FORUM

I got a bit of pub today from Orange, promoting - among other things - this device: a sort of stick with a clamp on the end to hold your mobile phone at arm's length, and a gizmo to set off the camera. I had seen them in use - "this is me, and that's the Eiffel Tower " - but hadn't realised there was a recognised Franglais term for them. There was also, of course, the obligatory asterisk leading to a crib in tiny print explaining that "selfies" are "autoportraits": a strong contender for the prize for this year's most redundant information.

Some days I suspect I am getting old; other days........

Ooooooooo, I want one. I've only got short little arms.
No but really?

One of my French neighbours read this post and has just emailed me the following

Tout le monde connaît un selfie - mais qu'est ce que c'est un auto portrait?
(tongue in cheek I believe )

isn't it a variant of a go pro?

Kate wrote:Ooooooooo, I want one. I've only got short little arms.
No but really?

One of my French neighbours read this post and has just emailed me the following

Tout le monde connaît un selfie - mais qu'est ce que c'est un auto portrait?
(tongue in cheek I believe )

A belated after-thought. Kate's friend said "un selfie", and I guess I would have done the same, although there is no obvious reason to think that loan-words from English should necessarily be masculine. I suspect the same applies more generally, unless the thing denoted is necessarily feminine (I can't think of an example, but I guess they must exist) or the word itself has been feminised ("starlette" or "speakerine").

Any example of a loan-word which is regarded as feminine in French just as a matter of choice?