To Sell Lingerie, Inhibitions, and Much More, Are Falling By ELAINE SCIOLINO:

Last year, French females from the age of 15 and older spent 18 percent of their clothing budget, or $2.9 billion, on lingerie, more than in any other European country, according to the French Federation of Lingerie and Beachwear.

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Lingerie is so important to a French woman's sexual self-esteem, it seems, that only 3 percent of French women believe they are seductive in the nude.

French public schools, already fighting a battle against Muslim girls who want to wear head scarves in violation of France's strict secular tradition, have opened a second front against girls who want to show their bellies and their strings.