Our Times - World news, culture and opinion

'When people gawk at my hair, I'm glad not to flinch:' Young women reject the 'diktat' of body hair removal

Inspired by the body positivity movement on social media, an increasing number of women under 25 are rejecting the smooth-shaven trend to reclaim control over their bodies.

Published yesterday at 4:28 am (Paris), updated yesterday at 8:40 am Eliott Nail

Column

What do eating contests look like in France?

Extremely popular in the United States and Japan, sports food competitions are a way to highlight local products in France, such as Morteau sausage or cancoillotte cheese, writes food columnist Léo Bourdin.

Published on July 21, 2024, at 7:31 pm (Paris) Léo Bourdin

Interview

Writer Corinne Maier: 'It's time for women to assert their right to selfishness'

Women are still too often servants devoted to domestic life, laments Corinne Maier. In an interview, the author urges them to 'break free from the social conditioning that prepares girls to devote themselves to others.'

Published on July 17, 2024, at 4:16 am (Paris), updated on July 17, 2024, at 9:41 am Marjorie Philibert

Investigation

The boom in male masturbation toys: 'I have friends who are afraid they'd prefer it to the real thing'

Online, some men extol the benefits of male sex toys, and imagine lives without human partners in order to repair a masculinity they feel has atrophied.

Published on July 7, 2024, at 5:49 am (Paris) Aurélien Defer

Investigation

110 and beyond: The extreme longevity of 'supercentenarians'

They've lived through the First World War. Today, 36 French people are over 110. They each have their own secret to their incredibly long life.

Published on July 4, 2024, at 9:00 pm (Paris), updated on July 5, 2024, at 1:09 pm Pascale Krémer

Column

Alone in a forest, most women would rather run into a bear than a man

On TikTok, the video 'Man or bear?' was viewed over 16 million times last month, turning the question into one of the social network's most popular trends. Still, here are a few tips to help you survive a chance encounter with the plantigrade.

Published on June 21, 2024, at 4:18 am (Paris), updated on June 21, 2024, at 8:39 am Marjorie Philibert

News

For New Zealand parents, 'barefoot children are happy children'

As part of a series exploring parenting abroad, this week Le Monde looks at shoes being optional in New Zealand, as a way to be open to the great outdoors and focused on children's freedom.

Published on June 8, 2024, at 4:02 am (Paris) Julien Blanc-Gras

Column

The creatures of the deep that could sink Olympic swimming in the Seine

This month, Netflix will release 'Sous la Seine,' a film in which a killer shark preys on athletes. With the Paris 2024 Olympics around the corner, let's take a look at the critters lurking in the river due to host swimming events.

Published on June 3, 2024, at 5:09 pm (Paris) Marjorie Philibert

Long Read

A former French president's scooter, sold at auction, has become a pop icon

The three-wheeled machine that François Hollande rode to visit his mistress during his presidency was sold at auction on May 26. Now an incongruous relic of the French Republic, it will join an automobile museum.

Published on June 1, 2024, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Michel Dalloni

Column

Being stuck at the office, an anguish turned dystopian nightmare

In the Japanese feature film 'Mondays: See You 'This' Week!,' a group of employees relive the same week over and over again. At a time when working remotely is gaining popularity among employees, being forced to work in person has become a recurring source of anxiety and the stuff of horror films.

Published on May 31, 2024, at 4:40 am (Paris), updated on May 31, 2024, at 8:31 am Nicolas Santolaria

News

In Sweden, parents of young children question the omnipresence of screens

As part of a series exploring parenting abroad, this week Le Monde looks at Sweden where 82% of 9-year-olds have a cell phone, yet no official guidelines on screen time exist.

Published on May 30, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on May 30, 2024, at 7:46 am Anne-Françoise Hivert

Interview

Christine Détrez: 'Crushes are a way of reintroducing fantasy, not in a sexual but a romantic sense'

The sociologist and writer used the interviews she conducted with young people aged 13 to 25 to study this form of attraction. A reinvention of romance among the youth says a lot about the new generation's expectations in matters of the heart.

Published on May 27, 2024, at 4:09 pm (Paris) Selma Chougar

Investigation

What happened to the washcloth?

The personal hygiene accessory has gradually been replaced by washing with bare hands. Some diehards still use the bacteria breeding ground to clean their bodies or private parts.

Published on May 25, 2024, at 12:45 pm (Paris) Maroussia Dubreuil

In Depth

Parents' climate guilt: 'I haven't been able to give up travel, plastic, beef or Nutella. I can't explain this inconsistency to myself nor to my children'

Climate change is forcing us to look to the future. For some parents, it's time to address their environmental debt to their children.

Published on May 19, 2024, at 12:12 am (Paris), updated on May 19, 2024, at 9:06 am Cécile Cazenave

Column

Meet the 'mid girl', the latest TikTok trend used to elicit compliments

Anne Chirol looks at the 'mid girl,' a young woman who finds herself neither beautiful nor ugly, and who presents herself as a victim of popular beauty standards on social media.

Published on May 18, 2024, at 5:36 am (Paris) Anne Chirol

News

How digital nomads became a booming market

Short-term 'co-living' platforms offer luxury accommodation in locations such as South Africa, the Alps and Costa Rica to those who can choose where they work.

Published on May 17, 2024, at 3:25 am (Paris), updated on May 17, 2024, at 7:45 am Catherine Rollot

Your stories

Sacha, a 48-year-old male sex worker: 'Everyone's a bit of a sex therapist when they're a hooker'

As a sex worker, his clients are exclusively women over the age of 45. Thanks to his services, he claims that they are able to return to a fulfilling sex life. He opened his logbook for Le Monde.

Published on May 9, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on May 9, 2024, at 9:22 am Audrey Tonnelier

Column

The 'boy mom,' the mother who cannot cut the cord with her son

Anne Chirol reports on the digital archetypes of our time, from the #tradwife to the #fuckboy. This week, the mother who wants to be eternally connected with her son, to whom she is devoted.

Published on April 27, 2024, at 1:35 pm (Paris) Anne Chirol

Investigation

'Twilight was my porn!' When young people's sexuality flourishes beyond X-rated content

Defying the statistics on pornography consumption, some people under 35 are forming their sexuality by looking elsewhere. Eight women and one man who grew up with a screen in their hands told Le Monde how their erotic imaginations took shape.

Published on April 24, 2024, at 9:00 pm (Paris) Miren Garaicoechea

In Depth

Natural selection should have eliminated giraffes. What if Darwin got it all wrong?

Contrary to Darwin's theory of evolution, not only the best survive, as philosopher Daniel Milo has demonstrated in an essay using the giraffe as an example.

Published on April 24, 2024, at 5:32 am (Paris), updated on April 24, 2024, at 7:59 am Marjorie Philibert

Your stories

Rekindled love: 'I conquered her at 17, and she won me back at 60'

They met, fell in love and then split before the whirlwind of life brought them back together again. Guillaume, 60, recounts his story with Christine.

Published on April 23, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris) Charlotte Herzog

Selection

Five places to see horses with your children around Paris

Whether it's a show by Bartabas, a visit to historic stables or a ride in the countryside, there's no shortage of opportunities to get up close and personal with some magnificent horses in and around Paris. There's something for the whole family.

Published on April 20, 2024, at 5:41 am (Paris) Tiphaine Thuillier

Column

'I'll get back to you ASAP!!!': How the exclamation point spread to professional messages

The most trivial conversation on a professional communication platform now features an explosion of exclamation marks. This mirrors their use in text messages, and the results range from over-enthusiasm to toxic positivity.

Published on April 14, 2024, at 10:33 pm (Paris), updated on April 15, 2024, at 8:18 am Nicolas Santolaria

Column

When it comes to sex, do we set the bar too high?

Media representations of sexuality create insane expectations which can only lead to disappointment in real life. It's time to change our frame of reference, writes columnist Maïa Mazaurette.

Published on April 10, 2024, at 11:46 am (Paris) Maïa Mazaurette

Investigation

Women are the first victims of burnout

From breakdown to rehabilitation, L'Burn, a Bordeaux-based organization, takes care of exhausted women from all over France. According to the country's public health body, more women than men are affected by work-related mental distress.

Published on April 10, 2024, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on April 10, 2024, at 10:13 am Brune Mauger

Your stories

The mental load on women in the workplace: 'Organizing a retirement party, emptying the trash...'

From organizing after-work events to maintaining a good working atmosphere, training new recruits and emptying the dishwasher, the invisible workload continues to be carried out by women. In the long run, these unpaid tasks take a toll.

Published on April 9, 2024, at 11:54 am (Paris), updated on April 11, 2024, at 2:56 pm Anne Chirol

Interview

Marie Pezé, burnout specialist: 'Presenteeism at work penalizes women who work a double day'

The psychoanalyst believes that 'what women go through at work increases anxiety and depressive disorders.' In an interview, she explains that acute stress can have repercussions on their health, and even prevent them from getting pregnant.

Published on April 7, 2024, at 10:45 am (Paris), updated on April 9, 2024, at 3:43 pm Brune Mauger

Investigation

How anger became our driving emotion: 'As a civilization's engine, it's worrying'

From the success of 'rage rooms' to politics and pop culture, latent anger infuses our daily lives. Once considered a mortal sin, fueling this emotion is now popular.

Published on April 6, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on April 6, 2024, at 1:02 pm Vincent Cocquebert

Investigation

Miniature farm animals: 'They're smaller, more practical, take up less space and eat less'

Adorable videos of miniature animals are going viral on TikTok and Instagram. Owners of mini cows, mini goats, mini donkeys and mini pigs can't speak highly enough of them.

Published on April 4, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Djaïd Yamak

Column

Brady Brandwood, the lobster whisperer

In the seafood section of his local supermarket, this American fell in love with Leon. Since then, he's been inundating YouTube with videos documenting the pet crustacean's new dream life.

Published on April 2, 2024, at 1:28 am (Paris) Nathan Stern

Column

Considering the world through the animal gaze

Adopting an animal's perspective encourages us to shift our perspective and reevaluate the dynamics of human societies.

Published on March 26, 2024, at 5:09 am (Paris), updated on March 26, 2024, at 7:42 am Marjorie Philibert

Column

'Sakura,' cherry blossom time

This year, the cloud of pink petals will spread through parks and gardens from the south to the north of Japan, between March 20 and April 30. A highlight of the year, which florist Tomoji Hakuno is reinterpreting in his Paris flower shop.

Published on March 23, 2024, at 3:37 pm (Paris), updated on March 23, 2024, at 3:37 pm Julie Lasterade

News

DignifAI: Internet users dress women using artificial intelligence

AI tools are being used to modify images of women deemed 'depraved,' adding clothes and, in some cases, White children and husbands.

Published on March 17, 2024, at 12:54 am (Paris), updated on March 17, 2024, at 9:43 am Morgane Tual

Column

The 'passport bro,' neocolonialist looking for his 'trad wife'

Anne Chirol reports on the digital archetypes of our time, from the #tradwife to the #fuckboy. This week, she focuses on the 'passport bro,' a North American or European man who uses his ID as a key to satisfy his sexual tourism tastes.

Published on March 16, 2024, at 12:30 am (Paris), updated on March 16, 2024, at 9:40 am Anne Chirol

Feature

'Able to create our own masculinity': Drag kings emerge from queens' shadows

Less widely publicized, drag kings have been present in France since the late 1990s. Performers from the Kings Factory spoke with Le Monde as the group celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Published on March 15, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Miren Garaicoechea

Feature

At a rural French casino, swapping boredom for dreams of the jackpot: 'We can't travel anymore, so we splurge!'

Far from the stereotypes portrayed by the chicest among them, the 202 French gaming establishments are places of social and generational diversity. In one casino in eastern France, a varied clientele comes to try their luck as much as to break their solitude.

Published on March 10, 2024, at 5:41 am (Paris) Pascale Krémer

Feature

Padel craze is sweeping across France: 'It's a far cry from the hushed world of tennis'

Somewhere between tennis and squash, this sport is fast becoming a hit and breathing new life into some struggling tennis clubs, which are transforming their green courts into blue ones.

Published on March 4, 2024, at 8:45 pm (Paris) Catherine Rollot

Column

Sex at the office: Why the boss can't flirt anymore

While romantic relationships are accepted between colleagues of equal rank, they are frowned upon when one partner is a member of the company hierarchy, due to suspicions of coercion.

Published on March 4, 2024, at 10:48 am (Paris) Nicolas Santolaria

News

Swedish parents say 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes'

As part of a series exploring parenting abroad, this week Le Monde looks at Sweden, where children's time outdoors is sacred. Whether in rain or snow, schoolchildren play outside from an early age – even napping outdoors.

Published on March 2, 2024, at 10:40 am (Paris) Anne-Françoise Hivert

Investigation

Sexual dropouts claim the right to abstinence: 'With my two exes, we were almost sexless for years'

Is sex the glue that holds a couple together? Not for these people, who accept ups and downs in their libido and come to terms with their lack of desire. Alone or with a partner, the renunciation of carnal pleasures is a choice and, sometimes, a liberation.

Published on February 25, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on February 25, 2024, at 9:09 am Célia Laborie

Column

Mocked by French politicians, the Amish are revamped on the web

The austere lifestyle of the Amish community has been much mocked, not least by Emmanuel Macron.

Published on February 21, 2024, at 2:32 am (Paris), updated on February 21, 2024, at 11:50 am Julien Guintard

Column

'Living apart together,' couples who keep separate homes

Anne Chirol reports on the digital archetypes of our time, from the #tradwife to the #fuckboy. This week, partners who wish to live in their own nest and see each other when they decide to.

Published on February 17, 2024, at 2:00 pm (Paris) Anne Chirol

Interview

'Should our children be smarter because we're shrinks?'

Sophie Marinopoulos, a psychoanalyst and now a grandmother, speaks about the joys and trials of her daily life raising four children 'with joy,' and assessed the expectations and demands around motherhood today.

Published on February 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on February 17, 2024, at 8:41 am Guillemette Faure

News

French men are increasingly turning to vasectomy

The number of men opting for this form of contraception has risen from 1,940 in 2010 to 30,288 in 2022, thus overtaking female sterilizations, according to a study.

Published on February 12, 2024, at 3:39 pm (Paris) Nathaniel Herzberg

Column

The 'SAHG,' the girlfriend who patiently waits for her man to come home

Anne Chirol reports on the digital archetypes of our time, from the #tradwife to the #fuckboy. This week, she focuses on the 'Stay at Home Girlfriend,' that homebody who doesn't work and is both emotionally and financially dependent.

Published on February 12, 2024, at 2:13 pm (Paris) Anne Chirol

Column

The 'bad bitch,' the powerful woman who embraces her desires

Anne Chirol reports on the digital archetypes of our time, from the #tradwife to the #fuckboy. This week, she focuses on the 'bad bitch,' a woman with a highly augmented femininity, confidence and a clear sense of her own worth.

Published on February 11, 2024, at 2:55 am (Paris), updated on February 11, 2024, at 9:43 am Anne Chirol

Column

Could cat-man be the new masculine ideal?

On social media, men pose with their felines to prove that they are not predators. Some see it as the emergence of a masculine identity built around caring and attention.

Published on January 28, 2024, at 10:00 pm (Paris) Emmanuelle Saint-André

Column

Le Monde's selection of hot cocktails to beat cold snaps

The warming power of alcohol is illusory, but some drinks can help you get through the winter chill. Here are five recommendations and the all-important recipes.

Published on January 27, 2024, at 6:00 pm (Paris), updated on January 28, 2024, at 8:08 pm Ophélie Neiman

Column

'It's hard to fail. But it's worse never to have tried to succeed': Should we put an end to inspirational office quotes?

Once exclusive to startups, motivational quotes from figures like Gandhi, Churchill or Steve Jobs are now widespread across corporate walls. Intended to motivate staff, they can sometimes have the opposite effect.

Published on January 26, 2024, at 2:02 am (Paris), updated on January 26, 2024, at 7:36 am Nicolas Santolaria

Investigation

When mandatory booking for everything turns into a nightmare

Despite being supposed to be a guarantee of consumer comfort, mandatory booking can often become an obstacle course.

Published on January 23, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris), updated on January 23, 2024, at 10:28 am Maroussia Dubreuil

Column

The tradwife, or the new housewife

Anne Chirol reports on a modern twist to 1950s domesticity, where wives advocate for the return of the traditional woman who sees to her husband's every need.

Published on January 20, 2024, at 12:07 am (Paris), updated on January 20, 2024, at 9:10 am Anne Chirol

Column

'Succession' in Alain Delon's family: Is Anthony France's Kendall Roy?

In a reality that rivals the drama of the American series, film star Alain Delon's heirs are fighting over custody of the ailing patriarch. Like a boomerang, the all-powerful father is paying dearly for how he raised his children.

Published on January 17, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Magali Cartigny

Column

Erotic fantasies, a secret garden to be cultivated

Sexual fantasy is evaporating under the blows of technology and self-censorship, observes Maïa Mazaurette, who champions the right to engage in erotic reveries without moral judgment.

Published on January 10, 2024, at 3:40 am (Paris), updated on January 10, 2024, at 7:42 am Maïa Mazaurette

Investigation

Menopause: Unpicking a biological and social taboo

The way women experience and understand this stage in their lives has evolved greatly and continues to raise questions among doctors and human science researchers. While the issue remains relatively taboo in society, the lines are beginning to shift.

Published on January 9, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Marion Dupont

Your stories

One day, there was a miracle: 'I was reading Le Monde at a crosswalk and a stranger saved my life'

Sixteen years ago, Jérôme, now 52, would have been hit by a bus had it not been for the timely intervention of a passer-by.

Published on January 8, 2024, at 12:01 am (Paris) Clara Georges

Column

Companies imitate luxury hotel room service to entice employees back to the office

Covid-19 has permanently kept employees away from their open-plan offices. To reverse the trend, some employers are drawing on the luxury hotel industry's practices.

Published on January 7, 2024, at 5:20 pm (Paris) Nicolas Santolaria

Investigation

From clubs to couches: Why the 'indoor generation' prefers a night in

Nightlife venues are running on empty, and the trend of staying home is flourishing on social media. Inflation and the pandemic are just some of the reasons young people are partying in a different way.

Published on January 4, 2024, at 8:00 pm (Paris), updated on January 5, 2024, at 8:27 am Audrey Parmentier

Investigation

The boom in self-defense for women: 'I needed to remind myself that I'm a warrior'

From the subway to the street, even at home, there are many reasons why women are increasingly taking responsibility for their own safety, as the participants at one Parisian Krav Maga class told us.

Published on December 31, 2023, at 6:56 pm (Paris), updated on January 1, 2024, at 4:23 am Jane Roussel

Investigation

Prestigious parties, promoters and unlimited champagne: 'In the VIP area, the girls are cattle'

In the nightclubs of Paris's 'golden triangle,' a playground for the city's rich kids, the success of the VIP lounge is based on the objectification of the female body as a business model.

Published on December 30, 2023, at 10:00 pm (Paris) Anne Chirol

Your stories

Rekindled love: 'It's as if we'd pressed the pause button, only to release it 25 years later'

They met, fell in love and then split before the whirlwind of life brought them back together again. Eric, 56, an executive in the audiovisual industry, tells the story of his relationship with Vicki.

Published on December 27, 2023, at 4:52 am (Paris), updated on December 27, 2023, at 10:18 am Sophie Gindensperger