Today people associate the word "salon" with a place to get their hair, makeup or nails done. It's also a place where women can gossip and talk about the latest fashions, music and other pop culture. When you think about it, modern salons actually look very similar to 18th century French salons. In the 18th century, salons were held where art, fashion, politics, etc. were discussed. These salons played a fundamental role in the cultural and intellectual development of France. Although salons provided a place where both women and men could gather for intellectual discourse, women were the center of salon life. These women played a very important role as regulators. They selected their guests and decided on the topics of their meetings. The women also played the role of mediators by directing the discussion. The salon was an informal university for women where they could exchange ideas, receive and give criticism, read their own works, and listen to the works and ideas of other intellectuals. These meetings are responsible for the advancement of female expression and power in France. There are many important women belonging to the French salons of the 18th century. But it's important to feature one woman in particular who has had a big impact on salons. She is Marie Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin, better known as Madame Geoffrin. Madame Geoffrin's popularity in the 18th century came at a time when the center of social life was beginning to move away from the French court and towards the salons of Paris. Instead of the previous salons of the high nobility of the 17th century, Madame Geoffrin's salon generally catered to a more philosophical audience of the Enlightenment period. In his book, Halls of Enlightenment...... middle of paper...... discussion of men. In this way, the ideas of the Enlightenment exerted a great influence on women's participation in salons. The Parisian salons of the 18th century allowed women to play a positive role in the public sphere of French society. Salons provided a unique outlet where women's ideas could be heard. Women, in addition to conversing with men on an academic level, had the power to influence the topics studied by major philosophers. The interclass communication promoted by the salons also allowed social groups, who had never interacted before, to share ideas. Women's contribution to the development of intellectual and scientific ideas through their role as salonnières marked a cultural shift in how women should be accepted and involved in society. While still limiting, the salons paved the way for women's rights and leadership in the arts, sciences, and politics.