Pretty Woman

[Anonymous]

This is like saying “why is the wire good? It’s about drug dealers.” Or “why is the Sopranos good? It’s about a mob boss.”

[Anonymous]

It was a good movie back in the day but it is kind of offensive when you think about it. Glorifying sex trafficking, how the Seinfeld guy tried to take her against her will, etc.

Long Duk Dong was well received but is offensive also. I posted a year ago about a movie I used to love that I was now shocked at its offensiveness- Grease. It’s a great movie but seen through 2021 glasses, there is a lot wrong with it.

“You know that ain't no shit we'll be getting lots of tit“
“ You know that I ain't bragging she's a real pussy wagon”
Danny’s friends urge him to share details about their sexual encounters.
There is slut shaming, virgin shaming, upskirting, etc.
Asking if she “put up a fight”

[Anonymous]

There is no sex trafficking in Pretty Woman. She doesn’t have a pimp. Don’t compare her to a sex trafficked victim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no sex trafficking in Pretty Woman. She doesn’t have a pimp. Don’t compare her to a sex trafficked victim.

The movie makes prostitution seem fairy tale line - rich guy, fast car, new life, new clothes, set for life, jewelry, helicopter, etc.

Prostitution is nothing like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no sex trafficking in Pretty Woman. She doesn’t have a pimp. Don’t compare her to a sex trafficked victim.

The movie makes prostitution seem fairy tale line - rich guy, fast car, new life, new clothes, set for life, jewelry, helicopter, etc.

Prostitution is nothing like that.

Right...because it’s a movie.

And, lots of young girls with sugar daddies have an experience better than Julia’s.

Again: none of this is sex trafficking.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think it glorifies prostitution (and certainly not sex trafficking). I think if it was glorifying prostitution, she would have kept being a prostitute. She left that line of work, if I’m remembering correctly. It seemed to me like her friend who continued to be a sex worker was portrayed as kind of pathetic.

However, I think it did humanize sex workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You'd have to ask the Hollywood producers who greenlighted this predictable piece of trash. Handsome rich guy chooses to protect his emotions, but a beautiful whore with a heart of gold makes him open his heart! Edgy!

Whore?

Wow. Talk about misogyny.

It's the standard idiom.

http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Whore_with_a_heart_of_gold

And sure, any term other than "sex worker" is misogynistic, but so is every element of Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts's character claims to want a "fairy tale."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A great movie and holds up surprisingly well! Not perfectly, but surprisingly well.

I don't have a daughter, but I wouldn't want to send the message to my daughter that being saved by a wealthy guy is the way to go. Or that wealthy guys are always middle aged white men.

Great thing that there are movies like this to use as conversation starters, huh?

THIS.

I hate idiots who think movies/books/TV shows must be "good" to be...good.

"Oh, I don't like that Blanche DuBois. She's not a nice person."

"NICE" is not the only redeeming quality or worthy subject for artistic exploration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You'd have to ask the Hollywood producers who greenlighted this predictable piece of trash. Handsome rich guy chooses to protect his emotions, but a beautiful whore with a heart of gold makes him open his heart! Edgy!

Whore?

Wow. Talk about misogyny.

It's the standard idiom.

http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Whore_with_a_heart_of_gold

And sure, any term other than "sex worker" is misogynistic, but so is every element of Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts's character claims to want a "fairy tale."

There’s nothing wrong with wanting the fairytale. That’s a metaphor for falling in love with a good guy and living happily ever after. Everyone wants that.

Dehumanizing a woman by labeling her a whore is awful. It’s 2021...be better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A great movie and holds up surprisingly well! Not perfectly, but surprisingly well.

I don't have a daughter, but I wouldn't want to send the message to my daughter that being saved by a wealthy guy is the way to go. Or that wealthy guys are always middle aged white men.

Great thing that there are movies like this to use as conversation starters, huh?

THIS.

I hate idiots who think movies/books/TV shows must be "good" to be...good.

"Oh, I don't like that Blanche DuBois. She's not a nice person."

"NICE" is not the only redeeming quality or worthy subject for artistic exploration.

I agree with this but would point out to other posters that the sex worker angle is irrelevant to that issue.

[Anonymous]

Bc Julia Roberts is so charming in it, with her giant smile. So we just "tra lala" over the hooker parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You'd have to ask the Hollywood producers who greenlighted this predictable piece of trash. Handsome rich guy chooses to protect his emotions, but a beautiful whore with a heart of gold makes him open his heart! Edgy!

Whore?

Wow. Talk about misogyny.

It's the standard idiom.

http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Whore_with_a_heart_of_gold

And sure, any term other than "sex worker" is misogynistic, but so is every element of Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts's character claims to want a "fairy tale."

There’s nothing wrong with wanting the fairytale. That’s a metaphor for falling in love with a good guy and living happily ever after. Everyone wants that.

Dehumanizing a woman by labeling her a whore is awful. It’s 2021...be better.

Also... that is literally the definition of the word whore.

I take issue with the PP’s saying the movie does not depict sex trafficking.... ALL prostitution is a form of sex trafficking, some is just more extreme than others, obviously. (Unless some of you honestly believe women just engage in prostitution for fun, or because they consider it a fulfilling career...). The real happy ending for the movie would be if Richard Gere got his ass thrown in jail 😄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bc Julia Roberts is so charming in it, with her giant smile. So we just "tra lala" over the hooker parts.

This is the real answer. Julia's charm plus her chemistry with Richard Gere. Plot is trash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no sex trafficking in Pretty Woman. She doesn’t have a pimp. Don’t compare her to a sex trafficked victim.

The movie makes prostitution seem fairy tale line - rich guy, fast car, new life, new clothes, set for life, jewelry, helicopter, etc.

Prostitution is nothing like that.

Right...because it’s a movie.

And, lots of young girls with sugar daddies have an experience better than Julia’s.

Again: none of this is sex trafficking.

No, lots of girls don’t. Lots of girls have drug problems, vd problems, criminal histories, raped as under 18, pregnancies, etc.

[Anonymous]

A lot of women dream of Prince Charming riding in and swooping her off to a better life. In this version, she saves him right back.