This is Friday Feels Saturday Sentiments from Feeling Phine. My last post about Obama-era nostalgia is right here. The previous one about being a basic bitch is over here. Thanks for reading!
Hi all,
To my stateside readers: Happy Labor Day weekend.
To my readers abroad (Singapore, and beyond): Happy regular weekend.
Yesterday I packed up my new-ish duffel bag for Saturday, Sunday, and a blissful work-free Monday. As I departed the house, Maman (my mom) commented, “Nice baise-en-ville.”
Baise-en-ville literally translates from French to English as “fuck-in-town.”1 It is a term the French use for overnight bags.
I hadn’t heard anyone say it in years, and was equally amused and appalled. Sure, I was going to spend the weekend with my boyfriend, but did she really have to point out the coitus of it all?
A mini-inquisition ensued in which Maman assured me that baise-en-ville is a normalized term in French. She insisted it wasn’t vulgar. How could it be, when her sensible, prudish grandparents even used it back in their day? Fair enough. I thanked her for the vocab refresher, picked up my fuck-bag, and headed to Malibu.
This morning the term still pervaded my thoughts. I did some light research on Google dot com and found that it is indeed a noun in the French dictionary.
A (very rough) translation of the definition: A bag, luggage, etc, which contains one’s necessities / toiletries for a night away.
In short, the Larousse dictionary reaffirmed that my mom wasn’t perving out. She’s simply French, and French people famously manage to make everything, from bags, to braids, to kissing, to toast, quite a lot sexier.
A warning: next time you’re packing your small suitcase, it’s likely that this email will pop up in your thoughts. Then, the spirit of Serge Gainsbourg may or may not appear. His apparition will take a long drag of his Gitane cigarette. After a lengthy, sensual exhale, he’ll lean towards you and whisper, “Buckle in chérie. I ‘ope you are ready to fuck... een town.”
Bon weekend.
x Joséphine
PS - There’s a heat wave in California. Amidst the tips on staying cool, the National Weather Service says to “wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible.” In short, it’s time to wear bras as tops again. If you’d like some inspiration for this look, you can revisit my essay on the subject here:
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Alternatively, if one chooses to read ville as “city” it can also translate to “fuck-in-the-city.” Not to be confused with Carrie and the gang.