When it made its debut in 2020, it was met with hostility fromParisians, saying it was stereotyping French people as “lazy, vain, preening, disloyal, parochial and hygienically challenged.”
With its recently released fourth season, critics are emphasizing that the show does a great job at “whitewashing” the City of Lights.
HighlightsEmily in Paris is criticized for ignoring France’s cultural diversity despite Paris being a multicultural city.Pat Stacey from Irish Independent criticizes the show’s unrealistic portrayal and reliance on French stereotypes.Around 23% of France’s population includes other ethnicities, yet the show fails to represent this diversity.
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Audience members are slammingEmily in Parisfor its “tone-deaf” portrayal of French people
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The show follows main character Emily, an American, who temporarily moves toParisin order to pursue a new job opportunity. She was sent abroad in hopes of offering “an American perspective” in high-fashion marketing.
Throughout the series, viewers watch as Emily meets new friends, co-workers, and of course, potential love interests.
Pat Stacey fromIrish Independenttalks of the show’s unrealistic elements, saying, “Within minutes, she’s waltzing around in the kind of fabulous outfits that a 20-something with a mid-range salary couldn’t possibly afford unless they’re shoplifting on the side, and tripping over a minefield of French clichés.”
But to Stacey, the most “egregious” thing aboutEmily in Parisis how it ignores the city’s racial and cultural diversity.
“There’s a few non-white faces: Emily’s best friend is Asian (and even more shallow, annoying and materialistic than Emily), her gay friend and English hunk are black.”
Other viewers share similar thoughts, expressing their disappointment in the show’s four seasons
Users on Reddit were quick to continue with similar thoughts.
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Another reviewer wrote that the show’s attempt atdiversityin its second season did not succeed.
“Season two was still the same whitewashed Paris of season one — but with a couple ofPOCcharacters to quell pesky diversity concerns, of course.”
They later added that it would’ve been “groundbreaking” to see an American show peel back the layers to see what this iconic city — and the people who inhabit it — really look like.
Almost a quarter of France’s population is made up of foreigners
France is a multifaceted country, with dozens ofdialectsand scores of languages being spoken — and many of these can be found in Paris.
TheCIA World Factbookdefines France as being made up of manyethnicgroups including Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities. Reports have also found that roughly 32% of people under 60 have immigrant ancestors, who are increasingly integrated into French society.
In fact, approximately 23% of the population includes other ethnicities, according toBritannica.
With these statistics in mind, viewers were quick to point out how the show capitalizes on romanticizing the city of Paris, rather than showing its diverse cultural makeup.
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Linas Simonaitis
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