What american culture is very popular in France?

Question

What sorts of american culture things are loved in France? Actors, artists, music, clothes, vehicles, etc. Thank you or merci =)

Answer 1

Jerry Lewis!

Lewis has long remained popular in Europe: he was consistently praised by some highbrow French critics in the influential Cahiers du Cinéma for his absurd comedy, in part because he had gained respect as an auteur who had total control over all aspects of his films, comparable to Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. In March 2006, the French Minister of Culture awarded Lewis the "Legion of Honor," calling him the "French people's favorite clown".[6] Liking Lewis has long been a common stereotype about the French in the minds of many Americans, and is often the object of jokes in U.S. pop culture

Answer 2

we know American actors almost as well as you, I would say that 3/4 of what we watch on TV or cinema is American, we listen to American and English music, we wear jeans...American culture is not a mystery for us, we know almost everything. (and there are a lot of Haagen dass ice cream shops now)

Answer 3

Charlie Chaplin and Jerry Lewis.

After all these years, they are still huge draws and people still love them.

And Levi jeans.  And American t-shirts with American logos on them.

And surely, anyone who is hugely popular here, is going to be popular there.

Answer 4

Just about all of it.

In fact, there are parts of American culture, such as Jazz, which seem to be more appreciated in France than in America.

Aside from the language being spoken, you could be dropped into the middle of a party in Paris and notice that everyone was wearing UCLA sweatshirts with Levis, smoking Marlboros (the most popular cigarette in France), talking about American movies and TV shows, eating burgers, KFC, and Pizza Hut Pizza, and listening to American music. (The President of France, Mr. Sarkozy,  is said to be a fan of Lionel Ritchie and Celine Dion).

I currently live in Texas and when I'm in Paris I tend to stop people who I see wearing University of Texas sweatshirts and ask them where they are from. So far, I've never met an actual Texan as they always turn out to be French.

In fact, the spread of American culture to France has become quite alarming. Starbucks seems to be spreading like a plague all over Paris and, even wierder, people seem to be developing a taste for Tex-Mex food. There's nothing more disheartening than seeing a Parsian eating a burrito or some god awful chili with gusto. I sometimes am tempted to scream "why are you eating this c**p!"

For an example of this take a look at this little video of people at the Indiana Cafe. this is part of a chain of cafes that have an "American" theme. (The French apparently believe that Indiana is filled with Native Americans and the place is decorated with pictures of them) Look at the food they are eating and the drinks they are having. It freaks me out to hear them singing the praises of fajitas. http://www.paris-zoom.com/video/279/Indi... Worse still they are paying 6 euros (about $9) for a plate of nachos.

Last October I went looking for a "fake book" of French popular music (a fake book gives you the basic melody line and lyrics of songs...a useful tool if you sing in bars). I went to the largest music store in Paris and asked for one and was met with total confusion. They essentially said "why would anyone want one?" Every fake book they had was mainly American music with only a very few French songs.