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Emily In Paris & Her Weird Hats Are Dividing The Internet

Natalie Morin
Last Updated October 7, 2020, 3:42 PM
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
A hotly debated topic has grabbed hold of the internet since the weekend — and no, it actually has nothing to do with our president or the pandemic. The subject at hand is Netflix's Emily In Paris, and the question is simple: Is is good?
The show, from Sex and the City's Darren Star, follows Chicagoan Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), a plucky, wide-eyed social media something-or-other who gets transferred to the City of Lights for work. Despite not speaking a word of French and being unfamiliar with (and even scandalized by!) culture or customs, she uses her gumption and positive spirit to try win over her doubting Parisian coworkers and their agency's clients.
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So much of the show is unrealistic and over-the-top, and not just the fact that Emily —  using just a few punny captions — can instantly grow into an Instagram influencer and is somehow a marketing genius. From the egregiously overblown French stereotypes (as a French person myself, I can vouch) to the fact that someone on Emily's salary can afford her designer wardrobe (makes sense, give the costume designer is SATC's Patricia Field), all the way down to Emily's weird obsession with funky hats and crop tops, let's just say that there's a lot to criticize. We have officially entered some weird time machine and landed in a croissant-filled version of Gossip Girl, basic edition.
But while it has its faults, many have pointed out that it's not meant to be a critical masterpiece — it's supposed to be fun. You're meant to live vicariously through Emily and her ridiculous antics, and be transported to a place where everyone is hot and wine is always on the menu.
"Emily in Paris is honestly very fun if you just want to turn off your brain and immerse yourself in the same unchallenging non-jokes and slightly embarrassing earnestness of like, a cosmogirl! magazine from 2005," TV writer Dana Schwartz tweeted.
Many are acknowledging the conflicting feeling of knowing that this show is pretty average, and sometimes outright but e an Emmy contender — so why can't they stop watching. Probably because despite its many flaws, Emily in Paris is empty, old-fashioned fluff, something that — especially now — our overloaded brains are in dire need of.
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And even if you aren't watching, following social media's love-hate relationship is just as riveting.
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