Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko has sent a letter to Netflix complaining about a stereotypical and caricature depiction of the Ukrainian character Petra, who appeared in the second series of Emily in Paris.
According to him, the streaming platform promised him that he would be in closer contact with him in order to prevent similar cases in the future, the Russian service informed the BBC station.
Petra’s Ukrainian will appear in the fourth episode of the new series. She differs from the main heroine Emily in her outdated clothes and make-up, steals uppers in the store, fears deportation and speaks French with a strong accent, sometimes turning into Ukrainian.
“In Emily in Paris, we have a caricature of a Ukrainian woman, which is unacceptable. It’s also offensive. Is that how he sees Ukrainians abroad? As someone who steals, wants everything for free, is afraid of deportation? It shouldn’t be like that,” wrote head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture on a telegram.
Dissatisfaction was also expressed by some other users of social networks. “You portray a Ukrainian woman as a man without taste and dignity. Stupid, uneducated thief (…) And this is happening while there are so many talented Ukrainians who influence global markets in technology, fashion, art, sustainability, science, sports? she wrote on Instagram blogger Jevhenija Havrylková.
Others have defended the series or suggested that they do not take the events so seriously. “So anyone can be negative characters in the series, but not Ukrainians? Sure, everyone would like her to be from Moscow, but it’s not always the way we want.” expressed Ukrainian film producer Natalka Jakymovyčová is on Facebook.
The minister later told the Ukrainian media that Netflix had responded to his complaint. “They thanked for the feedback. They heard about the dissatisfaction of Ukrainian viewers with the depiction of the Ukrainian woman. We agreed that in 2022 we will be in closer contact to prevent similar cases,” Tkachenko said.
The BBC server noted that the series Emily in Paris had previously faced criticism in France for its stereotypical portrayal of Paris and the inhabitants of the French capital.
Watch the trailer for the series
All ten episodes of the second series of Emily in Paris are on Netflix with Czech subtitles. | Video: Netflix
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