Who’s Hotter: French men or American Men?

It’s time for a very French “Manly Monday” dessert. As some of you know, I recently re-watched the Magnolia Pictures film Broken English. My short synopsis:

Angst-ridden, 30-something Nora (Parker Posey) wonders why her dating life is so fucked up. “What’s wrong with me?” she asks her married friends until an attractive Frenchman named Julien (Melvil Poupaud) changes her luck in love.

Oh la la! The boys from France. What proper red-blooded American woman doesn’t have dreams of being swept away by a sexy Frenchman?! I swear the water over there must be infused with extra ounces of sexy.

From left to right, top to bottom: soccer players Zindine Zidane and Thierry Henry; and actors Michael Vartan, Louis Garrel, Melvil Poupaud and Romain Duris. Feel free to use the comment section to tell us which Frenchman you’d like to eat for desert. (For the record, I choose Zinedine!)

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FBC @ Nerve Today:
Don’t Kill Him, Girl: The Funky Brown Chick’s Survival Guide to Dating White Men

Related FBC Posts:
Zinedine Zidane: Is He Hot or Not?
Crazy Love ( … flick from
Magnolia Pictures — the same folks did Broken English

Related Non-FBC links:
French Men Talk about Lingerie
American women, French men: A dangerous chemistry
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)


{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }

JP December 3, 2007 at 4:17 am

I’ll also have the Zidane, with a side of Vartan.

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Emma Petersen December 3, 2007 at 7:34 am

Frenchmen definitely. Not that I have anything against American men…There’s just something about a man with a French accent (Or Irish, Italian, British, hell almost any European accent) that does it for me.

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Jonathan December 3, 2007 at 9:59 am

I would say neither. French man are soooo sleazy and American are just American (enough said). But who am I to tell, I am just Russian man which is even worse to some people.

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Jonathan December 3, 2007 at 10:02 am

and btw I would think that Zidane can easily pass for hot. I gree with that but he is not even French. That’s why he is hot.

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Carolina Pereira December 3, 2007 at 7:57 pm

what about english men? love the accent :)

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Pegs December 3, 2007 at 9:32 pm

Hottest of those pictured? Vartan. But the soccer men aren’t too hard on the eyes, either.

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funkybrownchick December 4, 2007 at 8:15 am

@ JP: cute. :)

@ Emma Petersen: DITTO!!! I’m a sucker for men with accents.

@ Jonathan: He is French. If you mean “he’s not white”, that’s different. But, yes, the man is French. Remember? Hell, he played on the national team for years!! :)

@ Carolina Pereira: Ooooh, maybe I’ll do Brits in a future Manly Monday. (I did Aussies a while ago.) That was fun. :)

@ Pegs: You think Vartan is the hottest? Hmmm … is this just because you love the film Never Been Kissed? ;)

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blackfemme December 4, 2007 at 10:04 am

Frenchmen undoubtedly are hotter than American men. As for the pics, I agree with Pegs about Vartan.

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The Jaded NYer December 4, 2007 at 2:36 pm

I can’t say that I’ve ever encountered any white- European or American- men that I find appealing or attractive, except for my beloved John Cusack (but not for his looks although he is a cutie; it’s ’cause he’s so darn LOVEABLE).

When considering the physical attractiveness of men, my eyes go right for the melanin; I need more flava and color in my men… ;)

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GrizzBabe December 4, 2007 at 7:25 pm

I’m with you. When I look at Zidane, biscuits and sopping come to mind.

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funkybrownchick December 5, 2007 at 12:27 am

@ blackfemme: VARTAN?!?! Hotter than ZIDANE??? NEVER.

@ The Jaded NYer: JOHN CUSACK?!?! Okay, so, now I *know* all of my readers have gone insane. First, Michael Vartan is hotter than Zidane and now JOHN FREAKIN’ CUSACK is the hottest white guy ever. Hell has frozen over. ;)

@ GrizzBabe: Whew! Sanity has returned to the blog! ;)

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grampa December 5, 2007 at 1:46 am

Again, I’m gonna have to go with Nixon.

Course, if I had to fuck a guy, I mean one that’s still alive (I miss you, Tricky Dick), then it would have to be Shatner.

William fuck’n Shatner.

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funkybrownchick December 5, 2007 at 10:44 am

What is it with Shatner?!?!!? :) He’s in that line in fight club, too.

Norton’s Character: If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight?
Tyler: alive or dead?
Norton’s Character: Doesn’t matter. Who’d be tough?
Tyler: Hemingway. You?
Norton’s Character: Shatner, I’d fight William Shatner.

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grampa December 5, 2007 at 8:21 pm

I love that movie.

“It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything.”

True, so very, very true.

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Paula December 5, 2007 at 9:00 pm

So glad to have remembered to look here! I can’t wait to read more, but I had to comment on this particular subject…

I guess you know how I feel about French men, since I snagged one and write about him all the time. They are the sexiest, true renaissance men, who can kill and skin and animal, then cook it on a wood fire (i find this sexy and I’m a vegetarian), and yet dress all dapper and dashing.

ta ta,
paula

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funkybrownchick December 6, 2007 at 8:25 am

@ grampa: Interesting quote; that movie is filled with tons of them.

@ Paula: Thanks for stopping by the blog!! And, yes, I *know* you love French men. ;)

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Mags December 6, 2007 at 4:32 pm

Okay, now I LOVE me some John Cusack, -I think pretty much every teenage girl who watched Say Anything in the 80s does. But I even I can admit, that he is definitely NOT hot. :)

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Peggy b. December 7, 2007 at 7:06 am

Ok, maybe I’m a bit confused. By hotter, do you mean looks only? As someone who has French family members and am quite familiar with the French culture, I have to say that dating a French man (if you’re an American woman) takes some getting used to. There are quite a number of cultural differences that one would have to overcome, if you can even understand them. French men are better at approaching women and letting them know they are very attracted to them. But after that, dating them tends to be just as annoying and often times, confusing as dating American men. It’s just a matter of preference in the end.

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funkybrownchick December 7, 2007 at 7:21 am

@ Mags: Sanity returns to the blog. ;-)

@ Peggy b.: Well said. By the way, love your recent Facebook photos!!

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ErrorBoy December 9, 2007 at 9:16 am

Wrong question methinks.

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funkybrownchick December 9, 2007 at 9:36 am

Should the question be: Why are French men hotter than American men? ;)

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Jenni {In Ireland} December 26, 2007 at 6:19 pm

Hot french guys – go to the rugby team!
The dieux du stade calenders from the past few years – oh la la!
My personal favourite has to be clement poitrenaud though; hot body, sexy accent, tall, dark, handsome with the most gorgeous intense eyes i have ever come across!
No contest, French men get me over any other nationality!

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funkybrownchick December 27, 2007 at 12:20 am

Les Bleus!!! :)

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bbsweet January 12, 2008 at 11:14 pm

French by far.

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funkybrownchick January 13, 2008 at 8:33 pm

I think you’re on to something! :-)

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Monica January 17, 2008 at 6:57 pm

Ladies,
Been around a few countries, US & France included, lived there and had my “test drives”… French man are, with no doubt, the very best! Generalizing is not easy but I must confess that, in that matter, I have no doubt: Et vive la France ;-)

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funkybrownchick January 18, 2008 at 7:03 am

Oui, Vive la France!!! ;-)

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MJ March 25, 2008 at 4:53 pm

fuck american men-they sold out!,french men are so much hotter,and more romantic,and more sensitive,my god i shouldve land myself a french man!

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funkybrownchick March 25, 2008 at 6:42 pm

Lemme guess, YOU’RE a Frenchman?? :)

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Cen US April 14, 2008 at 8:27 pm

American is always the best.

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funkybrownchick April 15, 2008 at 7:24 am

Ah, and, lemme guess … YOU’RE an American man?? :)

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Sam May 3, 2008 at 3:26 pm

Vartan isnt even fully french hes only part and armenian.

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funkybrownchick May 3, 2008 at 7:55 pm

But he’s still cute. ;) A cute, little Armenian Frenchman.

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FrenchMenAllTheWayxxx May 24, 2008 at 11:56 am

French Men !!!! Its just the accent !!!!!
I don’t really like any of those french men above but we did have a rather cute french tutor who was at our school for a month
xxx

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funkybrownchick May 25, 2008 at 10:31 am

Cute Frenchmen? Ooh la la! ;)

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afromania May 28, 2008 at 4:36 pm

They can’t be compared. There are from two different universes. Though French dudes win hands down.

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Me September 12, 2008 at 3:10 am

I prefer my french man :)

But.. Out of those guys.. I say Henry.. His voice and accent has the abilities to make me go oh-la-la and thats without even watching him play football ;-)

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Comte de Clairanval October 16, 2008 at 5:28 am

Allons, mesdemoiselles, on se calme.

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Merfa December 30, 2008 at 5:22 pm

French all the way. My own particular hottie of choice is footballer Robert Pires, trop sexy!

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Jusx February 16, 2009 at 9:30 am

Romain Duris is the sexiest man alive!

The french language is beautiful, and frenchmen are always (well, usually!!) tall, dark, sophisticated and handsome.

Any more sexy frenchy pics?

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Dani February 17, 2009 at 1:41 am

Three way tie for me:

Thierry Henri, Michael Vartan, and Romain Duris.

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melina April 21, 2009 at 6:00 pm

I got a french friend…and man he is so sexy!….more sensual and exciting!…..Frenchmen are romantic!….American men are not!…they just fuck without loving..

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Jean May 22, 2009 at 11:43 am

Hey Jonatan,

i don’t know where you from, I do feel really offended by what you said about Zidane not being French.
He’s a hell of a French Man, and do represent today’s france with its mix of different culture.
French isn’t about your color it’s about your heart.
Despite all troubles in France,The french people are particulary proud by the way our team looks, it an example of integration and multi-culturality, and screw anybody right up his face, not to name any nationality, who has a problem with that.
Unlike the UK where one of color is called british, but a white person is called English, there’s only one way to call a person from France, and it’s french.

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I AM FRENCH! September 21, 2009 at 5:44 pm

The thing is that, on just their looks the french have even their marbles shined and for the best part though, as we all know beauty is only skin deep and one’s personality is what makes him or her sexy which makes them even more sexy and even more sexy which is never dependent on the eye of the beholder.

So american blog addicts, go figure. I that too is a pointless american movie driven expression. It may even come down to the fact that, we french love the real women as opposed to ones on american screens and american magazines but then again, who am I to have a need to care.

By this time …

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Lola November 11, 2009 at 2:10 pm

You really didn’t show the hottest French men !! Look at those pics : That’s what I’m talking about =D (French actors Alain Delon may years back, and Gaspard Ulliel )

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Lola November 11, 2009 at 2:10 pm

Woopsy, can’t insert pics ahah

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Alia November 14, 2010 at 5:35 am

Oh, French men by far! No matter what they look like, dark or light-skinned, no matter eye color or facial structure, in general, they are so much more romantic and manly. All those American men I dated needed to grow a spine compared to the average French man on the street. American men no matter what they look like tend to waffle or be rude…no inbetween ground. I have been incredibly fulfilled now for the last nine years with my French man. In addition….bedroom activities have never…NEVER..EVER grown boring. I get the full treatment every time. I used to tire of American men in about 6 months…although I resigned myself to each one of them for a couple of grueling years. I will never go back.
Ciao! : )

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Mona December 8, 2010 at 1:49 am

Zizoo is not French he is Algerian and he used to play for the Algerian National Soccer Team before he played for France.
and he is ARAB. not French. Which to the eyes Arab men are even more attractive than French men. They have their manly thing and they’ll let you have your womanly life. They their wives like a woman.

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The Amazigh Kabyle July 19, 2011 at 4:54 pm

To Mona:
Lying is a bad habit.Zidane never played for the Algerian team.He was born in France to Kabyle Algerian immigrant parents who came from Kabylie,east of Algiers,Algeria.Also,he is not an Arab,he is an Amazigh(Berber)Kabyle,native people of Algeria, and most Kabyles look whites or mediterranean.Actually there is more Scandinavian type in Kabylie than in south Europe.
Maybe you should learn that the FIFA does not allow anybody to play for two national teams.Only one national team for one country.lol

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meg November 3, 2011 at 6:18 pm

I dated a French guy and he was very different from any American guys I dated.  He dressed well, smelled good and was witty and funny.  French guys actually listen to women and don’t take over the conversation like some American guys do.  Every time he spoke to me in French my knees buckled.  I swear. 

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