I just read that French courts finally ruled on the L'Oreal case (
I wrote about it two years ago) and found the cosmetic giant GUILTY AS CHARGED! Yay! (note that in the US, L'Oreal oftens uses minority models though they were accused of 'lightening' Beyonce's skin)
Read about it
here.
you are the snob, of course you're worth it! lol
This is simply a reflection of the French mindset. French people ARE a proud and racist nation. I've seen several documentaries on BBC on the subject. Having been to France myself, I found a lot of people unwilling to help out an English speaking tourist ( even if they knew the language). "Do YOU speak French", is the answer you typically get to "Do you speak English".