Meaningless. It’s full of clichés. Disturbing. Fun. Surprisingly accurate. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the popular Netflix show Emily in Paris, even if they’ve never watched the show. But as the long-awaited Season 4 finally begins filming, has Emily overstayed her welcome in the city?
On January 19, Lily Collins, who plays Emily, shared a scripted selfie on her Instagram page. Shooting had started. But reactions at many Paris landmarks were far less positive than from Collins’ Instagram fans. Locals around the city, and especially near Place de l’Estrapade in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, where Emily’s imaginary apartment is located, expressed this hatred.
The actress’s face was scrawled across billboards advertising the new series. “F… off Emily” was written on the grill of a shoe store. A slightly more polite “Emily not welcome” text was painted on the walls of the character’s on-screen office and on the shutters of the Café de la Nouvelle Mairie on the Place de l’Estrapade. The staff at the café in question told me flat out that they were sick to the teeth of Emily and that the show was selling the “Paris dream.”
Was this hostile reaction provoked by the large number of happy tourists, or by the series’ sometimes less than pleasant representation of Parisians – or both? In a city that already welcomes more than 40 million visitors a year (2022 figure) and will see an astronomical increase this year with the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, does the city need or even want all those fans?
“I’ve seen ‘Emily go home’ signs on bars before,” says culture writer Katherine McGrath. McGrath, an American expat, moved to Paris in 2011. “I understand. Emily in Paris It ruins places for people. “Paris has never been Instagram’s playground; now people go places just to take photos.”
In one episode, Emily visits Carette, a 1927 teahouse in the 16th arrondissement. Emily’s favorite haunts go viral on the show, and it’s the same story in the real world.
“It wasn’t a tourist hotspot, but it just blew up,” McGrath complains. “Suddenly people were sharing their chocolates with Chantilly on Instagram.”
For McGrath, Emily in Paris It showcases the worst parts of American culture, the parts it tries to get away from.
“Americans don’t realize how selfish and selfish their culture can be,” he says. “All these TikTokers and creators are coming to show off and treating Paris like a beautiful backdrop. They’re investing so little here that they’d be better off staying in New York.”
To other American expats in Paris, the series is harmless but should not be taken as a true reflection of Parisian life.
“Emily in Paris It is a fantasy version of our life. “The dramatization is entertaining at best,” he said. Telegram. “We should know that we are the real Emilys of Paris. Can we consider Emily’s application to join our club? He will have to apply to find out!”
Expats may hate the image Emily in Paris gives, but for the locals living in Emily’s Paris, the series is worse than a bad portrayal and affects their daily lives. Ella* works locally and had to find a new lunch spot due to the influx of tourists.
He said: “I often had lunch on the benches in the Place de l’Estrapade because the research laboratory was just around the corner, on the Rue d’Ulm. If you go to the square today you’ll either be in all the photos or you’ll be the one taking the photos, so I stopped going there for lunch. “The clothing of visiting Americans (usually women) is often inspired by Emily’s clothing.”
Magali* also works in Rue d’Ulm and found that the prices of the locations used for filming were high.
“My team and I used to go to the Italian restaurant [Terra Nera] On Place de l’Estrapade. “I must admit that we don’t go there much anymore because it’s too expensive and always full.”
Terra Nera is the restaurant used as the set of Les Deux Compères, where Emily’s love Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) works. Team takes here Emily in Paris fans warmly.
“It’s nice to see our square full of people again, especially after Covid,” says Valerio Abate, who co-owns Terra Nera with Johann Barmes.
It’s a small restaurant with only 40 seats, they never had a problem filling it, but the type of restaurant coming in has changed. The restaurant is no stranger to the spotlight, having been used as the set of many French films in the past, but it used to be a hangout for senators working in the area. Now their guests are much more international.
“Japanese, Koreans, Americans, people from all over Europe,” says Abate. “It’s fun to have so many nationalities and they all ask the question: ‘How are the players doing? Are they fine?’
“We had no idea about this Emily in Paris “It was going to be very popular, but we’re looking forward to welcoming the team back to film here in a few weeks.”
Other businesses in the area also noticed the change.
“There are more young tourists, especially Americans,” says Lou Chatelenat, social media manager at Bar Le Piano Vache, a five-minute walk from Emily’s apartment. “But we still have our core customer base, so it’s nice to have that mix.”
Since the Panthéon is just around the corner, Chatelenat is used to seeing lots of tourists in the area and the crowds don’t bother her. But that’s not the case for many of his friends.
“Many Parisians I know do not like the portrayal of their city. Emily in Paris“They find it too idealistic,” he says. “It’s true that when my friend from San Francisco visited (inspired by the show), they still found Paris beautiful, but it wasn’t as perfect as it was portrayed. They found that not everyone was as kind as they met Emily in ParisThe roads were dirtier and there was a lot of poverty that wasn’t shown on television.”
Anything this widely viewed (an estimated 58 million households watched the first season) would be divisive. Injured American expats and happy profit-making business owners aside, do Parisians really care as much as the graffiti makes it seem? I broached the subject in my office in France and was surprised to find that no one there was particularly watching or cared about it. Emily is in Paris.
“The influx of tourists is very nice, to be honest,” says Louise*, who lives near Place de l’Estrapade. “They are so cute with their little beanies. I hope Paris will not disappoint them.”
*Some names have been changed upon the request of the interviewees.