in Belle Époque Paris, where social climbing is treated like a biological imperative.
When using the phrase "mating season," responsible fans distinguish between on-screen fantasy and off-screen reality . The fantasy suggests a spontaneous, natural event. The reality is that these are professional shoots with contracts, STD testing, and safe words (theoretically). The "season" is a narrative device, not a documentary of the models' actual psychological states.
The town, it seemed, was entering its mating season.
Duroy’s "season" begins almost by accident. Running into an old army comrade, Forestier, he is introduced to high society. But it is Forestier’s wife, Madame Forestier, who becomes his first true conquest.