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Monday, July 10, 2006
The Devil Whines at His Girlfriend

We saw The Devil Wears Prada over the weekend and enjoyed it. I'm not going to get into a discussion over whether or not the movie was a distortion of the book's mesage, because I didn't read the book and I don't think it matters, anyway. But I will say that the movie inspired me to give a multiple-part Public Service Announcement. Here it is:

1. If you find yourself passing up an opportunity to meet someone who could give you the job of your dreams because it's your boyfriend's birthday, then you should consider realigning your priorities, or else dumping your boyfriend.

2. If you pass up an opportunity to get the job of your dreams in order to make it home on your boyfriend's birthday, and then your boyfriend passive-aggressively whines at you, then you should dump him.

3. If you take a job you aren't sure you'll like, but then end up liking it, and your friends rag on you for changing your mind, then you should get new friends.

4. If, during the course of a difficult entry-level job, you end up meeting people who get you the job of your dreams, and then your boyfriend accuses you of selling out for "purses and shoes"... then, hello - what the hell are you still doing with this asshole? Dump his birthday-cake-bitchy ass.

5. If, after everything else, your boyfriend smugly tells you that he's moving to another city to pursue the job of his dreams? Then I guess you got what you deserved and, hopefully, you've learned your lesson.

Through every scene of the protagonist and her boyfriend, my boyfriend and I were simultaneously whispering, "Dump him. Dump his ass!" Afterwards, we had a long talk about how annoying the movie was for pretending that a birthday was more important than a career.

Then, the next day, we rented Fever Pitch. I wasn't enthused about seeing it but, in contrast, Drew Barrymore gave us such a mature take on how to handle relationships and careers.

Moviemakers: It isn't 1972 anymore. Stop showing us bitchy boyfriends who expect their girlfriends to leave work early and bake cakes. Stop showing us women who get punished for working hard. We all know that the opposite is true - hard work is awesome. People who don't work hard are lazy or, worse, on their way to being divorced and left with nothing.

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4:52 PM #

Comments:

 Hi Gwen,

You know that if it was the girl friend that had the birthday--he'd take the career over her in a heart beat!

And who bakes cakes anymore?

Hard working career women are awesome!

Janice~


# posted by Blogger Janice : 9:51 PM  

 People with annoying lover live-in people are annoying. I'm all for both cakes and assertive people, and also -- Anna Wintour is nothing like the book potrayal. She is kind of the devil, but in a much more interesting way.


# posted by Blogger olive & rose : 12:14 AM  

 Janice: Word.

Rose: I like that you know about the real Anna Wintour.


# posted by Blogger Gwen : 8:22 AM  

 I cant wait to go see it!!! sounds like I'll be mad at it too. heh.
This weekends choice was Pirates instead.........the world is a better place when Johnny Depp is about 50 ft tall in front of my face for 3 hours................. *sigh*


# posted by Blogger pixielyn : 8:41 AM  

 I love your PSA, now if only more women believed that and believed in themselves than I for one would be a lot happier. (And it's all about me.....I guess)


# posted by Blogger lisal : 9:48 AM  

 Thank you, Gwen. When I left the movie I turned to my friend and said, "is it wrong that I was totally down with Meryl Streep's character the whole time?" There was a certain level of anti-capitalism in the film that bugged, as if working for some sort of small newspaper in a room full of stacks of musty old papers is somehow better than wearing awesome clothes and being at the center of the fashion world.

Still, lousy central message aside, the movie was fantastically entertaining!


# posted by Blogger Stupid Haiku Dude : 9:27 AM  

 Holy Cow, I wrote pretty much the same thing in my blog!

http://misspinkkate.diaryland.com/060710_86.html


# posted by Blogger MissPinkKate : 11:48 AM  

 You write universal truth. This 55-year-old guy actually muttered out loud during that scene: "Dump that asshole, wouldja!"


# posted by Blogger David : 4:41 PM  

 Pixie: We saw Pirates, too, and it was one of the most beautifully filmed movies I ever saw. Too bad I stopped understanding the plot halfway through, though.

Lisal: It's okay for it to be about you in this case, because it would do all those women good, too.

Haiku: Right!! The anti-capitalism. It was like, they were trying to be anti-consumerist, but came off as anti-work-ethical at the same time. What the hell is wrong with working hard to get nice things? Or working hard on the road to what you really want?

Miss Pink: Great minds...

David: :)


# posted by Blogger Gwen : 4:04 PM  

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