Love, Paris.

I learned early what it meant to choose Paris. Long before I ever set foot there, “Paris” became a metaphor to always choose myself. This mantra stemmed from watching The Hills, when Lauren Conrad turned down the chance to continue her Teen Vogue internship in Paris to spend the summer with her boyfriend, Jason. I was pissed. That bitch could have had Parisian summer! Fashion houses. Museum trips in couture. Possibly a torrid love affair with a French painter. But more than that, I watched LC betray herself. Paris was to be an extension of her fashion dreams and ambitions. The moment after that episode aired, I made a quiet vow to myself: Always choose myself. Always choose my dreams. In other words: Never be the girl who doesn’t go to Paris.

Fast forward to 2023. I finally had the chance to choose Paris - for real! Paris met me through Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. I got to scream the lyrics to “Break My Soul” in the rain. I watched Beyoncé give us all she had. The show was glittering and electric, especially in a city alive in a way only magic can make it. The entire trip was magic! The Louvre. I literally saw the Mona Lisa with my own eyes! The people. The food! Truffle flavored everything! The moment held me. I left knowing I would never be the same. A piece of me is still there. I carry Paris with me. It shows up memories. Dancing into the early morning in a club in Marseille, France. Body rolling to Wetter x Twista. Sipping champagne on the rooftop of Lé Giraffe with the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the background. Or Paris shows up in habits, like the occasional cigarette and black coffee for breakfast. Unintentionally, Paris showed up in this year’s VDAY campaign.

And that, I think, is Paris in a phrase: C’est si bon. The French say it to express passion, delight, and the kind of joy that lingers in little moments. Paris lives in my heart always. It is one of my greatest loves.