In the rich tapestry of American pop culture, few threads shimmer as brightly as our enduring fascination with Paris. From the sun-dappled banks of the Seine to the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the City of Light has long captivated the American imagination. “Emily in Paris,” Netflix’s glittering confection has reignited our collective Parisian daydream faster than you can say “croissant.”
Created by Darren Star, the mastermind behind “Sex and the City,” this frothy series follows the adventures of Emily Cooper, a plucky marketing executive from Chicago who lands in Paris like a designer stiletto on cobblestone. With her Instagram-ready outfits and her decidedly American can-do spirit, Emily navigates the labyrinthine world of French culture with all the grace of a bull in a Hermès shop. And yet, we can’t help but root for her, because in Emily’s wide-eyed wonder, we see our own American infatuation with the French capital.
Love Affair
But let’s take a step back, shall we? Our love affair with Paris didn’t start with Emily’s social media shenanigans. Oh no, mes amis, it goes back much further. Picture, if you will, the Paris of the 1920s, when the likes of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald made the city their playground. In the smoky haze of jazz clubs and cafes, these literary giants penned works that would forever intertwine Paris with the American dream of artistic freedom and joie de vivre.
Fast forward to 1951, and we find Gene Kelly dancing his way into our hearts in “An American in Paris.” With George Gershwin’s iconic score as the backdrop, Kelly’s Jerry Mulligan embodied the American artist abroad, falling in love not just with a woman, but with the very essence of Paris itself. The film’s climactic ballet sequence, a technicolor love letter to the city, cemented Paris as the ultimate romantic destination in the American psyche.
Paris Changes Your Soul
And who could forget Audrey Hepburn’s transformative journey in “Sabrina” (1954)? Her character’s time in Paris turned her from a chauffeur’s awkward daughter into a sophisticated woman of the world. The message was clear: Paris doesn’t just change your wardrobe; it changes your soul.
Cut to 2001, and we find ourselves swooning over “Amélie,” a film that, while French, captured the American imagination with its whimsical portrayal of Montmartre. Suddenly, every American dreamed of finding romance in a quaint Parisian café, their destiny perhaps hiding in a tin box of childhood treasures.
Which brings us back to our dear Emily. In many ways, she’s the culmination of decades of American Francophilia, served up with a generous helping of millennial pink and social media savvy. Her struggles with the language, her faux pas in the face of French customs, and her irrepressible optimism in the face of Gallic skepticism all play into our own fantasies and fears about immersing ourselves in French culture.
Americans to Paris
But “Emily in Paris” does more than just rehash old tropes. It updates our love affair with Paris for the Instagram age. Emily’s Paris is a city of infinite possibilities, where every street corner is a potential photoshoot, every meal a culinary adventure, and every interaction a chance for cross-cultural understanding (or misunderstanding, as the case may be).
The show’s popularity speaks to our enduring desire to see ourselves in Paris, to imagine that we too could reinvent ourselves in the shadow of the Sacré-Cœur. It taps into the same vein of aspiration that has drawn Americans to Paris for generations, from the Lost Generation writers to the study abroad students of today.
Optimism and Romantic Idealism
Of course, “Emily in Paris” has faced its fair share of criticism for its rose-tinted view of expat life and its occasionally clichéd portrayal of French culture. But perhaps that’s missing the point. The show isn’t trying to be a documentary, it’s a fantasy, a confection as light and airy as a properly made soufflé.
In Emily’s Paris, the lights always twinkle, the wine always flows, and love is always just around the corner. It’s a Paris that exists more in our collective imagination than in reality, but isn’t that the Paris we’ve always loved? From Gershwin’s swelling orchestrations to Emily’s filtered Instagram posts, we’ve always preferred our Paris with a touch of American optimism and a filter of romantic idealism.
Anything Is Possible
As we watch Emily stumble her way through French customs and office politics, we’re reminded of our own dreams of reinvention, of the allure of starting fresh in a city steeped in history and beauty. Her journey echoes the sentiments expressed in countless American novels, films, and songs about Paris – the idea that in this magical city, anything is possible.
But here’s where it gets interesting, dear New Yorkers. As we swoon over Emily’s Parisian adventures, we can’t help but draw parallels to our own concrete jungle. After all, isn’t New York the Paris of the New World? Both cities pulse with an energy that’s equal parts intimidating and intoxicating. They’re melting pots of culture, fashion, and cuisine, where every street corner tells a story and every neighborhood is a world unto itself.
Thrill of Reinvention
Just as Emily navigates the charming arrondissements of Paris, we New Yorkers have our own daily adventures through the eclectic boroughs of the Big Apple. We, too, know the thrill of reinvention, the excitement of chance encounters, and the joy of finding our place in a city that never sleeps. From the cobblestone streets of the West Village to the grand boulevards of the Upper East Side, New York offers its own brand of romance and possibility.
In many ways, “Emily in Paris” holds up a mirror to our own New York experiences. We may roll our eyes at Emily’s faux pas, but haven’t we all been that wide-eyed newcomer, trying to make it in a city that’s as unforgiving as it is inspiring? Whether it’s mastering the art of hailing a taxi on Fifth Avenue or learning to order a proper café au lait on the Champs-Élysées, the journey of self-discovery is universal.
Paris and New York
The next time you find yourself sighing over Emily’s latest adventures, remember that you’re not just part of a grand Parisian fantasy – you’re living your own version right here in the Big Apple. From Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” from Hemingway’s Paris to Carrie Bradshaw’s New York, we’re all part of a continuum of urban dreamers and strivers.
In the immortal words of Audrey Hepburn in “Sabrina”: “Paris is always a good idea.” But let’s not forget, so is New York. And if “Emily in Paris” is any indication, it seems that for Americans, the idea of finding oneself in a vibrant, challenging, endlessly fascinating city is still very much in vogue.
Here’s to Paris and New York – twin beacons of the American imagination! To Emily, to us, and to the never-ending adventure of city life! After all, whether you’re sipping espresso by the Seine or knocking back a latte in Central Park, who could ask for anything more?
