On May 19, 1974, France elected Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. A man who played the accordion, invited garbage collectors to lunch, and embodied the ultimate modernity of an era when people considered a color TV with a remote control connected by a cable as thick as a merguez sausage to be futuristic.
1974 was wonderful. Men smoked in maternity wards. Kids traveled unrestrained in the back seats of cars. And everyone thought it was normal to have an ashtray sitting next to the Mousline baby food.
That being said, France was still moving forward: Voting age lowered to 18. Abortion. Divorce by mutual consent. Proof that even in a country where orange carpeting dominated every aesthetic debate, progress could still sneak its way in between two glasses of Suze. 1974 dreamed of the future. In 2026, we’ve replaced Giscard with people who talk about "restoring order," looking like school cafeteria monitors who just busted a black market for applesauce.
Modernity has vanished. Today, everyone just wants to "reassure." Reassure people about immigration. Reassure them about youth. Reassure them about gluten. Soon, some candidate will probably propose a 9 PM curfew for women wearing leopard print. 1974 dreamed of the future. 2026 dreams of the Neolithic era. And meanwhile, women keep moving forward faster than everything else.
Before, they were taught how to run a household. Today, they’re taught how to run their "personal branding" on Instagram while maintaining visible abs and "glowy" skin. The oppression simply changed its font. At Patricia Blanchet, we still prefer women who look like a problem. The ones who laugh as loudly as others honk their horns. The ones who run like they’re about to escape a terrible dinner party without saying goodbye.
The ones who understand that a pair of shoes can sometimes do more for your mental health than a podcast hosted by a guy who says "alignment" every eleven seconds.
On May 19, 1974, France thought it was stepping into the future. In 2026, it’s still hesitating between total collapse, personal growth, and a $14 detox soup.
Fortunately, we still have the right to not give a single shit and focus entirely on pure pleasure. And from that, our ability to blow the world away with our happiness will follow.
