Um wow. A lot of you are a bunch of nitpicking jerks. Would the question really of been that different had I included the word "PERCEIVED". If you don't have anything to contribute get out of this thread and r/askhistorians.
What makes you think that French are more open to sexuality than other nations if I may ask?
This thread has, perhaps expectedly, resulted in some people talking about personal experience with European countries. Please refrain from anecdotes, and keep things academic. Thanks!
When most people in the US think of France they're really just thinking of Paris, which would be like thinking of the US as only L.A. Paris is a cultural hub with a strong art scene, and generally speaking strong art scenes tend to produce material that pushes social norms, most notably in sex. Because Paris is the most recognized part of France we came to associate their art scene as their national identity, and sex part came with it
I am not an historian, nor is this a follow-up question, but perhaps a possible line of thought to be explored to answer the original question.
Is it possible that a lot of Americans were first exposed to French culture as soldiers during the second World War, and brought back tales of cabaret, etc. from their experiences there?
If Americans held the (perhaps mistaken, but popular) belief that French culture was more sexually open at an even earlier time, I would suspect that Ben Franklin's time there as ambassador might be another line to pursue.
Sorry, mods, if this breaks the rules - feel free to remove!
if you're thinking of bare boobs: on the Francophone beaches it is indeed a much more common sight than elsewhere in the world. Two educated guesses on the reason:
1.It was a fine and dandy in the annual Parisian «Bal des Quatres Arts» held from 1892 till 1966. See for yourself (NSFW, if your employer isn't French).
2.In the 1952 ballad of the «brave Margot» Georges Brassens mocked the provincial cult of the boob. It was still popular with the generation of my parents (born around a decade later).
if you're thinking of 1990s cinema like «Pola X», «Romance» and «Baise Moi»: that is indebted to middle brow comic books which draw, in turn, on painters such as Egon Schiele.
Source: an old issue of the «Beaux Arts» magazine.
You'll probably receive a better answer at /r/AskSocialScience.
