Inclusive Screen Weekly: The French clichés of Emily in Paris that actually resonated with me
Emily in Paris is fun | Gen Z are bringing cassette tapes back | I can't wait for Only Murders In the Building's new season
Welcome to The Inclusive Screen! In this weekly newsletter, I share TV recommendations and pop culture news showcasing diverse perspectives and representation. I also post longer, data-driven analyses of TV trends every so often!
Give this post a ❤️, leave a comment, or restack if you feel like brightening my day! I enjoy nothing more than a good discussion in the comment section.
Before we get started, I need your opinion on something. I’m thinking about splitting this newsletter in 2 separate emails:
Email 1 sent on Friday: Covering new and upcoming shows + what I’ve been watching
Email 2 sent on Sunday (current schedule): Covering the spotlight + pop culture news stories
The main reason is that the current emails tend to exceed the Gmail limit if I include images, and I would love to include more visuals.
What do you think?
Spotlight of the Week
The French clichés of Emily in Paris that actually resonated with me
Last week
tagged me in her post “Shows That Are Pulling Me Out of the August Doldrums” to ask about the pronunciation of the name “Camille” in the new episodes of Emily in Paris. It was enough to spark my curiosity and led me to watch the entire first drop of season 4.Yes, the dialogue feels clunky, the plot doesn’t have a ton of depth, and the polished image of Paris is full of clichés. Yet, I found myself binge-watching the first five episodes with ease. The 30-minute episodes made it the perfect comfort show. Like a good junk-food snack you’d have in between meals.
Since I’m French, I thought I’d have some fun this week and make a list of the French clichés in season 4 that resonated with me. This is only my opinion, so please don’t take it as the absolute French truth!
Clichés #1: Spending so much time in cafés to chat with friends around a glass of wine.
The cafés culture is what I miss the most now that I live abroad. I definitely spent countless hours just drinking coffee, wine, or beer with friends when I was younger.
I want to say that it is frowned upon for pregnant women to drink wine, though. The show made it seem like it was a normal thing in France.
Clichés #2: Sprinkling in French words when speaking English
It’s played up a lot in the show, but I might occasionally do this myself, and I definitely know French people who do too. Some words also don’t translate well in English like “Bon Appetit” or my favorite: “La flemme” (basically when you don’t feel like doing something because you’re feeling being a bit lazy).
Clichés #3: Talking shit about someone in French even though they are around because you think they won’t understand
I have a story about this one that led to the first 1-star review I ever gave to a restaurant. I’m still mad just thinking about it. It’s a bit long to type, so let me know in the comments if you want to hear it!
Clichés #4: Selling clothes on Vestiaire Collective
I thought it was a brilliant product placement. It’s a really cool French company that sells second-hand luxury brands. France has some very innovative companies focused on sustainability and it’s nice to see one of them highlighted in a Netflix show.
Clichés #5: The complicated #MeToo movement in France
I really like the storyline of Sylvie speaking out against sexual harassment and the negative impact it has on her company. One of my worst experiences living in France as a young woman was the constant street harassment and how normalized it was. When the #MeToo movement made its way to France, a lot of women started speaking out about their own experiences which was incredibly validating. Then a group of 100 well-known women decided to write an open letter to defend men’s “liberty to seduce”. It’s even worse than it sounds, and I really encourage you to read the article. It gives some context to the stigma that exists around women speaking up against harassment in France.
Clichés #6: Reporting your neighbors to the building’s gardien-ne
It made me laugh when Emily went to the building manager to report that three people were living in Gabriel’s apartment because it seemed like a weird thing to do. But then I remembered all the stories from my sister and her time in Paris and it’s pretty spot on.
Were there any other clichés you noticed? I’m happy to comment on their authenticity!
10 News That Caught My Attention
Taylor Swift breaks her silence to explain why she has to stay silent on certain topics. In a beautiful Instagram post, the artist mentioned the Vienna cancelations and thanked the authorities “because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”. She also wrote, “I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” which could be a response to everyone expecting her to speak on the elections [and Trump’s recent AI post] or current armed conflicts. It’s sad, but she’s right. Senseless attacks have proven to us many times that people are crazy enough to kill because they disagree with someone. [Taylor Swift on Instagram]
Are we going backward on race and gender representation? First, MIT reported a -10pp drop in black, Hispanic, Native American and/or Pacific islander students following the ban on affirmative action. Shocker… I know! [BBC]. And now the “Boxed In” study is showing a sharp drop in women in front and behind TV screens. [The Hollywood Reporter]. Stat Significant also analyzed women’s representation in film, showing that there is still a big gap to fill [Stats Significant]. This comes after a series of sad news stories about companies cutting DEI efforts after being bullied by far-right activists and multiple lawsuits targeting diversity programs. I feel like the loudest minority of bullies is winning, and I’m not sure what the best way to fight them is.
The Sydney Aquarium is mourning the death of a gay penguin named Sphen. I wonder if the aquarium ever tried to marry Sphen and his partner Magic and faced backlash like in Parks & Recreation. It wouldn’t be the first time Parks & Rec was surprisingly close to real life [just read this Reddit thread]. Jokes aside, it’s fascinating to learn that the gay penguin couple also raised children. [The Guardian]
Sabrina Carpenter kisses Jenna Ortega in her new Taste music video but somehow makes it the straightest kiss ever. Maybe she got tired of being called the straightest woman alive on TikTok or maybe she just wanted to have some fun with it. Since the video is centered around two women fighting for a man, I’ll just assume she’s embracing her straightness while giving us queers something to enjoy. Personally, I’m here for it. The song is great, and the video is really fun to watch. I hope we get a Chappell Roan x Sabrina Carpenter collab at some point. [Sabrina Carpenter on Youtube]
We are all talking about the “It Ends With Us” drama, but what about Joaquin Phoenix cowardly running away from a gay love story movie five days before shooting was scheduled to start? Apparently, the actor got “cold feet”?!? Just imagine doing that before a major meeting or project at your workplace… At least there is no doubt about who the villain of that story is. I hope they find a replacement and can go ahead with the movie. We need all the queer representation we can get. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Tim Walz’s son shows emotions at the DMC, and full-grown adults from the opposition find nothing better than to mock him. What really gets me is that the same people who bullied him will be the first ones to complain about the high suicide rates in men during Women’s Day celebrations. How can they not realize that they are creating the problem? Can we all agree that we need to normalize guys showing healthy emotions? On the bright side, a lot of people came to the defense of Gus Walz and gave adult bullies like Ann Coulter a piece of their mind. [Variety]
Chick-Fil-A is launching its own streaming service. Yes, you read that right! They plan to focus on family-friendly unscripted shows. Considering the brand’s religious ties, I’m slightly concerned family-friendly means “no gays allowed” but let’s see. [Deadline]
Imagine being prescribed a video game as treatment by your doctor. It’s a kid’s dream, and it’s now a reality for people with ADHD. The FDA just cleared the game EndeavorOTC to be used as a treatment for some cases of ADHD. [Boing Boing]. I honestly think games could be used in some many ways to benefit society. It’s so cool to see news like this.
I hope Matthew Perry’s tragic death will help improve things for people suffering from addiction. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the arrests and articles coming out over the past few weeks surrounding the tragic death of the FRIENDS actor. [Like this piece from the Wall Street Journal]. Our society tends to see addiction as a failure from the people who become addicts. This means deaths from addiction are often seen as the consequence of the person’s actions. It’s been refreshing to see the narrative shift and people like the “Ketamine Queen” being held accountable. [The Cut]
Gen Z is apparently into cassette tapes now, and it’s hilarious. If you asked me which medium I would never want to see make a comeback, it would be cassettes. The quality isn’t great, it’s super inconvenient, and I have nightmares about putting back unspooled cassettes. But it brings me joy to see quotes like this: “You have to keep fast-forwarding, rewinding, pausing and playing to find the right song you want”. It must be a great bonding experience between Gen Z and their Gen X / Millenial parents. [Music Radar]
Diverse Representation on Your Screens
Freshly out:
[Netflix] Emily In Paris (Season 4). As I mentioned in my spotlight, the show isn’t the deepest but it’s fun to watch. Also, check out the cool marketing collabs from Netflix to promote the show: Haagen-Dazs ice-creams collab & a cross-promotion for Simone Biles Rising Part 2.
[A24 - Currently in cinemas] Sing Sing and [Netflix] Daughters both give us a new perspective on prison. For more information, I recommend reading Beth Lisogorsky’s review of Sing Sing and Rob Thomas’ review of Daughters.
[Max] BBQ High. High school kids competing in a BBQ competition? Sign me up! The trailer looks so wholesome and dramatic at the same time.
[Max] Chimp Crazy. Basically Tiger King with monkeys. I don’t know if watching it will make me a better person, but I’m intrigued by the trailer and reviews.
[Disney+] The Absent Voice. It looks like an interesting crime thriller from Argentina. The trailer reminded me of The Zodiac Killer or the Dan Brown books.
[Netflix] GG Precinct. A Taiwanese cop dramedy focusing on a slightly incompetent group of cops. I don’t know if the humor will work for me, but I miss Brooklyn 99, and I’m always curious about shows from other countries.
[Netflix] The Frog. The vibe in the trailer for this Korean crime show caught my attention, but I have to admit that I did not fully understand the synopsis. It’ll keep the mystery alive while I watch it!
[Max] City of God: The Fight Rages On. The show is a sequel to the 2002 movie and also takes place in the favelas of Rio. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen the movie. Now, it might be my opportunity to watch both.
Coming soon-ish:
Bravo released trailers for Real Housewives or Salt Lake City and Real Housewives of New York. It will be hard for SLC to beat the “receipts, proof, timeline” of last season, but it’s still my favorite Real Housewives franchise to date. NYC is also getting my attention since the revamp for their inclusion of not one but two queer women in the newest season!
The Australian The Office is coming, and a woman will be in the lead [Variety]. I’m very curious to see how they deal with a woman version of Michael. So much of his character is just white man entitlement.
Only Murders In the Building is coming back for a 4th season on August 27th and I’m beyond excited!
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s premiere is getting closer, and the cast is having one hell of a promo tour. Jenna Ortega is killing it by bringing back looks from the original movie and surfing on the demure trend. And the whole cast seems to have fun in interviews.
No “What I’ve Been Watching” section this week because I didn’t get to watch many new things outside of Emily in Paris. I have a lot I want to catch up on this week so my small reviews will be back!
As always, thank you for reading, and please share your thoughts in the comments.
Are there any other Emily in Paris French stereotypes you want me to comment on?
What do you think Chick-Fil-A’s shows will be like?
Would you buy cassette tapes today?
Are you as excited as I am about the new season of Only Murders in the Building?
See you next Sunday!
Love your Spotlight of the week. 💛 Emily! And the 10 News The Caught My Attention too.
Enjoyed reading the Emily in Paris rundown of real clichés Aurelie! The concept of 'the right to seduce' made me laugh - will have to go back and read that article.