An American discovers the capital of love: ‘Emily in Paris’

‘Emily in Paris’ is a series that, despite many negative reviews, is still in the top ten most watched on Netflix. But what else can you expect, if the creator is none other than Darren Star, who has also made hits like ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ and ‘Sex and the City’. Just like his previous productions, ‘Emily in Paris’ is a lightweight position that takes up a lot of important and minor issues.

Who is Emily?

The title character, Emily (Lily Collins), is a young woman, probably in her twenties, who leaves for Paris as a substitute for her boss to work in marketing and show the French the ‘American point of view’. Despite the lack of knowledge of the language or culture, she finds herself quite comfortable in her new reality, and she stays positive even when her new boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) clips her wings, and especially after ending her relationship with her partner from Chicago. The girl decides to show her adventure in Paris on Instagram. She quickly gains a large number of followers and even gets first invitations to prestigious events for influencers. Emily uses every opportunity to acquire new customers for her company and, surprisingly, almost all of her attempts are successful.

She is doing great not only professionally but also in private life. By accident, she meets two girls with whom she befriends, and also her love and sex life flourishes quite quickly. Despite the grudge against her, she seems to attract the attention of almost every important man in her environment, including Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) – her new friend’s partner.

Paris in the show

This production is extremely positive and in some way motivates the viewer to work harder, because who would not want to move forward so quickly and gain new successes. Paris adds a lot of charm to the whole. Although when I visited it myself (check: ‘Paris – romantic or dirty?), it did not make a great impression on me, I want to go there again. I wish to put on a beautiful dress and sit at the table of a nice cafe.

Stereotypes in the show

However, the series is also full of harmful stereotypes. Obviously, French culture differs significantly from American culture, but did these differences have to be presented in this way? The Americans have been extremely idealized. The French are portrayed here as closed-on bastards who do not respect their partners and laugh at the vision of romantic love forever . By the way, isn’t it surprising, since Paris is considered the capital of love? Personally, I haven’t met a lot of Americans or French. Although I am well aware of how harmful stereotypes can be.

In addition, in Episode 3, ‘Sexy or sexist‘, they touch extremely important topic of sexism. And hey, here again, we see the French as sexist scuttles and American women as bitter feminists). However, it is treated very gently, as if the creator deliberately didn’t want to give the title serious a mood. However, it makes us wonder: would a naked woman in an advertisement be acceptable nowadays? One thing I know for sure, sexy lingerie as a gift from a client is inappropriate, to say the least.

Is it worth watching?

After all, the series is definitely worth recommending. Perhaps not for people who are looking for a high-class production that has lots to do with today’s problems and dilemmas. I feel like people forget that television, next to its informative and scientific function, should also have an entertainment function. So if you are looking for a little escape from everyday life, you will surely like ‘Emily in Paris’.