Understanding Female Sexuality in Paris: Breaking Taboos in France

In Paris, where café culture meets centuries of artistic rebellion, conversations about female sexuality have long been whispered behind closed doors - even as the city celebrates liberty, equality, and fraternity on its boulevards. But beneath the elegance of Montmartre and the quiet charm of Le Marais, a quiet revolution is unfolding. French women are no longer content to let silence define their desires. They’re speaking up - in therapy rooms, in university seminars, in feminist book clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and even in the aisles of pharmacies like Pharmacie du Marché Saint-Germain a well-known independent pharmacy in the 6th arrondissement that has quietly become a hub for sexual health consultations and discreet access to contraception and lubricants.

What Does Female Sexuality Mean in France Today?

For many, the idea of female sexuality in France still conjures images of the 1970s feminist movement - Simone de Beauvoir’s writings, the legalization of abortion in 1975, or the iconic cover of Libération with the headline ‘Je suis une salope.’ But today’s reality is more nuanced. Young women in Paris are not just fighting for rights - they’re redefining pleasure on their own terms.

A 2024 survey by Institut National d’Études Démographiques France’s leading demographic research institute, which tracks sexual behavior and reproductive health trends found that 68% of women aged 18-35 in Île-de-France feel their sexual needs are misunderstood by partners, doctors, or even their own families. Yet only 23% have ever spoken openly with their mothers about desire, orgasm, or consent. The gap isn’t just cultural - it’s generational.

In Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux, similar patterns emerge. But Paris remains the epicenter of change. Why? Because here, education meets activism. The city’s public libraries - like Bibliothèque nationale de France France’s national library, which hosts free monthly workshops on sexual health and gender identity - now offer workshops on female anatomy, pleasure mapping, and consent in relationships. These aren’t fringe events. They’re packed. Standing room only.

The Silence Around Orgasm

Ask a French woman if she’s ever faked an orgasm, and you’ll likely get a shrug - not out of shame, but because it’s seen as normal. A 2023 study by the Centre d’Étude de la Sexualité a research group based at Paris-Descartes University, focusing on sexual behavior and health found that 71% of women in Paris have faked orgasm at least once, mostly to avoid discomfort, end sex quickly, or because their partner assumed they were satisfied.

This silence isn’t just personal - it’s systemic. Sex education in French schools remains focused on reproduction and disease prevention. The word ‘pleasure’ rarely appears in textbooks. When it does, it’s often in the context of male desire. Girls are taught to say no. Not to say yes - and not to explore what yes actually feels like.

But change is coming. In 2025, the Paris city council launched a pilot program called Plaisir & Consentement a city-funded initiative offering free, age-appropriate workshops on sexual pleasure and mutual respect in public high schools across the 13th, 18th, and 20th arrondissements. The curriculum includes guided self-exploration, communication exercises, and even visits from certified sex educators who use anatomical models to teach about the clitoris - something most French women still don’t learn in school.

Where to Find Support - And Community

If you’re a woman in Paris looking to understand your sexuality better, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to suffer in silence.

• Les Petites Mains A feminist collective in the 10th arrondissement offering monthly ‘Pleasure Circles’ - safe, women-only spaces to talk about desire, boundaries, and sexual history
• La Maison des Femmes Located in Saint-Denis, this nonprofit provides free counseling, legal aid, and sexual health resources for women of all backgrounds, including migrants and survivors of violence
• Durex France In 2024, Durex launched its first French-language campaign focused on female pleasure, featuring real women from Paris talking about what they want - not what they think they should want
• Le Cercle des Sens A boutique wellness center in the 11th arrondissement offering sensual massage, yoga for sexual health, and guided meditation for orgasmic awareness

Even the French healthcare system is shifting. Since 2023, gynecologists in Paris are required to ask patients: ‘Est-ce que vous avez des désirs ou des plaisirs sexuels que vous aimeriez explorer ?’ - ‘Do you have sexual desires or pleasures you’d like to explore?’ It’s a small change. But for many, it’s the first time a doctor has ever asked.

Breaking the Taboo in Public Spaces

Paris has always been a city of bold expression. From the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec to the films of Catherine Breillat, female desire has been portrayed - often with controversy. But now, it’s being lived.

At the Festival du Film Erotique de Paris An annual event since 1999, now featuring workshops on female-directed erotic cinema and consent in storytelling, women filmmakers are showcasing stories where pleasure isn’t a punchline - it’s the point. In 2024, over 12,000 people attended screenings, many of them young women who had never seen their own experiences reflected on screen.

Even in the most traditional corners of the city, change is visible. At the Marché d’Aligre A vibrant weekly market in the 12th arrondissement where women now openly buy menstrual cups, lubricants, and vibrators alongside organic vegetables and cheese, you’ll find stalls selling sex toys next to fresh baguettes. The owner of La Belle Vie A small shop in the market that sells ethically made, body-safe pleasure products says sales of clitoral stimulators have tripled since 2022. ‘People used to ask for them in whispers,’ she says. ‘Now they just point.’

Why This Matters Beyond the Bedroom

Understanding female sexuality isn’t just about sex. It’s about autonomy. About being heard. About having the right to say what feels good - and what doesn’t - without apology.

In Paris, where the Louvre holds centuries of male gaze art and the streets still echo with the chants of May ’68, women are rewriting the script. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re forming reading groups in cafés like Café de Flore A historic café in Saint-Germain where feminist book clubs now regularly discuss works by Monique Wittig and Audre Lorde. They’re starting podcasts like ‘J’Ose Dire’ - ‘I Dare to Say’ - where women share stories of first orgasms, healing from trauma, and learning to say no.

This isn’t rebellion for the sake of shock. It’s reclaiming something that was never meant to be hidden: the right to pleasure, to curiosity, to complexity.

What You Can Do - Right Now

If you’re in Paris and ready to break the silence, here’s how to start:

1. Visit your local Maison de la Santé A public health center offering free sexual health consultations, available in multiple languages across all arrondissements and ask for a sexual health appointment - no referral needed.
2. Join a ‘Cercle de Parole’ - a women’s circle - at your local library or community center. Most are free and open to all.
3. Read ‘Le Plaisir Féminin’ by Dr. Marie-France Hirigoyen - a French psychiatrist’s accessible guide to female desire.
4. If you’re in a relationship, have one honest conversation: ‘What do you want? And what do I want?’ No judgment. No rush.
5. Support local businesses that sell body-safe pleasure products. They’re not just shops - they’re part of the movement.

Sexuality isn’t something you learn from a textbook. It’s something you live. And in Paris, more women than ever are choosing to live it - loudly, clearly, and on their own terms.