The film begins with upbeat music and relevant lyrics to the theme of the film. The music sounds very grand with lots of instruments suggesting that this city and the statue is very big and special. The song also focuses on the sea and the boat sailing across the water.
The Statue of Liberty is the landmark that is first seen. The camera sweeps from the base of the statue to the peak. This suggests a rise in status. The message that the statue provides is one of equality, freedom and opportunity. After focusing on the Statue of Liberty, the camera shoots, at first, quite a distance from a small ferry, just off the shore of New York. It gradually zooms into the ferry, and, as if searching for ‘the chosen one’, it eventually focuses on Tess, who is the main character of the film and also the object of this essay. The ferry is used as a metaphor, comparing where Tess was and where she wants to be.
We expect Tess to be a powerful woman and believe she will be successful due to the Statue of Liberty and the meaning of it, ‘The American Dream’. Tess makes a wish about wanting to become successful and when the ferry docks, the introduction to the film ends and her wish begins to come true.
The audience appears shocked at the first sight of Tess walking down the street. We see big hair, makeup, jewellery and also a bubbly personality.
At first sight, Tess does not seem at all professional. Her top does not match her skirt, she wears fishnets with trainers, her hair is messy and she wears far too much make-up and jewellery. Other than her unprofessional appearance, she is also late to work and she is very impolite when she answers the phone. Her low status job fetching toilet roll for her boss also surprises the audience.
The theme song is played a lot throughout the film. It links with Tess because there are key words and phrases that relate to her, such as ‘Dreamers’, which represents Tess’s dream to be successful.
“Coming through the fog”
This illustrates Tess’s transformation from a common working class girl to a smart, sleek and professional businesswoman.
Another key word is ‘desire’, which represents Tess’s personal ambition for career development.
Tess is not taken seriously at the beginning of the film because she is a confident, hardworking, ‘head smart’ woman. The men do not like her self-confidence and she is left to do demanding jobs, such as fetching her boss toilet roll. Tess’s male colleagues treat her like an imbecile and an inferior.
She is seen as a sexual object. Tess despises the way she is treated and takes revenge on her boss by seeking to humiliate him. She reports that he is,
“A pimp with a really small dick.”
For this action she is transferred. Tess expressed an unsolicited vulgar opinion and, though she was simply telling the truth, she is punished because she is in a vulnerable situation. She suffered prejudice because of her gender. Even Tess’s boyfriend takes her for granted and buys her a present for his own sexual gratification.
Tess’s old business environment was very crowded. The employee’s dress in suits but their appearance is not very smart. This gives the idea that the job/business is not taken seriously. Tess is thought of as a ‘Blonde Bimbo’ by her male work colleagues. They patronise and tease Tess constantly. Tess does not like this and wants to ‘get herself noticed’.
Tess’s new business however is very different. The dress code is very smart. Her new boss is a woman (unlike her previous boss) who dresses to impress.
When Tess has her first meeting with her new boss Katherine, Katherine explains that it is a ‘Two Way Street’ in her business and that only Tess can make it happen. Tess begins to believe in herself again, thinking that she can become what she wants to be in life.
The camera view often shows Katherine looking down on Tess especially when Tess is made to carry Katherine’s bags and fasten her ski boots. The idea of the camera looking down is to show that Katherine has more importance than Tess does.
Tess undergoes a transformation, which originates when Tess finds out that Katherine has been publicising Tess’s ideas for her own. After this experience Tess cuts her hair short and begins to wear classic cut suits. Tess has now created a stylish, sleek and sophisticated image for herself. She wears less jewellery and make-up and tries new perfumes. Tess also changes her voice to make her sound more mature. It becomes lower and it slows down slightly, she begins to sound more business like. As Tess changes, she says,
“Simple and elegant makes a statement.
Confident and not afraid to get myself noticed.”
Tess has two male characters in her life, Snake and Jack Trainer. These two men have very different attitudes. Snake has an ‘up yours’ attitude and only uses Tess for his own pleasure. When Tess confides in Snake his only response is,
“Step on it, the pizza’s going to get cold”
Snake’s attitude shows that he does not care about Tess but simply uses her for sex.
Jack Trainer, however, is like the ‘Prince Charming’ figure. Jack treats Tess with respect, which she appreciates. Jack sweeps Tess off her feet- literally at the soiree – before she falls in love with him. He has a ‘can do’ attitude and this makes it natural for Tess to recruit him as her business partner. Jack buys Tess a practical gift, a new briefcase, which is the final part of her transformation. In contrast Snake buys Tess revealing underwear of which Tess disapproves. These two gifts reveal conflicting attitudes towards Tess. However, Tess finally stands up to Snake,
“You want another answer, ask another girl”
“I am not a stake. You can’t just order me!”
Tess’s final words to Snake give her a sense of reality and power as he walks away.
As the film ends Tess’s goal is finally achieved and she has the power and dignity she had dreamed for.
The imagery of Tess in her new office, on the top floor is very striking. The positive imagery shows Tess towering above the other buildings of New York. The music once again begins to play and there are many images of success and happiness, excitement and surprise. As the camera zooms out Tess’s height in the building is very significant, as she is one of the highest, which shows her importance and power.
We catch a glimpse of the shores of Manhattan, unlike the beginning of the film. The end is the absolute opposite to how the film began, showing how successful she has become. The ‘rags to riches’ dream came true.
The article, ‘Get Yourself Noticed’, is intended to teach readers how to improve their abilities to ‘shine’ at work.
The picture in the article shows an important-looking woman with short hair, minimal makeup and large, striking gold jewellery. The model is ‘power dressed’, her posture is unnatural and it looks quite fake. She looks Asian, showing equality and ethnic minorities. She looks dignified, sophisticated and business like. Her jacket is red, showing power and passion for her job and the buttons are gold stars, which makes her stand out and ‘shine’. The angle of the camera causes her to look as though she is as tall as the buildings behind her. This generates power and status.
The title is effective because individuals aim to ‘be noticed’ in business. The article motivates readers who might lack the ability to plan for a career development independently. The font in the article is professional and accessible. The lower case in the main title is disarming and does not make the article look aggressive or abrupt. The uppercase subheadings allow readers to scan the article for relevant sections.
The layout in columns makes the article resemble a newspaper account. This is a professional and important format. The second person format addresses ‘you’ and creates an intimate and confidential tone. The reader may be inspired but it also seems that the successful employee is a ‘goody-to-shoes’ and unpopular in the workplace.
The use of a rhetorical question in the opening paragraph is very inviting because it makes readers want to continue to find out the answer. Also the use of the familiar office scenario is clever because everyone can relate to it.
The subtitles are mostly positive imperatives, ‘Believe in yourself’. This emphasises the readers to feel that anything is achievable and that all they need to do is some groundwork and ‘you’ too can become experts. However some subheadings suggest women have to change themselves to become successful, as if their personalities are inadequate.
The metaphor ‘shiny’ person is effective because it suggests warmth, radiance, and glamour. The word ‘shiny’ is unchallenging and most people can relate to it. Readers feel that becoming ‘shiny’ will make them a better person and an all-around popular member of the work force.
“ Shiny People are everywhere, involved in everything.”
The checklist contains summative points, which allows readers with little time to scan the article. The checklist also provides concise points for readers to tick alongside once it has been achieved. There are many positive aspects in the article. For example, book listings, which help readers gain confidence and subheadings, which increase readers’ self-esteem.
However the negative advice states readers should change their attitudes and develop a reputation. This reputation could be self-defeating because no work colleague would want to socialise with someone that is always ‘sucking up’ to a boss.
“Competitions for top positions may be fierce.”
The page-based text is more widely accessible as readers can pursue it wherever they are. The time based-text requires the audience to make a point of watching it.
In comparison, the page-based text is concerned with improving readers’ status. The time-based text is based on coincidences.
The text is like gossip. It is personalised as if a friend was talking to you. It is also an anacdote. In the film, ‘Working Girl’, Warren starts the meeting with an anacdote. This is a story that has a point to it, which we can learn from.
Pat Hawkes, who wrote a passage in the article, discusses ‘taking risks’. This is relevant to the film because Tess took a huge risk.
I think that the page-based text is not encouraging readers to develop themselves but instead to be sycophants and to change their personalities. The article is recommending readers to be ‘yes’ people.
“No one said getting yourself noticed would be easy”
This quote suggests that the reader is very low down and that they do not get noticed.
Overall, the ‘get yourself noticed’ article is teaching readers that they have to be false to be popular. It makes readers feel depressed, stressed and it is quite complex. Whereas the film ‘Working Girl’ tells a story of success, leaving the audience to decide for themselves how they can become successful. The film is not judgmental, unlike the text and does not create stress or tension.
