To match or not to match? That is the question - and it provokes a slew of other questions: Is matching lingerie worth the money? (Yes.) Why is it so hard to find? (It's not.)  Do men love it or do they just want to take it off and get down to the basics?

New York Post dating columnist Jozen Cummings evoked the latter question a few years ago in a blog post titled: "Serious Question: Why Can't Women Match Bra and Panties? " Opined Cummings:  “The fact is..I don’t need to write five things women need to do to turn men on. I don’t even need to write three things or two things. All ladies need to do is one thing, one simple thing, to turn men on: Match the bra and panties.” He went on to wonder: “How the hell did seeing a woman match two undergarments become something of a special occasion? Hip me to the struggle!”

That solicited a slew of comments from American women that fell roughly into three camps:

1/ Those who thought matching lingerie was too hard to find or too expensive
2/ Those who didn’t give a damn about it
3/ Those who would never leave home without it. 

Thus Cummings most likely didn't get hip to the struggle, though he did suggest to women readers that wearing mismatched bra and panties is on par with men wearing two-toned boxer briefs. We only wish we could transport Cummings to a French lingerie boutique, because most French women understand one thing: There’s no denying the strangely empowering feeling that comes with matching lingerie – and it’s not about seduction per se (though good luck finding a man who doesn’t appreciate it). Rather, wearing matching lingerie is about feeling good in your own skin – something the French value so much they’ve given the state of grace its own expression:  bien dans sa peau (see French lesson #1 ).

Women have to experience this allure for themselves, but all lingeristas understand it perfectly well. “The feeling of being fully dressed from the inside out imbues one with a sense of confidence,” says Jenette of Jenette Bras . “Some women call it their ‘secret power suit.’” In a blog post titled "21 Types of Women's Underwear and What They Really Mean," writer Chelsea Fagan takes it one crucial step further, asserting that matching lingerie shouts out to everyone: “The world is not gonna f**k with me today, I can do anything, I believe in me. This is my moment, my matching-bra-and-panty moment.”

We couldn’t agree with more with the wise Ms. Fagan. Most French women grow up with that “the world is not gonna f**k with me” attitude. Check out the following French matching-bra-and-panty opportunities for yourself and find out why: