The French often like to think of themselves as elegant. But they may be lacking when it comes to the swimwear department, a 1940s photo reveals.

While this assumption is rooted in the idea that what was once cool on a Cannes beach in 1948 will still be cool, if we take that as correct (and if the photo below has anything to say about it, it’s the case), then French beach fashion standards have flâneur-ed off a cliff.

They’ve even, according to the latest evidence, lowered the bar to the point that they’d rather wear Australian surf wear rather than the iconic Huggers Huggers pictured in the image below.

As a Parisian photographer based in Bondi Amaury Tréguer 64% of its followers told DMARGE last week that they prefer swim shorts to parakeet smugglers in a recent Instagram poll.

RELATED: Parisian Photographer Captures ‘Weird’ Beach Habit Australians Think Is Normal

“Phew…. Glad to see Morning Bondi followers have a sense of fashion and style. Please tell me those who inadvertently voted for ‘cock stickers’ ugly just skipping my stories [winky face]Amaury (half) jokingly wrote on the social media platform.

Image: @paris_vs_sydney

But, ironically, it’s the Australian men who speedos all year round who most closely resemble the guys in the Cannes 1948 image pictured at the top of this article (which as we’ve established beyond doubt, is the epitome of cool).

Your move, Amaury, your move …

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