‘In the Suburbs’ is a film made by On Film incorporation. It mainly targets populations in the suburbs - especially the young adults. The film shows how Redbook magazines have exclusively considered the young adults and their importance too. ‘Word to the Wives’ is a comical film done by Telamerica Incorporation that focuses of consumerism and gender roles. It centers on women, and how suburban women trick their husbands into buying new kitchens, therefore, essentially satisfying their dissatisfaction. ‘American Women: Partners Research’ is another film done by Holland-Wegman Productions. It focusses on gender roles, market research, and consumerism. It mainly talks about a particular market research done by Corning Glass on the marketing of a coffee maker. It is primarily focused on women consumerism of a coffee maker. In all these films, the one question the viewer is bound to ask is whether women ever get enough.
Friedan views the feminine mystique as a problem with no name. It is a problem that affects many married American women as they go through their daily activities without speaking about it. It is a question of a strange sense of dissatisfaction that women go through (Friedan 15). According to the film, Jane hatches a plan to get a new kitchen even though her husband does not understand her urgency.
According to Friedan, in those years, being a suburban housewife was a dream come true for many American women. A suburban wife was admired by women all over the world. In the film, Jane is invited for a shopping spree to experience “freedom to go shopping when the urge hits you” instead of being stuck in the kitchen” (“Word to the Wives, a: Telamerica, Inc.”). This experience meant so much to her because it gave her true feminine fulfillment, which is the mystique that Friedan talks about.
In essence, many women in the suburbs rarely talk about their problems, but when they do it is evident that the feminine mystique is a common problem among them (Friedan 20). Friedan says that we cannot ignore that voice in a woman that says, “I want something more than my husband and my children and my home” (Friedan 32). They would go to greater lengths to satisfy this dissatisfaction that has no name, and that is why Jane in the film had to leave her husband for some time to make him see the urgency of a new kitchen. Needless to say, her tactic worked, and it is not entirely clear whether she still felt the dissatisfaction, but they lived happily after she got a new kitchen. It ends in a closing dialog, "Well folks, I'll leave it up to you whether the gals tricked me or not. But that's another story. This new dream house is a happy ending to our story” (“Word to the Wives, a: Telamerica, Inc.).
Works Cited
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: George J McLeod Limited, Toronto, 1963..
"Word to the Wives, a: Telamerica, Inc.: Free Download & Streaming: Internet Archive".
Internet Archive. N.P., 1955. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
