7 Reasons “Emily in Paris” Is Just Wish Fulfilment For You
She sells us the fantasy of the French Girl stereotype — for Americans.
I scoffed, laughed, and groaned my way through all ten episodes of “Emily in Paris” over a 5 hour period as I flew to Germany. But I can’t deny why I was so enchanted by it — it’s simply that I wish I was Emily.
It’s shameful, but it’s true. Her bland personality allows me to insert myself easily into her shoes, living my fantasy life of moving to a new foreign city, and becoming that charming, cool, and funny girl with very little effort.
There’s no denying it’s popular and will no doubt be picked up for several more series — perhaps we’ll get Emily in Berlin next year, with a similarly laughable collection of German stereotypes and a brave American woman who’s admirable work ethic and dedication to having fun shows those stolid Germans how to live, all the while seducing men and eating wursts.
Here are seven reasons Emily in Paris is nothing more than wish fulfillment for Americans who have probably never been to Paris, but have a very specific idea of what it would be like.
1. Emily has no personality
This is the easiest sign to spot — Emily’s type-A personality could be summarized as such: enjoys work, has outfits. That’s it.
Her lack of personality makes it incredibly easy to pull off a self-insert. With very little effort, I can place myself in her high heels and enjoy my Parisian adventure.
2. Every man falls in love with Emily.
They don’t even have to be eligible. Among her list of conquests, we see her boss’s lover, her client, her friend’s 17-year-old brother, her friend’s boyfriend, a stranger at a bar, and her real estate agent all fall hopelessly head over heels for her at the slightest prompt. It’s hard to imagine why, as she has no personality other than quirky clothes and dedication to her job.
Over the course of 10 episodes, if they cross paths with her, these men are enchanted by her vapid self and quickly try to secure a date with her — even if they already have wives, girlfriends, and/or mistresses.
3. Every cool woman falls in friendship with Emily.
It’s amazing how easily men fall in love with Emily, but it’s even more astounding how many women clamor to be her friend. Maybe I’m a grumpy misanthrope, but if I, an incredibly cool and beautiful Parisian woman, crossed paths with an American woman who showed not the slightest inclination of trying to appreciate my culture or language, but was only interested in flirting obviously with my boyfriend, I probably wouldn’t bend over backward to be her friend.
And yet, Emily effortlessly charms several women who are much cooler (and have more of a personality) than her. The only thing that outshines her ability to make friends is how poorly she treats them, such as constantly blowing of her first friend Mindy for work and boys, or constantly pursuing her French friend Camille’s sexy boyfriend.
4. Emily is effortlessly good at her job.
Emily in Paris manages to come up with literally million-dollar ideas seemingly on the fly, while the rest of her coworkers struggle to handle basic competencies of marketing, like showing up on time to the office.
The most egregious offender of this is when she’s at an influencer event, competing for a sponsorship deal. With an extremely boring “berry delicious” pun, she impresses the CEO who invites her in for a 1:1 and then tries to convince her to come back to the marketing firm she works for, with absolutely zero context on why she left.
She faces no consequences for this, other than a dirty look from her boss a little later on.
5. Emily has no feelings for the life she left behind.
The myth of the clean break is so apparent here. Emily leaves behind her family, her American friends (though it’s not clear if she has any), her job, and coworkers with nary a tear shed.
She conveniently breaks up with her boyfriend when he is too scared to enjoy a holiday because she would be working and he would just be lounging about in Paris (awful), and he barely receives a mention for the rest of the series.
She does not get homesick, miss her family, or cry over her boyfriend, with whom she was “engaged to be engaged.”
I think we all sometimes wish we could have a completely fresh start and leave it all behind. Unfortunately, most of our brains don’t work that way.
6. Emily does not get hungover, sweaty, or sad.
Emily drinks, runs, and gets her heart broken. She does not get hungover, sweaty, or teary. The worst emotional upheaval she faces is when she’s awoken by her then-boyfriend at 3 am Paris time, is clumsily seduced into cybersex, and then is left horny when her wifi cuts out right at the wrong moment.
No matter what she does, eats, or drinks, her body and her mind do not betray her by showing any kind of adverse effect. Even when she goes for brisk 8-minute mile jogs, the only sign she shows of it is a sweet glimmer of sweat at her temples.
7. Emily does not face a single consequence for any of her actions.
The biggest reason the entire series is nothing more than clever wish fulfillment is that Emily does whatever and whoever she wants while facing absolutely zero repercussions for it. Sleeps with her best friend’s boyfriend? No problem. Defies her boss’s wishes? Not an issue. Gets drunk at a work event? All par for the course.
She seems to feel no sense of shame, remorse, embarrassment, or guilt, and the characters she befriends and seduces equally do not subject her to any kind of ramification for her crappy behavior to them. Everyone is secondary to her desires, her storyline, her plans. Nothing stands in her way.
Emily in Paris is, for me, the guiltiest of pleasures. It’s not guilty because it’s a chick flick, but rather because it makes me admit to myself what I sometimes secretly want. I wish I didn’t get rejected, that I easily succeeded, that other people liked me when I so much as fluttered my extended eyelashes. I wish I could move to the Paris that lives in my imagination, arrive in a gorgeous penthouse apartment with incredible views, and have the city fall at my feet. But it’s just not reality.
The popularity of the series proves that I am not alone. Emily in Paris is a very convincing wish-fulfillment series that lets me, over the span of five hours, pretend that I too am Emily in Paris, capable of anything in a city that loves me, no matter what.