“This video is for everyone coming to the 2024 Olympics in Paris,” a woman said in a TikTok post, before pausing for a moment and adding, “Don't come. Cancel everything.”
The video, uploaded in November, has now been viewed more than 700,000 times.
The creator, Miranda Starcevic, is a 31-year-old French-American living in Paris who usually records herself speaking French, but thought that the message about the Olympics would be better conveyed to more people if she recorded it in English.
And Starcevic wanted her viewers to know that from the perspective of the French people, who are, in her words, “sort of middle class,” that “nobody wants the Olympics. It's just chaos.”
A global, visually-driven platform with a young user base, TikTok is chock full of Olympics-related content. But in addition to heartwarming glimpses into the lives of athletes and promotional videos from organizers and sponsors, there are also graphic videos from Parisians warning potential visitors that the city may not perform at its best during the Olympics.
A 24-year-old Parisian student who goes by the name Leo Nora posted several short videos describing the Paris Games as “dangerous” and that it would be “hell on earth.”
In one video, she tells the camera: “If you're going to come to Paris for the Olympics, why? Don't come. Don't come!” The video has been viewed more than a million times.
“I've lived in Paris all my life,” Leo Nora said in an interview, “and I've been to really big events there. And the reason I wanted to talk about this is because I know how Paris can work and how it can go wrong.”
She and Starcevic had similar reasons for recommending people avoid the Olympics: They both expressed frustration with the city asking students to give up their dorms to make accommodations for workers during the Olympics, and they also expressed frustration and concerns about transportation.
Organizers and government officials are concerned about transport worker strikes during the games, as well as more serious issues like terrorism. Some creators have posted about the rampant tourist scams and pickpocketing in Paris, as well as recent hotel price hikes. TikTok users have also warned that trains could become seriously overcrowded.
“It's not uncommon for people to faint on the subway,” said Leo Nora, who said that when someone faints, “it stops the line and causes delays.”
Tessa Biccard, a cosmetics executive who goes by the TikTok handle “Madame Tartempion,” posted a video titled “The Olympics will be a nightmare for Paris,” which has been viewed more than 750,000 times and generated hundreds of comments.
Biccard, a Northern California native who has lived in Paris for more than 12 years, said in an interview that she's actually a big Olympics fan.
“I've been watching every year since I was a kid,” she said. “I love swimming, and women's gymnastics, of course,” but added that she's “never been more excited about the Olympics.”
The main reason, she said, is that people don't have tickets. “They're either too expensive or unavailable,” she said. She also stressed that various construction projects for the Olympics are already making daily life difficult. She fears that the expected influx of millions of Olympic visitors will make things even worse. “My bus route is total chaos.”
As an American living in Paris, Biccard said she often uses her TikTok account to answer questions about the city, in addition to fun tips like “how to spot an American in Paris.”
Americans ask, “Where's the best place to stay? What's the best neighborhood? What's your favorite restaurant? All that stuff,” she says. She responds to as many as she can. “There's this 'I speak American English, so I can trust you,'” she says.
When it comes to the Olympics, Bicard's views are somewhat more moderate than those of more vocal opponents of the Olympics such as Leo Nora and Starčević.
“If you're coming here for the Olympics, hopefully this isn't your once-in-a-lifetime visit to Paris,” she said, adding that there will be planning challenges. “Trying to do something 'Parisian' is going to be really difficult and I don't think it's going to be fun,” she said.
Bicard said she, like Starcevic, Leo Nora and most Parisians, expects “huge chaos” on the subway once the Olympics begin. She said posters and signs are already hanging around the city urging residents to get excited about the Olympics. Many see it as “a bit of a code word,” hinting at what many are already thinking: “If you can, or if you can afford it, get out of town.”
Leo Nora, who normally posts about feminism and racial issues on TikTok, isn't planning on being in Paris for the Olympics; her boyfriend lives outside the city and she'll be with him. “Crowds make me anxious,” she said. “I don't want to be the one who faints and disappoints everyone.”
Starcevic, who runs a sustainable online fashion brand, booked tickets months ago to get away from the city during the Olympics, spending a few days in Biarritz with a friend and a few more in the south of France. “I'm lucky enough to be able to go,” Starcevic said, “but most people don't have my privilege.”
But Biccard says she plans to stay put — she plans to bike or walk to work instead of taking the metro — and she said she expects one of two things to happen: “It's either total chaos or it's surprisingly calm,” she said.
In any case, she shrugs and says, “Paris is my home. I love it.” And she doesn't frown on the anger of other Parisians.
“I'm married to a Parisian,” she says, “so I can say with some authority that Parisians are not necessarily the easiest people to get along with.”
