Why did the French like Ben Franklin so much?

Answer 1

Though no one living today can tell what made Benjamin Franklin so popular with the ladies, it is well known that he had a great sense of humor and had an uncanny ability to negotiate even with the most difficult and different people. This tells me he

* must have smiled a lot * was easy to talk to * wasn't soon angry * didn't take things too seriously * was good at dropping humorous lines These are a great combination of character traits which constitute a generally charming man and one whom women like to be around.

He was also a man with great political prowess and therefore would have been a man of power, a man of influence. These are also traits which attract some women.

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Answer 2

French society at the time was extremely class conscious: it was pretty much impossible to rise above the status you had at birth. French intellectuals at the time were questioning the usefulness of such a social structure, and were naturally interested in Franklin, a person who began life as an uneducated tradesman but had become a highly respected writer and scientist. They were also fascinated by his American background, as the stereotype was that all Americans were wild savages from the backwoods. Franklin played up the latter to the hilt, wearing a beaver cap in France even though he never wore one while in America.