Chloé Bourgeois is one of the main antagonists of the show in addition to Hawk Moth (although not nearly as dangerous or villainous). She is fully French, and is one of the few fully French characters in the main cast, despite the show taking place in Paris. While Chloé's ethnicity is not particularly groundbreaking, her character is used to critique western media norms surrounding white characters. In a country deeply entrenched in nationalistic pride, casting one of the few fully French characters as an antagonist that uses her social and economic power in her antagonism is startlingly reflective and introspective, as many French people are usually rather boastful about their heritage and their societal roles.
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In the majority of western media, especially early media, protagonists are almost exclusively white, while characters of color find stardom in villainous roles or not at all. White characters are constantly portrayed as heroic and just saviors while their opposites are characterized as "conniving" and "savage". Chloé, however, who is one of the few fully French characters in the main cast, is one of the main antagonists of the show. She is extraordinarily mean to Marinette and her peers and regards herself as better than everyone else. In this scene, Chloé willingly becomes akumatized and puts all of her classmates and the city in danger. Chloé and all of her selfish maliciousness serves as a critique of the classic (and often celebrated) stereotype of the uppity, snooty, high-class Frenchman that has long been the forefront of French representation. Casting Chloé in a bad light is a symbolic attempt to shed criticism on all French people who possess this air of arrogance and self-importance and expand the roles in which different people see themselves portrayed in the media.
Chloé's defining character aspects set her up to be a comically obvious critique of stereotypical French culture. Her last name is Bourgeois, which is a direct connection to the Bourgeoisie (capitalist upper class) of which she is a prominent part of, as her father is the mayor of Paris and her mother is a famous fashion designer. She gets what she wants whenever she wants and will go so far as to hurt others and manipulate her father's position of power to have her way, much to the detriment of others. France was famously anti-upper class during their notable 18th century revolution, but in the modern age has largely retreated back to this form of elitism to define their stereotype in media. Chloé's existence mocks this stereotype and those who conform to it. In this compilation, Chloé displays her stuck-up arrogance and acts as a mirror for the French populace to look into and reflect on themselves and their portrayal in today's world.