gentlemen prefer blondes
When it was written in 1925, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, by Anita Loos was heralded as a tremendous novel. It was seen as cutting edge and insightful, yet somewhat risque in its portrayal of Lorelei Lee and her escapades. I can see how this may have been thought at that time, seeing as how women were looked at in such a different way then they are currently. The fact that a women with as little know-how as Lorelei can manipulate men the way that she does, leaves no question as to who is the superior gender in Loos' mind. While the books is quite amusing, and does have many strengths, if it is looked at in the context of women's struggles with issues such as domesticity, sexuality and socioeconomic standing it seems less and less like such a brilliant, satirical social commentary. Lorelei seemed to come from a middle class family. She mentions that she attended business college, and that her father was sending her away to learn how to become a stenographer. This indicates that it was not out of the question for her to work for a living, although after she fell into the hands of Gus Eisman she does nothing of the sort. After living under the care of Mr. Eisman, she easily makes the transition from being a part of the working
Something that I feel many women at the time, and still some to this day can identify with, is Lorelei's use of her sexuality to get what she wants from men. It reminds me of the whole "treating" phenomenon mentioned in Cheap Amusements. While did not have sex with men for the presents they gave her, she certainly wasn't above putting on a negligee and batting her eyelashes to make them give her presents or do her favors. There was not a man in the book who did not fall victim to her in one way or another. Whether it was Mr. Jennings, who paid with his life, or Sir Francis Beekman, who paid with a $10,000 diamond tiara, all of the men in the novel paid a price for the company of Lorelei. So, if one looks at her critically, maybe through the eyes of a moralistic reformer, Lorelei is nothing but a prostitute. Although, she draws definite lines for herself about what nice girls do and do not do, she does not draw the line at pulling the wool over a man's eyes in order to get what she wants. One of the aspects of the book, that I did find amusing, however, was the fact that she had the capability to do this. Lorelei, despite all of her efforts to educate herself, was far from being among the best and the brightest. But even this, upon closer examination, turns from witty to sour. Even though Lorelei did not seem to have more than one brain cell to her name, she was able to persuade men. So, is that what it comes down to? Is that all women are worth? If you are nice to look at and know how to gaze at a man just right, you can get just what you want. Regardless of the fact that Lorelei thought that Australia was a place in England, the
Some common words found in the essay are:
Australia England, Francis Beekman, Lorelei Lee, Harper's Bazaar, Gus Eisman, Cheap Amusements, Anita Loos, middle class, , boring parties, written 1925,
Approximate Word count = 1116
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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