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3 Reasons ‘Emily in Paris’ is the Wrong Show Right Now
Last week I sat down at the end of a long day to watch Netflix with my wife and sister-in-law. We were all kind of beat (working from home during a pandemic while caring for a toddler will do that) and just wanted something silly. “Have you seen ‘Emily in Paris’ yet?” my sister-in-law asked, “it’s pretty funny and light-hearted.” Sounded pretty perfect so we poured a glass of wine and settled in.
Truthfully, the show is very funny and light-hearted. The premise — young American meets the big world, cue the cute misunderstanding and sexy foreigners — is a solid one. Who doesn’t love a simple story of misunderstandings and cultural clashes? With sexy French people drinking wine at 11 am and giving each other lingerie in the office?
And yet. There are three basic reasons why this show comes off as tone-deaf in this particular cultural moment.
Where are the POC?
‘Emily in Paris’ is a blindingly white show. Almost everyone is caucasian, from the leading lady to her nemesis of a boss to the mysterious chef/hot guy neighbor she meets and gets involved with. Paris is a metropolitan, diverse city with many…
