Each week I receive an email from Paris Soirees, a
regular Sunday-night gathering of Parisian locals and
expatriates discussing various topics and issues. One week’s
topic, to take place at Patricia LaPlante’s home on the
I'le St. Louis boasted a Pleasure Consultant who would be discussing sex.
Titled, “Personal Pleasure: Eroticize Your Life, Not Just The
Moment,” the talk promises not to be boring. But as I read, it
gave me an idea to write what I know about the subject of this
underground culture in the capital city and the Parisians.
Interestingly, while doing research on the history and
acceptance of sex in Paris, I found an informative website
called “France in the Ages of Les Misérables”
that explains the sexual exploits and pleasures of rich
Frenchmen during the 19th century. In particular, I
found the definition of the word “courtesan” lavishing—it fits
perfectly well with the sex and pleasure society of modern-day Paris.
According to the site, “Courtesans
were basically mistresses. They were supported by wealthy men
who provided them with anything they could ever want. Many such
women lived in a more comfortable way then some of the
bourgeoisie”. Despite the fact that these courtesans were highly
educated, rich and often powerful in their own sensual way, they
were always looked upon by society as high classed prostitutions
or called girls. This reminds me of some very famous and
gorgeous women in today’s headlines, you know, the ones who
marry princes and rich businessmen. On the surface they seem
respectable, but in the end, most people don’t take them
seriously. Still, they are admired and sometimes envied for
their sensuality.
As with anywhere else in the world, sex has always been a hot subject
in Paris,
however, the French have always been more accepting of
non-traditional forms of pleasure. Take for instance, in 2001,
when a local stripper announced herself a mayoral candidate in
Paris’ Fifth Arrondissement. In her campaign speeches, she promised to
“suit up” the city
workers in sexier uniforms and advocated an extra day off each
week “just for love and pleasure.” Hmmm, I bet given simpler
circumstances, most average men would likely have voted for her.
Paris by night [and sometimes day] is hot with clubs that cater to people who love
sex, be they male or female, single or married, gay or straight.
There are also websites that allow “paying members” to contact
and connect with other for sexual dating via a live chat forum.
In my research to write this article, I had signed up on
www.meetic.fr, a popular meeting site for single people
looking for love and soul mates. I was contacted by some young
men who said they were only looking for some fun and sex.
Wow—just like that, huh? So, how many other desperate Frenchmen
are hiding thinly veiled behind a computer screen, conveniently
using a meeting site to find sex and pleasure?
I also signed up with another site,
www.meexy.fr , a single-night or many-nights dating service
for sex-lovers. That’s right, sex-lovers, not sex and love. On
this site, I was mostly contacted by young men at least five to
ten years my junior. All the supposed young Frenchmen said they
“adore older Parisian women—they would go the extra miles to
please her”. Many others were married men or couples who wanted
an extramarital relationship—a “courtesan” to be exact.
Pleasure page 2...
