I had never seen nor head of Blonde Venus before this class, so I didn’t know what to expect. Luckily I was more than happy with what I saw in the film. The film to me still stands relevant today. If you look at the ideas of costuming or a strong independent women being scary to male authority. While constantly watching the film and even our discussion today I noticed there was mentioning of the way Helen dressed. It came to my mind when did mothers begin to have a dress code? Viewing the film from a social justice perspective Helen’s costuming shows he breaking barriers and going against the institution. She is being true to herself in some aspect even though at some point she is in disguise. This point or idea is relevant today when we look at “power suits” for women or the idea of dressing too revealing. Women in 1932 and in 2014 still find it difficult to find a balance to what society says is okay. That’s why I loved Helen’s use of costume while talking to the detective. She’s clearly not dressing to try to pick him up, but she uses it has an advantage. Truly showing how easily she could have outsmarted him. Blonde Venus is also relevant in modern films. Right when I saw the ape scene I thought of Uma Thurman in Batman Forever. Thurman playing Poison Ivy appears at a party in a full ape suit and just like Helen reveals herself by showing her hands first. I thought it was really cool to see that Helen’s actions and Dietrich performance was so strong to still be used today.