Politician criticizes 'Emily in Paris' for its 'offensive' and 'caricature' portrayal of Ukrainians

• Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine's minister of culture, criticized Netflix's "Emily in Paris."
• Tkachenko took fault with the series' portrayal of a Ukrainian character, calling it "unacceptable."

A politician called out Netflix's "Emily in Paris" over its portrayal of a Ukrainian character, saying it's "unacceptable" and "offensive."

Season 2 of "Emily in Paris," which stars Lily Collins as the titular character, premiered on December 22 but has already ruffled some feathers. The series previously got flack from fans who believed "Emily in Paris" lacked diversity and stereotyped cultures.

Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy, pointed to a character named Petra, who at one point during the series tricks Emily into stealing clothes and accessories from a store.

"In the 1990s and 2000s, Ukrainian guys were portrayed mainly as gangsters. Over time this has changed. However, not in this case," Tkachenko said, according to The Mirror.

He continued: "In Emily in Paris we have a caricature of a Ukrainian woman which is unacceptable. It is also offensive. Is this how Ukrainians will be seen abroad? Who steal, want to get everything for free, be afraid of deportation? This should not be so."

The Mirror reported that researcher Olga Matveieva also chimed in, saying it was a shame that Petra "marginalises the image of an average Ukrainian woman."

"Nationality-based stereotyping not only provokes disbalance but maintains aggression. Let's make peace, not offensive jokes," Matveieva wrote.

However, Tkachenko later said that Netflix was "quite diplomatic" in responding to his concern.

"They thanked me for the feedback. But they heard about the concern of Ukrainian viewers with the image of a Ukrainian woman. We agreed that in 2022, we will be in close contact to prevent such cases," Tkachenko wrote. "Such an active public position will help ensure the attitude of Ukrainians is taken into account in future filming."

Representatives for Netflix did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Although "Emily in Paris" garnered two Golden Globe nominations — including best musical/comedy series — some critics panned the show for presenting Parisians as rude, sexist, and elitist.

Lucas Bravo, who plays a main love interest on the show, told Cosmopolitan that he understood why some viewers didn't like the "cliché" show.

"We're portraying clichés and we're portraying one single vision of Paris. Paris is one of the most diverse cities in the world," he said. "We have so many ways of thinking, so many different nationalities, so many different neighborhoods. A lifetime wouldn't be enough to know everything that's going on in Paris. It's an entire world in a city."

Collins said that season 2 will focus on "diversity and inclusion following the criticism."