Emily in Paris 4: It’s Never Too Late to Speak Out on Harassment

Here’s a quick rundown of the second episode of Emily in Paris Season 4:

In this episode, Mindy (Ashley Park), Emily’s (Lily Collins) best friend, is thrown into a tough spot when she discovers that Louis de Leon (Pierre Niney), the CEO of the luxury brand JVMA, is sexually harassing his female employees. It turns out he regularly sends women to the "brand closet" and makes them try on clothes for him without their consent—clear sexual harassment and abuse of power, with the threat of losing their jobs if they refuse.

Mindy finds out about this during a visit to the company and struggles with the situation, especially since she’s dating Louis’s son, Nicolas (Paul Forman). At the same time, the French newspaper Le Monde reaches out to Emily’s boss, Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), asking her to share her own experiences with Louis’s past misconduct. Sylvie decides to speak up about Louis’s history of harassment, even though it means facing some serious fallout, starting with the end of his business partnership with her husband.

The episode tackles the tough issues of power abuse, sexual harassment, and the challenges faced by those who decide to blow the whistle on powerful figures in the workplace.

It Ends with Us: Breaking the Cycle of Relationship Abuse

So, why do women often delay reporting sexual harassment?

I remember many times being with people who questioned why a woman would talk about being harassed by a boss or coworker from years ago, and the common question was always, “Why did she wait so long to speak up?” While I firmly believe that the timing of when to speak out is entirely up to the survivor, and we can’t dictate when they should come forward, there are several reasons why women might delay reporting sexual harassment:

-Struggling with internalized beliefs about violence against women.

-The stereotype that harassment is common in many workplaces and no one talks about it, making it seem normal.

-Fear that speaking out could harm the woman’s career and life in general.

-Fear of the harasser’s authority, especially if they hold a high position.

-Lack of support from those around her.

-Feeling that her complaint won’t be believed.

-Being in shock, which can delay fully processing the experience.

-Fear of losing a partner if she’s in a relationship.

These aren’t the only reasons—there’s a long list of reasons that can’t be fully covered. If you ask any survivor who delayed speaking out, they’ll likely have different reasons. So, it’s important to remember that only the survivor can decide the right time to talk about their experience.

Does delaying a report of sexual harassment make the report less valuable?

Many women worry that if they wait to speak about their experiences with sexual harassment, it somehow makes their account less significant. They might think, “What good does it do to talk about something that happened years ago?” But in reality, it's never too late. These men are still out there, still working, interacting with many women every day, and maybe even holding more power or influential positions now. This means their harassment could still be ongoing. So, if you decide to speak up after years, you could be putting an end to a cycle of abuse and potentially protecting other women from these men. If you’re a survivor, why not help prevent more harm?

In Emily in Paris, when Le Monde asked Sylvie, now in her sixties, to talk about her experiences with Louis de Leon from her younger days, they believed her story would be impactful and that it wasn’t too late. Sylvie agreed, and when the article came out, it shook Louis de Leon’s empire, with multiple testimonies coming forward against him.

Another point the show highlights is how Sylvie felt relief after sharing her story, as if it were a form of therapy and a way to move past the violations she faced. This shows that survivors, no matter how much time has passed, continue to feel the impact of their trauma and need a chance to express what they’ve been through. Hearing older survivors share their experiences can encourage younger women to stand up and speak out against what they’re facing today.

Does support from those around you encourage survivors to speak out earlier?

We all need supportive people around us, and this is especially true for survivors of sexual harassment. Having a supportive circle can definitely encourage a survivor to speak up sooner. We see this in various scenes from Emily in Paris. For example, when Mindy refuses to accept what’s happening at Louis de Leon’s company, she immediately goes to her friend Emily to express her disapproval and share what she’s discovered. In another scene, when Sylvie tries to avoid discussing the past to protect her husband’s investment with Louis, Emily tells her that she needs to rethink her decision and shares what Mindy said. These conversations push Sylvie to finally take the step to speak out about the past, even after many years, because she sees other women standing up against it.

So remember, it’s never too late…