Emily in Paris season 4 addresses sexual harassment in the fashion industry

The new season of the lighthearted Netflix series Emily in Paris introduces an unexpected storyline about sexual misconduct in the fashion industry – but how does the show address this issue, and how closely does it mirror real-life events?

Created by Darren Star, the breezy Netflix show Emily in Paris shares many similarities with Star's earlier hit series Sex and the City.

This article includes discussions of sexual harassment and assault and contains spoilers for part one of season four of Emily in Paris.

In the new series, Mindy experiences a moment reminiscent of Carrie’s iconic fashion-closet scene as she excitedly sifts through the workplace wardrobe of JVMA, a luxury fashion conglomerate owned by her fiancé Nicolas de Léon's father, Louis de Léon. When two female employees catch her trying on various archival pieces, they scold Mindy – but not for the reason she expects. "You need a buddy," one of them says, with Mindy initially thinking they are offering someone to help carry her selections.

When Emily learns from Mindy that JVMA's female employees created a buddy system because Louis demands they try on selected clothes in front of him, she recalls that her boss Sylvie once faced similar harassment at JVMA. Sylvie initially dismisses the issue, citing a different time, but later decides to speak up when she discovers Louis is still behaving inappropriately.

This scenario underscores the generational divide in France regarding the #MeToo movement, which has struggled to gain traction, particularly in the fashion and film industries. French cultural attitudes toward sex have slowed the movement's momentum, despite some high-profile cases involving figures like Patrick Demarchelier, Gérald Marie, and Gérard Depardieu. Actress Adèle Haenel, disillusioned with the industry's handling of abuse allegations, left the film industry, inspiring others like Noémie Merlant, who addressed the issue in her film The Balconettes.

Hollywood has also been slow to address #MeToo, with few productions fully capturing the movement's complexities, as noted by Maureen Ryan, author of Burn It Down.