The Movie 'Pretty Woman'—Whose Ideal Does This Film Depict?

Watching 'Pretty Woman' again, a question arises. Is this film a story depicting a man's ideal, or a woman's?

If you break the story down honestly, both desires are satisfied quite conveniently.

From the male perspective, the film seems to whisper the following:

'If you have money and succeed, you will one day be loved by a woman who is actually smart, kind, and unconditionally affirms you.'

Edward has both money and status. Yet his human relationships are nothing more than transactions, and he feels somewhat empty. Vivian does not question, judge, or condemn that void; she simply affirms him. This is an ideal image that many men have held somewhere in their hearts.

On the other hand, from the female perspective, this film becomes a different story.

'Even if you are poor now and at the bottom of society, someone who sees your true worth will one day come to pick you up on a white horse.'

Vivian is socially in the lowest place. However, the story repeatedly emphasizes that she is actually intelligent, elegant, and charming. She is not someone who changes, but someone who is 'discovered.'

In other words, this film depicts salvation through being chosen, rather than through effort or independence.

So, whose ideal does this film depict?

The answer is, perhaps, 'both.'

Men are forgiven for remaining incomplete even after succeeding, and women are affirmed that their essential value is not lost regardless of where they are.

The two meet as if to fill each other's gaps. The man regains his humanity, and the woman gains social recognition.

It is closer to a device that mutually heals the anxieties of men and women than it is to a romance.

That is why this film is not a story that changes reality. Nor is it a story that breaks down structures.

Even so, it remained in the memories of many people because it so beautifully affirmed a fantasy shared by the era: 'I wish I could be rewarded like this.'

Watching this film now, it feels sweet, precarious, and a little scary.

But at the same time, the dream that many men and women once truly wanted to believe in is carefully preserved there.

'Pretty Woman' might just be a record of a miracle where the ideals of men and women happened to align, just once.