SPOILER ALERT – there might be some aspects of the show that are discussed below if you do not wish for a spoiler, don’t read this post any further.
So by now you must have heard about this show on Netflix that everyone’s been talking about? The show has been dividing the internet and although I really enjoyed it, it’s not for everyone.
So dont watch Emily in Paris –
1. If you thought it’s like SATC
I know a lot of people think it is so close to a modern day SATC , which is how the show was introduced in the first place, but I don’t think it is. To me it is more so a mix of Devil Wears Prada and Gossip Girl. An American girl just lands her dream job and jets off to Paris last minute etc etc. But you will find that the narration that we had by Carrie on SATC is what makes the show special along with the the iconic quotes about love , friendship, life and disappointments. That kind of narration was missing from here and so were iconic statements or quotes.
2. If you are a proud French
Well this is the biggest debate yet as some would argue that the show portrays French population in a bad light. To be honest, and this is my personal opinion – the show does and doesn’t meaning? it’s the way you look at it. You have to take this show with a pinch of salt and a bit of lemon because it shows more so how the fashion and marketing industry works rather than the essence of French people.
Yes people in Emily’s work place seem to have been portrayed as mean and unwelcoming but you have to understand why? They are like that because an American, 20 something woman is sent to their office as an additional resource they don’t really want but have to put up with and the woman doesn’t speak any French in a French speaking nation. To this day a lot of people take offence to not speaking or making the effort of speaking the native language especially in France and I can’t really argue with that. There is a point in the show where Emily reaches the office early and the building is shut until someone turns up at 10am to say that they don’t really open until 10am sort of portraying that Americans work hard and French don’t, but I do understand the placement of it , I think the scene is meant to be comic and if not taken in the right spirit it would completely be misunderstood. So if you are a proud French you will hate quite a few aspects of the show as the show is filled with French stereotypes and clichés.
3. If you work as social media marketing professional
If you are a social media marketing professional you will find Emily’s job description really vast and her not doing enough for the role. Well this is another debate entirely a lot of people in the social media marketing industry feel that the show is portraying the marketing / social media management as very last minute dot com. While in reality there is so much planning and behind the scene organisation that goes into it.
As a blogger I do get what people mean as this might be setting unrealistic expectations and the show has failed to portray the in and outs of how things go within the end to end marketing side of things. Also the fact that Emily is supposed to manage social media strategies for her various clients and all she does is post pictures on her own Instagram account and there is not much insight into how she actually manages everything, is another aspect the writers failed to consider. It is usually Emily typing on her notepad and that’s it. Also, which client doesn’t really come up with edits and last minute changes to the strategy ? All these clients just accept what Emily spontaneously comes up with in a meeting and have nothing to edit? Dream clients i would say -they really don’t exist. So yeah all in all , unrealistic.
However, this could also be a reason for a lot of people to watch it because don’t we all like to point out mistakes?
With that said, there might be some aspects of the show that are relevant , for example the influencer event Emily gets invited to, without giving much away I do believe that there are a lot of influencers out there who would promote anything and everything. So it is so true that not every influencer cares about the brand like an owner would.
4. If you like your shows practical and realistic
Well if my man saw this show he would debate that Emily a 20 something girl who’s turned up in Paris with only 48 followers on Instagram posts a few photos of herself eating a pain au chocolat to her account and gains thousands of followers overnight? well that doesn’t happen does it ?
If Instagram doesn’t block her account the next day for suspected bought followers I would be livid. (Yes that’s a thing!) Also Emily walks around Paris in all these designer dresses at the wages she receives? Practically impossible.
So yeah, if you are a realist this show is not for you.
However, here is why you should watch it –
Paris
I love Paris, and when I visited there it did feel like a city of wonder and charm. The food is lovely, never had a croissant as beautifully made as in Paris. If nothing the show captures the true beauty of the city. It is beautifully shot, and every episode I found myself remembering the places we have been to within Paris.
Full of clichés but they are funny
I mean yes there are multiple clichés in the show but i think each has a comic value. And as someone who comes from a different country it would make you question why certain things are the way they are in a new city. For example when I moved to the UK I often questioned the existence of separate hot and cold taps in British houses when the whole world has moved on to mixer taps? Similarly for Emily or any American for that matter it would be weird to know that ground floor is not the 1st floor. Or why it is hard to find a plumber willing to do the job!
But the best line of all ( and I fully support it because I see how hard my American friends work ) was when Luc says to Emily “You live to work and we work to live.” Goodness me he couldn’t have put it better. Its all about the balance !
All about the Gram
I do like some of the unconventional ideas Emily comes up with on the show and there are some grammable Ideas for captions on the show like “A little ‘bonjour’ goes a long way.” or “We came here to lose ourselves and find adventure.” etc you get the gist.
Fashion
Another factor going for the show is fashion, I mean , Ok Emily is dressed in all the right clothes but wait ! Have you seen Camille ?? I totally have a girl crush on her! I mean her style is so on point its ridiculous (in a good way) ! In fact in many cases i found her better dressed than Emily herself.
Men in the show
Well I should be putting this on top shouldn’t I ? I can’t ignore the fact that the show is easier to watch because of all the eye candy floating around! I mean Gabriel …. a rising chef with a face like that? umm… when is season 2 coming out again ?
So its not just him, there are other french men in the show who are stunning.
It’s Light hearted
With all that 2020 has given us we all need a show which wont keep you guessing! Everyone I know who watched it regardless of weather they love it or hate it has binged watched the show I say it’s an entertaining distraction we all needed this year because don’t we all want to travel to places we can’t go right now fall in love and have HOPE – Pandemic and all ! Let’s be honest we all need a bit of an escape this year. I still wouldn’t say that the show has made a mark on me like SATC did back in the day but I would still re watch it just to see how pretty everything looks.
There are reports that the show is commissioned for season 2, Lily Collins says she wants to “evolve the narrative”, and said the producers “championed her opinions and opened her up to an experience that was so rewarding and empowering.”
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