Something that has been somewhat bothering me that we haven’t really touched upon in class is the fact that both women in Blonde Venus and Klute did have questionable jobs, however, these women had these jobs in order to make a living.  Ok, yes, women should probably not resort to showing off their body to make money, but it can be very challenging to make money, especially as a woman.

In Blonde Venus, Helen’s initial motivation for returning to the stage is so she can help out her husband.  Back in the 30s, it was very rare for women to have jobs and earn money, so the fact that she is willing to try to help out her husband so he can get better makes me want to give her serious props.   She is willing to do whatever it takes in order to assist her husband and although she is doing so by burlesque dancing, I commend her on her attempt.

Bree is very similar to Helen in this aspect in Klute.  She is a struggling actress living in Manhattan, one of the hardest cities to “make it,” so she has to resort to being a call girl in order to earn money.  She probably doesn’t take pride in being a prostitute, however, it is the one job that she knows she will succeed in and won’t get rejected.  It is objectifying to women to resort to this sort of job, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.  Now I don’t want people to think I am condoning being a prostitute! Absolutely not! But I do think that people should take a second to recognize the fact that both these women, are struggling, and want to do whatever it takes to make it through life.