two dozen times to France, a place where five- or six-week vacations are the norm and many people retire comfortably at 60 or younger. I made many wonderful French friends and was more than a little awed at the way they aged so gracefully.

Are they perfect? Of course not. But certainly I admired how so many of them stayed trim while enjoying coq au vin, baguettes, andouillettes, eclairs and fondue while Americans struggled with their weight while gorging on diet soda and Lean Cuisines. I also admired the way they purchased clothes selectively, carried themselves confidently and devoured life every chance they got.

After speaking with a few of these friends, I've come up with a list of six things the French can teach us about aging well. Do you agree? Let us know in comments. And if there are things the Americans can teach THEM about aging, we'd like to hear about that as well.

1) That women of all ages can be the sensual love interests -- and not just the matronly grandmothers -- in popular movies.

Just consider Catherine Deneuve, 69, or Isabelle Huppert, 60, or Juliette Binoche, 49. These and other older French actresses such as Nathalie Baye, 65, and Sandrine Bonnaire,46, continue to nab meaty roles. In an American movie industry dominated more by the teeny-bopper set, it's hard to even name an older sex symbol other than, perhaps, Raquel Welch who's still, at 72, pretty darn sexy.

2) That less is best when it comes to makeup -- but that doesn't mean you should skimp on skincare.

Studies show that French women spend more on facial skincare products than their neighbors in Italy, Spain, Germany or the UK. Overall, nearly two-thirds of French women -- or 62 percent -- use anti-wrinkle products. (In France, a girl will begin applying anti-aging creams as early as age 15.) It's a different story when it comes to makeup. Wearing too much, according to French women, makes you look old.

3) That sex should continue to be important.

Studies show that 90 percent of French women over the age of 50 remain sexually active compared with only 60 percent of American women. But research points to a great interest in sex among those over 50 -- so why not keep it going?

4) That having just a handful of clothing items that fit perfectly is a lot better than having a whole closet full of items that aren't all that great.

American women have a habit of splurging for unnecessary items whereas French women make a habit of purchasing maybe 10 indispensable clothing items each year. French designer Anne Fontaine, known for her white shirts, once told Forbes magazine that "besides a beautiful blouse, every woman should have a great pair of jeans, black pants, a perfect skirt, a perfect little black dress and a jacket for each season."

5) That walking's the best exercise.

French women often look askance at American women who talk about going to the gym. Instead of furiously working out in zumba classes, French women tend to incorporate walking into their daily routines. They take the long way home when walking the dog; they climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. They also reject the notion "no pain, no gain," choosing instead a more sustained -- albeit more moderate -- exercise plan.

6) That what you eat -- and how much you eat -- are of vital importance.

If you've ever dined out with French friends, you'll notice that they eat smaller portions of more dishes -- instead of larger portions of fewer dishes. They eat more vegetables, drink more water and think more about the good things they want to eat rather than fret all the time about the bad stuff. When it comes to drinking, they tend to avoid hard liquor, opting for a glass or two of wine with their meal.在搬到紐約地區之前，我在倫敦住了七年。在那期間，我到過法國二十多次。在法國，大多數人每年會度個五六週的假，許多人60歲甚至60歲不到就退休享受生活。我交過許多超棒的法國朋友，非常驚歎他們優雅變老的方式。

法國人完美無缺嗎？當然不是。但是，我很欽佩他們。享受着雞尾酒、法國麪包、手指餅乾、芝士火鍋等美食，他們中許多人依然保持苗條身材。而美國人雖努力減肥，卻暴飲無糖飲料、暴食精益美食。法國人充滿自信、精心挑選衣服、盡情享受人生，對此我也很佩服。

與幾個朋友交談之後，關於法國人如何優雅變老，我列了個單子，大概有六點。您同意與否，可在評論欄裏表達觀點。如果有抗衰老的好方法，我們也想聽一聽。

1）在流行電影中，任何年齡層的女人都可以是性感達人，而不僅僅是風韻猶存的老奶奶。

想想69歲的凱瑟琳·德納芙（Catherine Deneuve）、60歲的伊莎貝爾·於佩爾（Isabelle Huppert）、49歲的朱麗葉·比諾什（Juliette Binoche），還有其他仍擔任主演的法國老演員，如65歲的娜塔莉·貝葉（Nathalie Baye）、46歲的桑德琳·邦內爾（Sandrine Bonnaire）。然而，美國的電影行業幾乎是年輕男女明星的天下。也許，除了72歲但仍性感十足的拉奎爾·韋爾奇（Raquel Welch），很難再舉出個知名性感老演員了。

2）化妝原則之一：少即是多——但這並不意味着節省護膚品。

研究表明，比起意大利、西班牙、德國和英國女性，法國女性在面部護膚產品上花更多的錢。總體而言，近2/3、也就是62%的法國女性使用抗皺產品。（在法國，女孩15歲就開始使用抗衰老面霜。）化妝就是另外一回事了。法國女性表示化濃妝會讓人顯老。

3）性生活依然重要。

研究表明，50歲以上法國女性中，90%性活躍。與之相比，美國女性則只有60%。但該研究還指出一個有趣的話題，50歲以上的人羣爲何不將性生活繼續下去呢？

4）比起滿櫃不合適的衣服，幾件適合自己的就足矣。

美國女性會胡亂花錢買些不必要的東西，而法國女性每年也許會購買10件必須的衣服。因其白襯衫而著名的法國設計師安妮·芳婷（Anne Fontaine）曾告訴《福布斯》雜誌：“除了漂亮襯衫，每個女人還應擁有超棒牛仔褲、黑色長褲、漂亮裙子、完美黑色小禮服和四季皆宜的夾克衫。”

5）步行是最好的鍛鍊方式。

法國女性往往對談論去健身房的美國女性表示懷疑。法國女性沒有選擇在尊巴舞課上拼命鍛鍊，而是傾向於將步行融入日常活動。她們遛狗時選擇遠路回家，爬樓梯而不乘坐電梯。她們也反對“沒痛苦，沒收穫”，而選擇另一種比較溫和、但更持久的鍛鍊計劃。

6）你吃了什麼、吃了多少，這至關重要。

如果你與法國朋友在外面吃過飯，你會發現他們會吃很多道菜，但每道菜只吃一點點——而不是狂吃幾道菜。他們多吃蔬菜、多喝水，更多考慮的是想吃健康食物，而不是一直擔心吃到垃圾食物。說到喝酒，他們往往不喝烈酒，而是在進餐時來一兩杯葡萄酒。