Do French Women Wear Joggers in Public?

A Prayer for the French Republic

Kitten heels on cobblestone streets? Yes. Gym clothes on the way to the gym, no.

That bit about the gym clothes may not be true anymore, but I think it was true 10 years ago, when this play was set. I distinctly recall hearing that and seeing it in action 20 and 30 years ago. Hm…I wonder what you would wear if you went for a jog? Would you have to jog at 5am, like we are to assume Marcelle has done in scene two of A Prayer for the French Republic? If you are going to wear leggings and chunky sneakers, you would want as few witnesses as possible. Motivation to run fast - so you appear blurry to any onlookers.

The sunlight in these three photos makes me think that these are morning runs. I can't tell if they are tourists or not. Flat black leggings are very well represented in the photos of female runners that I found. The demure long-sleeved top makes a lot of sense for a fall run, like the one Marcelle takes.

A mom moving around an apartment with purpose in a tidy workout outfit is a great contrast to her depressed 28 year old daughter still in her pajamas. I bet there is some work-around for the workout-clothing-in-public-problem that French women all tend to do. In NYC a decade ago, when those ballet/barré classes were so popular, you could see elegant women shopping with basket in ha…