The glittering outline of the Eiffel Tower at night, chocolate croissants, elegant dinner dates, bouquets of pink roses, glasses of champagne. This may seem like only the content of dreams, especially in today’s largely travel-restricted world. But since the Netflix original Emily in Paris was released on October 2, many have been experiencing the joys of being young and single in the city of Paris from the comfort of their own homes.
Emily in Paris follows the journey of Emily Cooper, a young Chicago native, as she moves to Paris after getting a surprise opportunity to work at an esteemed marketing firm. Stumbling in from her life in the Midwest, she is blissfully unaware of the French language and social customs. Throughout the series, she has some rather hilarious missteps as a young American living abroad, but we can’t help but root for her as she begins to find her footing.
Working on the social media side of the marketing firm, she also builds her own audience along the way, Instagramming photos of her adventures in the glamorous city. Emily makes some new friends and starts to slowly gain the favor of the people at her workplace. She even deals with a captivating, albeit complicated, new romance with one of her neighbors.
The series is also visually stunning. We witness the beautiful cultural charms of Paris — its quaint cafes, the Seine River, farmers’ markets, art galleries, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Emily herself is always perfectly put together, wearing a super-cute ensemble of heels, a flowy dress, and just the right shade of lipstick.
And, yes, Emily in Paris is the textbook definition of cliché. It provides a very picturesque view of the city, from the perspective of a young, gorgeous woman enjoying croissants and baguettes and wearing berets. But that’s likely why people are so drawn to it right now. It is a charming way to escape the realities of the world and temporarily pretend like we’re all living it up in Europe right now.
Emily herself, although she can be blissfully optimistic and unaware, also has her strengths. She refuses to let slip-ups and insults get to her, and always sticks to her wits and personal beliefs, whether that be in work or romance. She reminds us, especially us young college women, that we are strong, beautiful, powerful, and inspiring. That there’s a place in the world for us — we just have to go out and find it.