‘Emily In Paris’ Season 4’s Me Too storyline is a huge step forward

Netflix’s Emily in Paris is back for another whirlwind of a fourth instalment. And Season 4’s first half tells an important story alongside the much-loved plotlines of love triangles, fabulous Parisian parties, and social media campaigns. 

We’re faced with a character, Louis de Leon (Pierre Deny), who is sexually harassing women at his luxury goods company JVMA. The CEO regularly directs female employees into a “brand closet” and forces them to try on clothes for him without their consent – a total abuse of his power as a male business leader. If they don’t comply, their job is at risk. An open company secret, Louis’ behaviour becomes so ingrained in JVMA’s culture that employees ordered to the closet take a “buddy” as a rule, to protect themselves.

We see Emily’s (Lily Collins) greatest friend Mindy (Ashley Park) grapple with her discovery of this behaviour when visiting the company in episode 2, as well as her own connection to it — she’s dating Louis’ son Nicolas (Paul Forman). Meanwhile, Emily’s boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) is contacted by French newspaper Le Monde, asked to go on the record about her own account of historic sexual harassment from when she worked with Louis. The storyline deftly covers different ways of experiencing sexual harassment, from how it can permeate workplace culture to the complexities of reporting an abuser and of being related to one.

Emily In Paris doesn’t usually tackle subjects like violence against women

TV and film storylines examining sexual harassment and violence against women and girls (VAWG) have increased in prominence since the Me Too movement gained momentum in 2019. Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You was a landmark moment for representing the complexities of sexual assault, BBC’s The Jetty explored grooming and intimate image-based abuse, and Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex set out to change the conversation around consent, particularly for teenagers. Andt that’s just a few examples.

But there’s something really significant about Emily in Paris incorporating a sexual harassment storyline. The show’s usual subject matter doesn’t usually tackle subjects like violence against women, but a mainstream, fairly light-hearted Netflix series taking on this material means a lot, with the potential to reach much wider audiences with important conversations about sexual harassment.

A mainstream, fairly light-hearted Netflix series taking on this material means a lot, with the potential to reach much wider audiences.

“A TV programme like Emily in Paris will reach millions of viewers, with storylines occasionally reflecting the issues experienced by women in their everyday lives,” Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, tells Mashable. 

“Storylines that responsibly and realistically portray abuse and harassment therefore have the potential to have a big impact on our collective understanding and attitudes towards these issues, particularly as perpetrators often rely on their victims feeling alone, unsupported and silenced.” 

The nuances portrayed in Emily in Paris are important. Firstly, the series explores how sexual harassment and abuse can affect individual people differently. Mindy may not be subjected to it directly, instead hearing about Louis’ actions from women at JVMA, but she’s pulled into the difficulties of dealing with an abuser in your life. She speaks to Nicolas about his father’s behaviour, and says she will stand by his side during the aftermath if he is “on the side that’s right”. 

“It is important to show all elements and victims/survivors of sexual violence to depict the nuanced and often complicated nature of relationships with abusers,” violence against women and girls (VAWG) activist Sharon Gaffka tells Mashable. “Being connected to an abuser through a close relationship, like dating their child, adds layers of emotional conflict and difficulty in navigating the situation.”

Sylvie’s storyline examines the complications of coming forward

Meanwhile, Sylvie’s storyline examines the complicated reasons why a survivor of abuse may feel unable to come forward. Her story of sexual harassment isn’t portrayed on screen, having happened in the past. After a brief period of downplaying her experiences, we see her struggle with the ongoing psychological ramifications of abuse. Sylvie’s decision to come forward and speak to Le Monde isn’t taken lightly, for her own personal reasons and how it will affect her business as well as that of her husband Laurent (Louis is an investor in the latter).

Through Sylvie, Emily In Paris explores what it can be like for a woman of an older generation coming forward to report. Sylvie experienced sexual harassment years before Me Too, and like many women with similar experiences might be challenging internalised beliefs about VAWG. Gaffka says that this storyline “challenges the notion that there is a statute of limitations on speaking out and validates the experiences of those who may have felt silenced for years”. 

“It also highlights the enduring nature of trauma and the ongoing relevance of addressing past abuses,” she adds. “Encouraging older victims to speak up can inspire others in similar situations to find their voice and seek justice. 

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Through Sylvie, ‘Emily In Paris’ explores what it can be like for a woman of an older generation coming forward to report.

Having a woman in her sixties like Sylvie deal with this hones in on the fact that sexual harassment doesn’t just happen to one age group or gender – it affects so many of us.

“Sexual assault happens to women of all ages and backgrounds, but many find they aren’t believed or taken seriously,” Hitchen says. “Older women and marginalised women are at the sharp end of this, with huge consequences for their access to justice and support.” 

Reporting abuse doesn’t always bring survivors the peace and justice that they want and deserve. After all, 99 percent of rape reports result in no further action in England and Wales, so it can feel like the trauma of coming forward may not match the small possibility of justice.

This isn’t the only issue, caveat, or negative result of deciding to report sexual abuse or domestic violence. Survivors, particularly those with a social media presence or celebrity profile who come forward risk their case inadvertently becoming involved in the court of public opinion. Something that is a very personal and painful experience gets put under a microscope, available for all to scrutinise and sensationalise. Further to that, Black and Brown people are disproportionately targeted by the police, leading to many survivors feeling hesitant about or in opposition to trusting the system to help them find justice, and therefore may choose not to report sexual harassment and violence.

Representation is one thing, but it’s got to move beyond the TV

So on top of representation in pop culture, other preventative action points must be taken to help survivors and stop violence against women and girls. This includes implementing sex and relationship education that teaches the wide spectrum of of sexual harassment, as well as other forms of abuse. It would be helpful for educators to be specific about exactly what violence can look like in real life, so that people are better equipped to identify, intervene, report, or call it out. Also, in the event of a survivor not wanting to report, or not feeling comfortable to, there needs to be more accessible and available structures that facilitate counselling and other forms of trauma support.

But in particular, men need to be included in these conversations about violence against women and girls, as part of a comprehensive movement towards preventing future abuse cycles.

On top of representation in pop culture, other preventative action points must be taken to help survivors and stop violence against women and girls.

“As well as empowering victims to come forward, we also need to see much more focus on preventing this violence so women and girls aren’t subjected to it in the first place,” Hitchen says.

Men need to be part of the conversation. Nicolas should have done more.

In Emily In Paris, Nicolas’ first reaction on seeing the reported accusations about his father is to dismiss them as false and concentrate on “damage control” for the company. There’s not one moment in the show where Nicolas considers the allegations as truth. It’s an instant stand he tries to drag Mindy into, attempting to manage her public image as supportive of his family, then breathing a sigh of relief when the board (not him) wants his father to step down. Nicolas doesn’t take one moment to call out his father’s actions, consider the experiences of the survivors, or analyse the systemic company culture that has allowed such harassment to continue. And still, Mindy declares herself “proud” of Nicolas, for doing literally nothing.

We’re yet to see Nicolas take any meaningful course of action, or whether the show will continue with this storyline in the second half of Season 4. Seeing Nicolas actually criticise his father’s behaviour, attempt to support harassed employees, and actually do something to change the company’s ingrained protection of predators would be nice, but it’s unclear whether the show will take the storyline any further. 

Nicolas doesn’t take one moment to call out his father’s actions, consider the experiences of the survivors, or analyse the systemic company culture that has allowed such harassment to continue.

That being said, to include this narrative at all is important. Gaffka points out the huge relevance of a relatively light-hearted and mainstream TV show like Emily in Paris to address a Me Too storyline. “From personal experience, I have found that it can significantly broaden the audience it reaches, especially among demographics who don’t typically engage with more serious or niche programming,” she says.

Why such a storyline on a popular show like Emily In Paris really matters

Seeing beloved characters tackle issues like complicated relationships with an abuser, mixed feelings and fears about reporting, as well as cycles and generations of abuse can help to “normalise” conversations around these issues, according to Gaffka. It can also help to disrupt preconceived stereotypes and “scripts” we have internalised about harassment and abuse, helping us to detangle ways in which it could be happening to us, or someone we love, and help to acknowledge this.

“Viewers of the show already have a pre-existing relationship with the characters, which evokes more emotions than watching a government-designed video,” she says. “This can help to normalise conversations about sexual harassment and abuse in everyday contexts, making the topic more accessible and less stigmatised. 

“By integrating these serious issues into a popular and engaging show it can raise awareness, educate viewers, and help survivors to see their experiences reflected on screen, so they don’t feel alone.”

An influential Netflix show like Emily in Paris has the potential to make a huge difference when it comes to talking about sexual harassment and violence against women. A Me Too storyline is a huge step forward. But the significance of a storyline like this on such a widely-watched show simultaneously underscores the need for wider, systemic change, as well as the increased responsibility of all other on-screen portrayals to not reinforce harmful stereotypes and to be responsible with storytelling. 

The conversations that Emily In Paris could start are just that: a starting point. What we really need, and must demand, is more concentrated and tangible efforts in the fight against male violence, and understanding the full spectrum and impact of sexual harassment.

How to watch: Emily In Paris Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.