{{Short description|Stock character and costume}} {{for|the 1897 British musical comedy|The French Maid}} {{Use British English|date=March 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Constant Puyo- Montmartre 1906.jpg|thumb|1906 photo of a housemaid in Montmartre, Paris, by Constant Puyo|252x252px]]
'''''French maid''''' is a term first applied in the Victorian and early 20th-century periods to a lady's maid of French nationality. A lady's maid was a senior servant who reported directly to the lady of the house, and accompanied her mistress on travel. She helped her mistress with her appearance, including make-up, hairdressing, clothing, jewellery, and shoes, and sometimes served as confidante. A French maid was considered likely to be more expert in fashion, and was also able to apply her knowledge of the French language when travelling in Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Hermione |title=Edith Wharton |date=2007 |publisher=Pimlico |location=London |isbn=9781845952013 |page=524 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xEgqbyOkK28C&q=french+maid+edith+wharton&pg=PA524 |access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref>
{{multiple image | align = left | width = 120 | footer = Two common interpretations of the maid outfit: erotic (left) and {{Transliteration|ja|moe}} (right). | image1 = Ludella Hahn at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo (25638312936).jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = | image2 = Sock puppetting.svg | alt2 = | caption2 = }}
==Later history== Erotic fantasies revolving around young French women later led to the appearance of French maids as desirable and stereotypical soubrette characters in burlesque dramas and bedroom farces.<ref>{{cite web |last1=James |first1=Henry |title=The Europeans |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/179/179-h/179-h.htm#link2HCH0004 |website=Project Gutenberg |access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref> This stock character was a flirtatious, cheeky, and saucy figure.
The term ''French maid'' is often applied to an eroticised and strongly modified style of servant's dress that evolved from typical housemaid's black-and-white afternoon uniforms of 19th-century France, despite a housemaid being junior to a lady's maid. Some styles are conservative while others are revealing. The French maid costume is often used in cosplay, sexual roleplaying, and uniform fetishism. Depending on design details, some forms can be classified as lingerie.
In the anime and manga fandom, and especially among {{Transliteration|ja|otaku}}, maid outfits are considered to be {{Transliteration|ja|moe}}.<ref name=Database>{{cite book|last=Azuma|first=Hiroki|translator-last1=Jonathan|translator-first1=Abel|translator-last2=Kono|translator-first2=Shion|title=Otaku: Japan's Database Animals|chapter=Combinations of ''Moe''-elements|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=978-0-8166-5352-2|url=http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/A/azuma_otaku.html|date=2009|access-date=27 April 2022|archive-date=6 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006085015/https://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/A/azuma_otaku.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 21st century, restaurants known as "maid cafés" have been opened in Japan and other countries to appeal to the aforementioned ''moe'' aesthetic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/maidcafe.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222075803/http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/maidcafe.htm |archive-date=2016-02-22 | title=Maid Cafe }}</ref>
===Costume details=== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2022}} Though not strict to historically accurate uniforms, the French maid outfit has an easily recognizable pattern and black-and white theme that remains the template for other forms of the costume.
The typical French maid costume includes: * A black dress with white trim, with a full skirt at or above knee length * White half-apron, usually with ruffle or lace * A ruffled or lace headpiece or a bonnet * Tights or stockings * High heels, usually black * A feather duster * White or black lace garter
Optional accessories depend on design and context: * Choker necklace * Other cleaning equipment
==See also== {{commons category|French maid outfits}} * Band-Maid * Cosplay restaurant * Maid café * Maidcore
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Cosplay Category:Costume design Category:Dresses Category:Fetish clothing Category:Women's clothing