Portrayal of Ukrainian Woman in Netflix Series 'Emily in Paris' Draws Ire of Nation's Culture Chief

KIEV (Sputnik) - Ukrainian culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko on Friday blasted the "caricatured" and "offensive" portrayal of a Ukrainian woman in the Netflix series 'Emily in Paris', pledging to submit his objections to the American streaming service.

"'Emily in Paris' has a caricatured image of a Ukrainian woman, which is unacceptable. And offensive. Why should Ukrainians be perceived like this abroad? As people who steal, want to get everything for free, and are afraid of deportation? It should not be like this. I will submit our position in writing to Netflix," Tkachenko wrote on his Telegram channel.

The minister continued by saying that Netflix has a good knowledge of Ukraine and could have avoided such mistakes. He said that the comedy-drama series was pretty good in general, but argued that the new season has been driven by stereotypes.

Many social media users shared Tkachenko's view, with Ukrainians saying that Netflix has created "the most disgusting character", and they felt "humiliated" watching the show.

#EmilyInParis I watched Emily in Paris yesterday and was literally in SHOCK ! Unpleasant spoiler ! A women Petra from Kyiv ( my hometown ) is the most disgusting character that I have ever seen. She steals clothes, stupid and has really bad taste...

— Olia (@OliaHomyn) December 24, 2021

which doesn't change the plot and describes incorrectly ukrainian women and our nation at all. In each country you can find intelligent or a bit strange people, but nobody shouldn't judge others ( especially in such inappropriate way ). And last but not least, a wonderful actress

— Olia (@OliaHomyn) December 24, 2021

Daria Panchenko,who is obviously Petra. Is she actually from Ukraine? If so, how dare could she represent our nation and be such a fool ( at least not to know that there isn't name Petra in Ukraine ).

— Olia (@OliaHomyn) December 24, 2021

i do not see enough outrage about the xenophobic and stereotypical portrayal of petra (a ukrainian woman) in emily in paris. it was disgusting to watch and as an eastern european myself, i felt humiliated seeing the typical stereotype of a stealing east european women.

— steff (@sugarplum9669) December 24, 2021

i haven’t watched emily in paris and definitely not going to watch it because that petra character is very disrespectful if you ask me. it’s 2021, I’m done seeing how all ukrainian characters in american movies are marketed as stupid girls who need money only

— vlada (@vladaontheIoose) December 23, 2021

@netflix
That Petra girl you have on the second season of Emily in Paris.
1. We don’t have anyone named Petra in Ukraine.
2. Ukrainians don’t get that much of a representation in pop culture, so it’s a weird thing to show us stealing things

— Vasyl Fedchyk (@VasylFedchyk) December 23, 2021

In the fourth episode of season two, viewers were introduced to a new character, Petra - a vulgarly dressed blonde from Kiev. The series' protagonist, Emily Cooper, meets Petra in her French class and the two then try to bond and practise French together.

As part of their bonding, they go shopping and Petra suggests they steal several items from the store. Because of a language barrier, Emily unwittingly steals from the shop, but on realising her mistake, tries to convince her new Ukrainian friend to go back and return the stolen clothes and a bag. Petra does not want to go back, and they end up arguing, with Emily leaving.