As a European living in the States, I always wondered what Americans thought about us, what were the exact thoughts that came to their mind when they had to describe Europeans. So I decided to go around and ask some friends about their feelings towards Europeans and how they would describe them. I specifically asked them to be honest; if they had anything negative to say then they had to say it.
Here are the 10 things that came up the most:
Cultured / Smart:
Refined taste and manners and good education. They have a rich history which help them to know a lot and be interested in more things.
Attractive men (but groomed):
Men are attractive but they care more about their bodies than Americans. They dress in a more feminine way than American men. They care about their hair, eyebrows, nails etcetera.
Fashion / Classy:
They value fashion in a way that they buy a few high quality pieces over a lot of cheap options. They would never go to class in yoga pants or sweats.
Fluent in more than one language:
It seems that you probably can always find someone that speaks English. They are practically forced to learn another language as many of them travel for work.
Attractive accents:
When they speak English or their mother tongue they have this sexy sound that Americans don't have. Even other English speaking countries sound sexier than American English.
Sophisticated / Proper / Formal:
They are more proper, just like manners etcetera. They're more formal in how they dress on a daily basis. On the contrary, once they know someone they kiss on the cheek and that is something you rarely see in America.
Open minded:
Open minded:
They are willing to consider new ideas, and are not close up to changes as Americans tend to stay within their comfort zone of choices.
Funny:
They have a really good sense of humor and tend to even laugh at themselves. They enjoy a good joke and are really fun to be around.![]()
Patriotic / Proud of their heritage:
They express devotion and vigorous support to their country. For example look at all these Euro Soccer supporters, they have come from all over Europe to support their players and they are so proud to show their colors. Plus most of these countries have been established for centuries and they have so much history to be proud of.
Younger drinking age / Alcohol consumers:
They can legally drink when they turn 18 years old and in some countries beer is even legal once you turn 16. Europeans are known to be heavy drinkers, just look up The Oktoberfest in Germany and you'll understand.
There was only one big negative thing that came up a few times; the fact that Europeans seem to look down on Americans. Some of the people I interviewed said they felt the need to pay attention to their behavior around Europeans so they wouldn't be stereotyped as "dumb Americans." As a European, I wouldn’t say we look down on Americans but the society definitely does not help the image we have of them. The society is filled with fake stereotypes; reality TV shows tend to only show the worst of their population and the constant promotion of fast food lines does not help fighting this “fat American” picture some people may have in mind. I think people tend to think one way before they experience something and once they have actually done it, their view changes. I'm certain people would stereotype less if publicity, social media and news gave out a better image.
Some other criteria’s came up when I gathered the information for my article like: romantic, athletic, friendly, partiers, humble, hard worker, adventurers and travelers…
Doing this experiment of asking people about their opinion on Europeans made me realize that we are really liked, and people even look up to us. I really want to live up to those expectations and be the best European figure I could be.
Watch out for an article about how Europeans see Americans in the following weeks.
