In the scene that immediately follows, Vivian’s side of town is shown. On this side of town, small rundown apartments are shown along with homeless people living on the streets. The director introduces the audience to Vivian and Kat in the context of their small dirty apartment, in which they must to hide their rent money. The necessity of hiding money serves two purposes in this opening scene: first to tell the audience that they have only cash, and do not use bank accounts; and second to let the audience know that much looting occurs in their neighborhood. On the streets, drugs are being sold, people are dying and girls make their living as prostitutes.
Both Vivian and Edward are very much aware of their differences when they meet, which occurs when Edward pulls up to Vivian in a Lamborghini. Right away, Vivian accurately assumes that Edward has money from the combination of his car and his nice attire. Likewise, Edward knows that Vivian is a prostitute herself for similar reasons. This class-consciousness is shown throughout the movie. Class-consciousness can be defined as one’s awareness of one’s class position in terms of power relationships within society.
Upon Vivian and Edward’s arrival at the hotel in which they will be staying, Edward gives Vivian his coat to cover up. This action’s main purpose was to keep Edward’s own reputation clean as well as to prevent attracting negative attention. Even with the coat, guests at the hotel stare at her in a condescending manner. At the hotel the entire staff knows Edward, and takes very good care of him. This power and prestige that he possesses is a result of his success and money. The next day, Edward sends Vivian out to buy herself “suitable” clothes. When Vivian walks into the store wearing her “hooker attire” she is immediately turned away. The saleswomen assume that by the way she is dressed, she does not have the money to be shopping in their store. In this scene, the dialogue plays an important role in portraying society’s view of Vivian, as she is a prostitute. Through her dialogue, “ I don’t think we have anything your size,” the saleswoman makes it clear that Vivian is not welcome in the store due to her social status. When both she and Edward go shopping the next day to a different store, and Edward shares with the store manager his wealth, Vivian is shown everything that she could possibly want. The salespeople even order her a pizza to “kiss up” to Edward in hopes that he will spend more money. Because of his class-consciousness, Edward knows that with enough money, he can get anything that he wants. Vivian on the other hand, cannot because she is seen throughout society as a lower/lesser person.
Another aspect of social stratification that is seen in the movie Pretty Woman, is male supremacy. Male supremacy, is the “ideology that men are superior to women and should have power and control over women”. Male supremacy is seen in the relationship between Vivian and Edward’s lawyer, Phil Stuckey. At first Phil has no idea that Vivian is a prostitute. She wears new clothes and has learned the etiquette of the elite so she can fit into Edward’s world. When Phil learns that she was a prostitute, he makes advances towards her, assuming that she will comply. Phil believes that she is not worth anything because of her “real” social class, and makes her feel that she is simply an object to use and “throw away”. As Vivian returns to the hotel room, Phil continues to make advances towards her, ending in a physical struggle and finally by Edward pulling Phil off of Vivian and throwing him out. Phil used his male supremacy to degrade and take advantage of Vivian and sees nothing wrong with it.
Edward also shows a side of male supremacy. He acts as though he must take care of Vivian, as though she cannot take care of herself. He expresses his power over her when he tells her to buy new clothes or offers to pay for her to live in a nice house near his business. Vivian eventually comes to believe that Edward thinks he can pay his way through every aspect of life. This upsets Vivian because Edward’s belief that he can buy any and everything permeates every aspect of his life, including relationships and Vivian herself. In Edward’s life and childhood, money is the answer to everything. The irony in this part of the movie, which ties in with the cultural/social conflict that leads to the climax, is that Vivian loves Edward for the way he treats her, as a person and not as a prostitute, and not for his wealth or prestige.
Networking is also exhibited throughout the movie in various scenes, which is generally accepted as a very important aspect of the elite classes. Networking, the “informal relationships that allow individuals or groups to tap into, and share, resources,” is first seen at the party when the movie opens. Edward, co-workers and other members of the elite society gathered together in an informal setting, where they discuss work-related subjects, make connections with other businesses, and become acquainted with other people in the business world. The audience also sees networking occur at the polo game. Members of the elite gathered to watch a game of polo, which alone represents the power elite. Businessmen and their wives, as it often is in the upper classes, had the opportunity to share business ventures, give each other leads on opportunities and “scope out” the competition.
When Vivian from the lower class and Edward from the upper class met for the first time, they knew very little about each other’s way of life. As their lives entangled and they learned about each other they also learned about the different aspects of society that they had never experienced. Vivian became assimilated into Edward’s culture, learning how to dress properly, how to eat properly and how to behave properly. Had it been the other way around, where Edward was brought into Vivian’s lifestyle, it would have been a completely different experience. Male supremacy, class-consciousness and networking are all seen throughout different levels of society. The movie Pretty Woman briefly showed what life living in the lower class was like, but concentrated mostly on the upper class lifestyle. Throughout the movie, Pretty Woman, references are made concerning the different social classes. Most of the film concentrates on the lifestyle of Edward and the upper class. It gives the impression of upper class superiority, and the need to “save” members of the lower class. This is shown by Edward’s need to save and care for Vivian. The film Pretty Woman remains a popular movie still today for many reasons, among which is the prevalent belief that the upper classes need to “save” and/or “care for” the lower classes. Either, both or a combination of these two beliefs, and the different opinions surrounding them are the root of many political debates and economic agendas today. Similarly, they have shaped the development of American culture and society.
References
Macionis, J.J. (2009). Society: The basics 10th edition, Upper Saddle, N.J. Pearson Education Inc.
