Women are objectified in patriarchy. They have to use their sexuality in order to live a decent life and get what they want, because their position in the world doesn't allow them to achieve that kind of success alone. At least that was the case in 1953 when "Niagara" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" were filmed. In the fifties, emancipation of women was not at its peak. Women are victims in a male dominated world and their only chance is to marry preferably a rich man, who will support them. Lorelei and Dorothy sing: "Find a gentleman who is shy or bold; Or short or tall; Or young or old; As long as the guy's a millionaire" (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Men value women for their good looks and in return women value men for their money.
Men regard women as sexual objects. When Marilyn Monroe gets out of her cabin, wearing now a legendary red dress, Mr. Cutler (played by Max Showalter) says to his wife Polly: "Get out the fire hose" and asks her why she never dresses like that. Polly answers that you have to start thinking about that at the age of thirteen (Niagara). However, when Marilyn's husband, Mr. Loomis asks Polly why she doesn't dress like his wife, Rose (Marilyn Monroe) she says that her kneecaps aren't so pretty (Niagara) and that his wife has full right to show off her beauty. Polly is not jealous and is only trying to help Rose because she sees her as an unhappy woman and doesn't judge her by her appearance and attractiveness. When Polly sees Rose kissing another man, she keeps it to herself (Niagara).
Women use their sexuality to achieve immoral things as well. Rose is trying to kill her husband. She uses her sex appeal to make people believe that her husband is mad. She uses the party to play her favorite song "Kiss", which she knows will irritate Mr. Loomis. He gets out of the cabin and breaks the record into pieces showing that he is emotionally instable (Niagara). Later she pretends that she is in love with him in order to lure him into following her the next morning, so that her lover can kill him at the Niagara falls. He says that she is a tramp, but is still very much in love with her (Niagara). At this point Marilyn's character is not only the victim, she is a manipulator as well. We find out that she was a popular waitress and that when she married Mr. Loomis, she ruined his business because of her need for constant partying. She couldn't settle for being a housewife. She wears attractive dresses that reveal too much for that time period and her red lipstick is her trademark (she wears it even in her bed). However she is a victim because men see has as a mere object, not a person with talents and brains and opportunities to have a good job. She is, like other women as well, supposed to be a wife and a mother. That is not her nature and she becomes a manipulator because of society.
Women's only chance for prosperity in life is to marry a rich man. At the beginning of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", Lorelei and Dorothy sing: "And here's some advice I'd like to share; Find a gentleman who is shy or bold; Or short or tall; Or young or old; As long as the guy's a millionaire" (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). However Dorothy is the example that not all women are interested in money. Anyway, in the end, she marries Mr. Malone, who is not rich, but also not poor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).
Lorelei is not only interested in Mr. Esmond's money. She says that he listens to her and she gets her way with him, plus he is a millionaire (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Now we might even feel that she really is in love with Gus for who he is, not only for his family money.
Lorelei is an entertainer and has access to rich men. Gus's father is against his son marrying Lorelei and sends a private detective to find out compromising things about her on the boat journey to France. (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Being a seductress, Lorelei cannot help herself flirting with Piggy, and elderly person, who owns a diamond mine. Mr. Malone, the detective, takes photos of the two of them, which are a proof of her unfaithfulness. Lorelei gets the film negative and convinces Piggy to give her his wife's diamond tiara. (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). It is in her nature to use every opportunity to get something materialistic from men. She even says to Dorothy: "Do you want a loveless marriage? Me, loveless? If a girl spends time worrying about the money she doesn't havehow will she have time for love" (Gentlemen prefer Blondes). Dorothy agrees that she has right saying that. We find out again that the society objectified women, but they refuse to be only victims, they use that role (of a sexual object) in their favor.
Women are helpless alone. When Mr. Esmond's father cancels paying for Lorelei and Dorothy's expenses in Paris, they find a job as entertainers in a famous club. They can manage alone, but not for a long time. That lasts as long as they are young. "Men grow cold as girls grow old; And we all lose our charm in the end" (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). This means that women have to think about their future with a successful husband while they are still attractive.
When Piggy steals tiara from Lorelei, she is arrested because of the misunderstanding and because of her naivety. Dorothy pretends to be her in court and convinces Mr. Malone to help proving her innocence. He accepts that and everybody wins. (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).
When Lorelei meets Mr. Esmond's father, he is disgusted by her at first but then she shows him that she is a smart woman. Lorelei: "I can be smart when it's important. But most men don't like that. Except Gus. He's interested in my brains" (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). She even compares beauty with money: "Don't you know that a rich man is like a pretty girl?" (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). Mr. Esmond's father is amazed by her brains and beauty and in the end accepts the marriage and his son's choice.
Beautiful women are not necessarily stupid, even if they pretend to be in order to get something. They are objects in this world we are talking about, but they also use their position to achieve the best they can in order to end up happy and successful. These women are the weaker sex, but if we examine things more carefully we will conclude that men need them in order to be happy and fulfilled as well. Therefore, in this world everybody gains.
Works Cited:
Niagara. Dir. Henry Hathaway. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1953. Film.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Dir. Howard Hawks. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1953. Film.
