Appearances Influence In Pretty Woman
In today’s society, appearances influence everyday interactions in many ways. People are positively and negatively judged by the way they carry themselves and how they dress. These biases follow people wherever they go. These implications can be seen in the Rodeo Drive scene from Pretty Woman. It embodies the social and cultural stereotypes present at the time of the film. The main character, Vivian, is asked to leave due to the way she looks. She is not given a chance to justify herself as the biases against her outweigh the positives in the eyes of the store employees. They have categorized her based on her appearance and not on her actions or personality, which should not be the case. Appearances should not matter in the way that an individual is treated, there should not be an assumption on an individual based on looks or appearances. In this scene, the director uses symbols through the characters, the character's dialogue, and the setting of the scene in order to portray the negative aspects of appearances.
The scene starts off with Vivian, the main character, who is wearing a cut-out mini dress paired with knee high faux leather boots (Pretty Woman, .50-1:30) . She is a tall woman who has red curly hair, not like many of the women present within that scene. Her character is clearly presented in this manner in order to have her stand out among the other characters within the scene. She is walking into a store on Rodeo Drive, when the other characters of the scene are introduced. The two employees are dressed in a more subtle manner, they are more conservative compared to Vivian. The simple differences represented within the outfits of the character illustrates classist stereotypes. Clothing can represent more than just what an individual wears, but it also works as a form of expression or even social status. In this scene, the outfits play a role on the social status of each of the characters. Dressed in a flashy manner during the time of the film might represent un-ladylike characteristics. While dressing in a more conservative manner will represent high class ladies. Vivian’s cut out clothes display a more sexual appeal compared to the employees outfits. As well as the color or her clothing, displaying a great amount red can be seen as lustful or attention seeking. Vivian’s outfit choice is critical in order to display the difference between high class and low or middle class. The boots that she wears are also a fashion statement, that they place her outside of the high class circle within the scene. Her clothing and the way that she changes it throughout the movie illustrate her change in role and personality. It can be described as Cinderella before she has met her fairy godmother, waiting to be accepted by high class norms.
The physical aspect of the characters are also different. All three characters are caucasian women, however, there is a difference in the color of their hair, eyes, and make-up. One of the employees is a caucasian women with silver blond hair and blue eyes. Vivian, on the other hand, is caucasian with red hair and brown eyes. The employees demonstrate what the beauty standard is known to be in society. It is the bleach blonde caucasian woman with bright blue eyes that has been present in many other films. The hollywood representation of this beauty standard has taken a toll on the misrepresentation of women’s appearances. It categorizes women to become a fictional character in order to comply with the idealistic view of beauty. It places Vivian outside of the beauty standards within the high class society that surrounds her. Vivian does not look like anyone around her, which makes her stand out. As soon as Vivian walks through the door she is stared down from head to toe. She does not fit and and immediately catches everybody's attention. Reflecting on the idea that she does not belong there and should be kicked out. Her first impression caused a negative interaction among the characters.
The way that the characters are presented through their outfits and physical appearance leads to the way that the characters interact with each other. The background to the scene is that Vivian is trying to shop for a cocktail dress. She has a lot of money to spend, but due to her appearance she was not able to purchase any clothing items. As soon as Vivian enters the store she is greeted and asked for assistance. However, the scene takes a turn when the employee’s tone changes. She shifts from a formal tone to a rude tone as Vivian asks how much a dress is. Her transition from formal to rude represents classism. The employee speaks down on Vivian, just so she won't be able to purchase anything. The employee degrades Vivian just by simply judging her on her appearance. The employee doesn't really answer any of Vivian’s questions, she is being dismissive. Vivian’s appearance has given her a bad customer service encounter and a boost for her insecurities among the rich. Vivian tries to defend herself by stating that she has money to spend, however, the employees do not seem to want to attend her due to the way that she looks. In this moment, the employees seem to be acting as gate-keepers of high class society. As if they are the physical representation of what it is to be judged and denied entry simply on the way that you look. They represent classism, they are protecting the bourgeoisie. The characters are the upper class and lower class and how they interact in society. The employee is extremely rude, that she demands for Vivian to leave the building. Vivian walks out with her head low, signifying defeat and embarrassment. She had just been kicked out for the way that she looked, it didn't matter how much money she had.
