Attitudes: Bad news abroad for British women

British women were given an emphatic thumbs-down by European men in a magazine survey published yesterday. Foreign men are said to believe that the average British woman drinks too much, spends too little time on her looks and is more easily seduced than her continental counterpart.

Indeed the opinions, published in Company magazine, show that the stereotypical image of the British girl abroad still holds.

Gianluca, a 35-year-old Italian marketing manager, said: "As far as Italians are concerned, British women are white, not very clean, easy, and drink like fish." He said British girls look scruffy and have bad diets. "And it shows - the pear shape is always lurking. They should look after themselves better, it's worth it in the long run."

Fabrice, a corporate banker from France, said "Generally speaking, British women don't dress with taste."

The men did agree that the best thing about British women was their capacity for laughter. Gianluca said: They're very good at taking the mickey out of themselves. They're much better at it than Italian girls, who are probably too busy looking after their clothes."