If aliens ever visited Earth and you wanted to show them just how unique, diverse, and bizarre humankind can get, you should take them for a ride on the subway. There’s something special about public transport that brings out the strangeness in some folks.
The Paris metro is no exception! The ‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ ('People in the Metro’) Instagram account documents the strangest sights that Parisians have seen on the subway. We’ve collected some of the funniest and oddest photos to share with you. Scroll down to check them out.
Bored Panda got in touch with the founder of the project, Gaëtan Lagarde, and he was kind enough to answer our questions. You'll find our interview with him as you read on.
More info: Instagram | TikTok | Book
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Lagarde told us that he first started ‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ all the way back in 2016, nearly a decade ago.
"I had recently moved in in Paris to work," he told Bored Panda.
"And I discovered the pleasure of taking the metro every day," he said.
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Lagarde opened up to us about what inspired him to start the Instagram account in the first place. According to him, one day, he saw two men sitting underneath a poster that said 'Bêtes De Sexe' ('Sex Beasts').
He thought that the sight was amusing, so he took a photo, and this gave him the idea to create the account.
Bored Panda was curious to get Lagarde's opinion as to why so many strange things happen on the metro. According to him, "People forget they are on public transportation."
"Taking the metro has become mere routine and some 'useful time' to do something," he said that commuters use this time to do whatever they need to do to save some time, without caring who is around them.
"Also, people are crazy," Lagarde joked.
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The founder of ‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ was kind enough to share some advice for anyone visiting Paris for the very first time.
“My advice for first-time visitors is that if you take the metro, keep your phone close to you to catch a funny moment to DM me,” he urged everyone to participate in the community that has formed around the Instagram account.
However, on a more serious note, Lagarde warned visitors to "please, beware of pickpockets."
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‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ has been around for quite a while now. It was first started nearly 8 years ago. The Instagram page has grown by leaps and bounds, especially after it was picked up by the media in 2018. At the time of writing, the account boasts a very sizable following of 547k followers—and counting! Meanwhile, the project also has a jaw-dropping 307.6k followers on TikTok.
Over the years, the page has been covered by a variety of French news outlets. Meanwhile, the team running the project has also published an activity book to keep you busy while on the Parisian subway system.
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The person behind the wildly popular ‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ Instagram account, Lagarde, is originally from Burgundy.
He told ‘Le Parisien’ that the vast majority of the photos shared on the account are real. Some images, however, are of people doing artistic performances.
According to Lagarde, Parisians have a unique relationship with the metro system. They use their commute to put on makeup, do some work, exercise, and anything else you can think of.
He also pointed out that when commuters forget that there are other people around them, they stop caring about their opinions.
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Meanwhile, the founder of ‘Les Gens Dans Le Métro’ told ‘Actu Paris’ that the account was originally meant only to make his friends laugh. Lagarde said that, since he’s not Parisian, when he first arrived in the French capital, he was very curious and even took photos of the people he saw.
For Lagarde, the success of the entire project comes down to contrast. On the one hand, you’ve got the dreary atmosphere of the capital’s metro system. On the other hand, this is juxtaposed by the peculiar and mind-boggling events taking place.
“We see in the photos that people are making faces. And even when something crazy happens, they remain indifferent,” he told ‘Actu Paris’ that the goal of his account isn’t just to be funny. It’s also to encourage people to react.
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One of the coolest things about the account is just how popular it is among the Paris metro staff. Lagarde has previously revealed that they sometimes send him messages. “They love the account and tell me they've seen incredible things on surveillance cameras. Unfortunately, they can’t share them with me…” he said.
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According to ‘The Paris Pass,’ the French capital’s metro is the fourth oldest and one of the most established systems in the world. It was opened back in 1900, after the Paris World Exposition. During the Second World War, members of the French Resistance used it to resist the German invaders.
These days, it is the second busiest metro system in Europe.
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It’s not just the Paris metro that is so bizarre. There’s something particular about public transportation that increases the likelihood of you seeing strange things. During a previous interview, Bored Panda spoke to Rick McGuire, the creator of the ‘Subway Creatures’ social media project, focusing on subway weirdness in New York City.
According to McGuire, there are many “unique, talented, and crazy people who use the subway system on a daily basis.”
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There’s always something new to see, even if you’re a public transportation veteran. “New Yorkers can relate to it, and everyone else can’t believe what they are seeing. Just when you think you've seen it all, something new happens,” McGuire told us earlier.
“People can be easily intimidated by the NYC subway system, but, in general, it isn’t that hard to navigate. Some sage advice would be to stay away from the edge of the platforms, and if you see an empty train car, just remember—there’s probably a reason it’s empty in NYC.”
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Which of the photos did you find the weirdest, dear Pandas? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on public transport? Have you ever taken the Paris metro before? If so, did you witness anything particularly odd? Scroll down to the comment section to share your thoughts and experiences.
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