The state of California is about 40 million people, around 5% of whom are Black.

France is about 67 million people, 4% to 7% of whom are Black.

France is Blacker than California, and there are more Black people living in France than in California.

Some folks including the show's creator, say things like, "But Emily in Paris is escapist fantasy! We want it to be glamorous!" Which makes me wonder, "🤔What are you escaping from?" And "Black people can't be glamorous?"

Here's the silliest part:

Way more than half of the "Emily in Paris" US audience would have absolutely no problem if there were more Black Parisian extras, or Black women with speaking lines.♥️👍🏿 And Black viewers would see themselves more represented. They would make *more* money.

If you're hiring extras for a crowd in Paris, and you want it to be almost all white, you have to intentionally filter out Black and Arabic actors. It's more work, to make less money🙂🙃

@rachel_elson @mekkaokereke The Eddy was great. Lupin also features a racially diverse Paris, and uses upper society's anti-black bias in the plot without being specifically about race.

But interesting how both these shows were made for Netflix' French audiences first, while Emily is clearly a fantasy travelogue made for Americans, playing to all the stereotypes.