Emily in Paris is so bad that it’s amazing. If you haven’t watched it yet, I’m extremely jealous. I wish I could watch it again for the first time and be frustrated all over again.
There is something about this show that is corny yet addicting yet kind of chic that it really got me thinking about the marketing perspective of the writers.
It’s almost as if the show’s creators knew exactly how to hook viewers in a way that feels irresistibly offbeat, keeping us engaged and maybe even frustrated—yet clicking ‘Next Episode’ every time.
An Audio-Visual Lobotomy
I’ll never forget some of the viral tweets that came about when the show first took off.
Comedian Abby Govindan jokingly tweeted, “As the creator of Emily in Paris can I just say…….why the f**** were we nominated for a Golden Globe LOL I made that show as a prank.”
To be clear: Abby Govindan is not the creator of the show. But the number of people in the comments that fully believed her was amazing.
Her joke is believable because the show feels so easy and so hard to watch at the same time. It’s safe to say I’m not the only one who feels this way about the romantic comedy drama.
What I really want to know is: Is it on purpose?
Emily in Paris is Literally All the Rage
According to Google, the definition for rage baiting is, “a manipulative internet tactic that aims to provoke an emotional response from users to increase online engagement, traffic, and revenue.”
There are two main ways in which I personally think writers for Emily in Paris could be leveraging this tactic to their advantage.
The first is just the way the main character Emily (Lily Collins) makes the wrong decision every time in every scenario.
Sure, I understand that’s a common theme in the rom-coms and drama genres of TV shows. But it’s really just excessive in this show. So excessive, in fact, I have to question it.
The second way might be a bit more subjective to the viewer: It’s the outfits.
In this case, it’s not just Emily. It’s everyone.
Here’s Mindy just going about her day in this baby blue fuzzy hat. Super casual.
Then there’s this winner by Camille. It looks sharp. But in a bad way.
But for the record, it’s also Emily.
It’s not so much that she’s the worst offender, but as the lead, we see her in these bizarre get-ups the most.
I mean c’mon! That might be the busiest outfit I’ve ever seen.
Most of the time, the outfits are so close to being cute. High-fashion even.
But something always seems to throw it off. It’s always one thing, every single time. Sometimes an accessory, sometimes the shoes, and sometimes it’s the hairstyle.
Not every part of the show has this duality.
It’s mostly Emily herself that tends to slightly infuriate the viewers. Was her character designed specifically to this reaction for engagement? Is there such a thing as micro-dosing rage bait?
If not, I think Emily in Paris started a new trend.
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