photography by Izabella Rei Ishiyama, lighting by Sebastian Mullen
You might think that all the French people at LSE already know each other, especially if they’re in the same year, but you would be wrong: Héloïse Regnault de Montgon and Edouard Panciulo had never met before this interview. They’re both second years, studying Social Anthropology and Economics respectively. Héloïse grew up in Paris and was educated at a school which she describes as “peculiar”. Edouard’s upbringing was more meandering: he was born and raised in Hong Kong and spent time in the Philippines before spending his last years of education at a boarding school in the south of France. I sat down with both of them to talk about LSE, stereotypes about French students, astrology, and being queer at LSE.
Before we could start any real conversation, we had to bridge the quintessential Flipside question: why did they choose LSE? For Héloïse, it was a matter of expertise: “I wanted to do anthropology and it was a really good university for that. And I thought that the British education system was much better than the French one, in many ways… I always wanted to do my studies abroad.” The fact that she’d be undertaking her studies in her second language hardly phased her. “The first – I would say – two months were rough though because it was academic language… but now I’ve gotten used to it.” For Edouard it was a matter of escaping the ennui of the countryside: “I got really bored when I was in high school. We were in the middle of nowhere in France… I thought that London was an excellent compromise. It’s just an hour away and it really reminds me of where I grew up. [LSE] was really just looking at the best university within the city I wanted to live.”
I know what you’re thinking: it’s curious that I found two French people that don’t do Management. We spent quite some time unpacking that before arriving at the conclusion that there’s a kindergarten to management pipeline in the French education system. Edouard detailed his great struggle to convince his teachers to let him apply for Economics instead of Management: “I remember the teacher sort of smiling saying it’s not gonna happen. But she did, she did write a very good reference. I’m so very grateful for her.” Héloïse’s “peculiar” school gave her a much easier time: she describes their enthusiastic support despite not knowing much about the specifics of Anthropology at LSE.
As for other French stereotypes, Edouard says “you can always tell if a person is French…. I think every country and language has its very distinct features. And it’s true that French tend to hang together.” Héloïse agrees.
We talked about Edouard’s successful campaign to be LSESU LGBTQ+ Students Officer and what he plans to do with his new mandate. He wants to increase the diversity of events for LGBTQ+ students on campus, specifically, he hints towards more careers events. “I have a couple ones lined up already, which I’m really excited about. I won’t disclose the names yet.” He would also like to strengthen the ties between the Athletics Union and LGBTQ+ students as he thinks both sides stand to benefit from a closer relationship. His own club, LSE AU Rowing, is like family to him.
Héloïse’s endeavours are a bit more ethereal: she’s really into astrology. “I got into tarot at first… when I was about 10. I really started studying astrology properly when I was around 15.” She adds “a lot of people misunderstand it, rightfully so because the image you have of astrology is mostly from magazines, which is actually a fabrication from the 1950s.” Then she took Edouard and me through the actual process of doing an astrological reading. It starts with the person’s birth chart, which requires their precise time and location of birth. “Down to the minute,” she says. This birth chart then “gives you like kind of a snapshot of the position the exact position of planets, constellations are signs, asteroids and so on, at the exact time that you were born.” Turns out, astrology is a lot of maths. Héloïse does paid readings for people but in lieu of that, she recommends the app The Pattern over its competitor CoStar, citing the latter as disingenuous.
Late into the interview, we talked about not being straight. Edouard recently came out as gay and Héloïse is bisexual. If you don’t already know my sexuality then I haven’t been doing this job right. Knowing this, I asked them if they thought LSE was doing enough for its LGBTQ+ students. They think the school is overwhelmingly positive for queer students, compared to the situation in France. Héloïse says “it was a big change to see that people were really included, that there was a Pride Alliance, that there was an LGBT officer in the first place and that LSE was willing to publicly speak [on these issues].”
Héloïse describes coming out to her family at 16 after attending a very homophobic middle school. “My environment where I grew up was really homophobic in general but I’ve also always been used to having to fight and having to debunk stereotypes like especially biphobic stereotypes.” At LSE, Edouard thinks people stay in the closet not out of safety concerns but “because they feel deep down ashamed that they are and so they’re not ready to accept it for themselves.” He relates his own experience coming out to his parents over the summer: “I was expecting, like, an average sort of response, like, you know, acknowledgement, but they were actually more than supportive and I’m so grateful.”
The point where we do think LSE could be doing more to support students who come out is to have provisions for students who find themselves cut off from the financial support of their families after coming out – or worse – being outed. I left the interview feeling fulfilled, a renewed sense of honesty and purpose in my heart. I really hope Héloïse and Edouard feel the same. They obligingly shared with me their thoughts on their less-than-simple relationships with their home country, their sexualities, and LSE. I’m grateful for that.
Quickfire questions
Baguettes or croissants?
Both: Baguettes. [Apparently, the real debate is whether to say pain au chocolate or chocolatine, both say it’s the former.]
Marseille or Paris?
E: Marseille.
H: Paris because that’s where I grew up, but in spirit, Marseille. It is beautiful.
Red or white wine?
E: White, because red stains.
H: Am I even French? I actually I don’t drink wine, beer, or champagne. Only spirits.
