Netflix series Emily in Paris is fuelling the climate crisis, deputy mayor claims
A French politician has slammed the hit series Emily in Paris as it presents a 'Disneyland' version of the city that is 'not viable in the face of '. David Belliard, Deputy Mayor of Paris, claims the series presents an unrealistic portrayal of the French capital that is not prepared for the threat of global warming. Emily in Paris depicts a young American woman named Emily, played by British actress Lily Collins, who moves from to Paris to start a marketing job. The third series of the show debuted on Netflix last month, but Belliard blasts it as 'irritating' and depicting a stereotypical 'urban caricature' of the city. His criticism of the show which has been renewed for a fourth season has been published in the in his native French. 'It's a snapshot of an unchangeable Paris, a Disneyland, which is confined to the ultra-centre, inhabited only by the richest people in a uniform architectural heritage,' Belliard says. 'In short an "Instagram Paris" with impeccable colours and ideal views. 'This fable is neither desirable nor viable... there is the complete erasure of the constraints of climate deregulation and the rarity of resources. 'We have to get out of nostalgia for a stereotypical city and invent a new aesthetic coherence that is adapted to a changing world.' In the series, the titular character moves into the attic of an old apartment building in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, known as the Latin Quarter. According to , the show has triggered a wave of beret-wearing fans to the area, which is home to many students. Emily's building 1 Place de l'Estrapade is a grand 19th century apartment structure that looks stylish on film, but is one of several not adapted to rising temperatures. However, the show doesn't depict how she may have sweltered through at the top of the building. Belliard continues: 'The flats on the top floors, often occupied by the poorest people, become unbearable ovens in hot weather. 'A simple solution... would be to paint the roofs with white reflective paint. But are we ready to abandon the colour palette of Paris?' Belliard, one of 34 deputy mayors of Paris, serves as a member of the executive team to the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, member of the Socialist Party. He is in charge of the transformation of public spaces, as well as transportation, mobility, rules and regulations on city streets, and the management of roads. According to Belliard, the way the city is presented by Netflix is more in the interest of French said that viewers 'have to strongly love science fiction to watch this series, knowing that Parisians are mostly friendly, speak irreproachable English, make love for hours and that going to work remains an option. 'The writers may have hesitated for two or three minutes to stick a baguette under each French person, or even a beret to clearly distinguish them, on the other hand, they all smoke cigarettes and flirt to death.' Meanwhile, a 2021 article in called it 'unrealistic' and 'filled with berets and baguettes' with 'countless stereotypes about French people'.