Photo-illustration: Vultutre, HBO and Netflix
If you, like 97 percent of the Internet, were confused by the fact that this year’s Golden Globe nominations praise lil ‘Insta ringarde Emily in Paris but hung the sensational I can destroy you out to dry, hashtag your macarons again and read this. In a new Guardian op-ed, Emily in Paris Team editor Deborah Copaken said she did not expect the seductively silly Parisian comedy to receive nominations at all, but “this excitement is now, unfortunately, tempered by my anger over Michaela Coel’s contempt.” Copaken, a sexual assault survivor who considers Coel’s limited series “a work of absolute genius,” said she watched the show twice “just to understand” how Coel did it.
“That I can destroy You didn’t get a nod to the Golden Globes. It’s not just wrong, it’s what’s wrong with everything, ”she wrote. “But my fury is not just about race. Or even about racial representation in art. Yes, we need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some. But we also need to reward the programs that deserve them, no matter the skin color of their creators. IS Hamilton great because Lin-Manuel Miranda is Puerto Rican? No. It’s great because it hits. By that same symbol, as anyone can watch I can destroy you and not calling it a brilliant work of art or Michaela Coel a genius is beyond my ability to understand how these decisions are made. ”In that sense, Copaken acknowledged that Emily in ParisThe company’s vision was “eliminated from its vibrant African and Muslim communities” in favor of telling a story of whiteness “luxury”. Yes, it is one of the countless faux pas of the show.