Lessons for the Working Girl - Essay Example

Lessons for the Working Girl A great deal of how we view the world and ourselves is based on what we understand from the media that we’re exposed to. On a subconscious level, we develop ideas about what it means to be a man, a woman, a husband, a wife, a child, etc. from the aggregate messages we see in film, television, in the books we read and in the examples set for us by parents and others. It is a cyclical relationship in that what we understand about appropriate roles and our reactions to them determines what will be seen in these venues. These are well-known concepts that have been used in the media in the past to deliberately shape and direct the evolution of society at the same time that changes in society have functioned to shape and develop how it is reflected in the media. One major change that has taken place is a shift in social thinking that deems it acceptable for a woman to be found in the workplace in a role other than secretary or operator. This shift can be seen by comparing the ideas associated with the working girl in the film Working Girl released in 1988 and those communicated in the article “Get Yourself Noticed.” Both of these texts present a specific image of what the proper role of woman is perceived to be in the working world. In both cases, there is acknowledgement that a woman can succeed in the upper levels of the working world, but that this is the exception rather than the rule. In the film, this idea is conveyed throughout the storyline. The main character is Tess McGill, who spends her days commuting to work with a bevy of other women, all working as secretaries or receptionists in the city. When she discovers that her boss was only pretending to support her dream of entering the executive level in order to use her as a sexual plaything, she gets another job working under a female executive, Katherine Parker. Parker seems highly successful, very supportive of bringing more women like Tess into the executive level and is highly confident of her own abilities. This understanding that a woman can make a success in the upper levels of the company is the jumping off point for the article as two women, understood to be in the lower ranks of the secretarial pool, discuss the seeming meteoric rise of a third woman within their organization. Although the gender of the ‘boss’ is not mentioned in the scenario, the idea that the two women talking are of a lower rank is made clear in the way that they discuss how this third woman is already above them in the boss’s opinion. Because the article provides direct advice on how to become a ‘shiny person’, or a person who attracts the attention they need to succeed, it sends a stronger message that women can succeed in the market without having to have a magic movie producer around to make it happen. Although the two texts are different in their emphasis, format and approach, they do share similar advice for women hoping to make a success of themselves in the upper executive levels of business. This advice is most evident in the article because it is specifically spelled out and easily re-read for clarification or memorization. The main points are made clear by being presented in all caps font to set them off from the main text which functions to provide examples or clarify the primary statement. Advice delivered in this way includes knowing your strengths and abilities, believe in yourself, maintain a positive attitude, provide solutions, do the homework, take considered risks, cultivate calm, shape your reputation, become an expert and deliver the goods. Each one of these pieces of advice are accompanied by explanatory text that illustrates what is expected – such as shaping your reputation not only by what you do, but also by dressing appropriately and presenting yourself as belonging to the executive crowd – while providing caution when necessary. An example of the latter is the expressly stated warning to treat others with honesty and respect because growing a reputation built upon the misuse of another’s work or ideas will eventually prove to be destructive. Most of these pieces of advice are demonstrated, if not stated, within the film. Tess has already decided what she wants by the beginning of the movie. She has already earned a Bachelor’s degree in business and she has worked hard to study speech in order to present herself as someone higher up in society than the New York neighborhood where she grew up. When she discovers that her new boss was using her much as her old boss had, she takes a positive, proactive attitude that reflects her belief in herself. She takes a considered risk in attempting to broker a deal based on the homework she’d already done to solve a problem at Trask Industries and she remains calm under pressure as her secret is discovered. In the end, she is able to prove her honesty because she had made herself an expert in the subject at the same time that her boss, Parker, is brought low by the public discovery of her treachery. There are differences, however, in the way that these two texts envision the entrance of the woman into the workplace. While the article provides a great deal of helpful and explicit information to suggest that anyone who wishes to enter the executive level can do so with a little attention to detail, the film makes it seem almost like a Cinderella story. Tess rises from the ash and cinders of her Stanton Island apartment to the splendor and privilege of Manhattan not just because of her hard work and abilities, but because of the intervention of Jack Trainer (the prince) and the ultimate decision of Trask (the king) to accept her into their rank. With the advantage of the explicit advice in the article, much of what gained Tess the attention she needed to even get that far is obvious. Without the article in hand, though, it seems as if she is just a very lucky woman who got where she was because she knew how to use her body to get them to bite and her mind to hook them. The article removes the mystery from the process and, while it acknowledges that moving up the company ladder requires more than just what the individual can do alone, it does nothing to suggest that the average woman, on her own, can’t cause a few doors to open for her without the fairy tale magic. Working as companion pieces, these two texts can do much to change a woman’s perceptions regarding what is actually possible in the real working world for the average individual. As the article makes it clear what attributes and attitudes should be developed to make one a ‘shiny person’ that attracts the positive attention of bosses at promotion time, the film illustrates these ideas in action. Both make it clear that time, attention and real effort are involved, particularly in the film as it is realized Tess has been studying at night for a while in order to get her degree, to rid herself of her accent and to understand the current marketplace in which she works. Without the article, many of these ideas are lost in the Cinderella story of the film making the idea of Tess’s advancement seem unattainable to the average person. Without the film, many of the ideas in the article remain abstract and unrelated to one another, making it seem as if the process were a simple A, B, C progression. Together, the article and film deliver a powerful message of realistic potential. Read More