DONATE TO MY KO-FI PAGE: ko-fi.com/post/Can-Elsa-Solve-Colonialism-M4M719WCZ ~ The making of this video was a wild and emotional ride. I experienced a serious case of impostor syndrome. I was constantly tired and nervous, and had a couple of breakdowns trying to get the research part perfect. And to top it all off, I had to deal with copyright claims from the evil monopoly that is Disney despite being protected by fair use. So thank you to everyone who supports this video, and who has supported my channel from the beginning. You all rock.
I feel the one of other reason why this movie was underrated was because it hits on the capitalist culture of USA and it's unhealthy relationship with the consumer but still glamorizes it nonetheless to the audience. I know we are seeing this from the character Becky's point of view which is why the process of shopping looks so appealing in it, but it sort off shows she was only caught because she didn't have enough money to spend for it. If she had, she still would have continued this culture. The movie came out during the recession of 2008 so this concept make sense then, but now USA has the highest number of millionaires in them and the moral the movie is shows is falling short. Consumer culture has came back with vengeance with not just celebrities but also even influencers promoting high -end expansive lifestyles to the younger generations. Brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior are growing not just in USA but internationally with countries like China becoming its biggest contender.
i always thought becky getting the scarf back was counterproductive. she bought it impulsively and it represents her self destructive tendencies, so why would she keep it after finally breaking her bad habit :/
Good video. This is a problem for a lot of women. When I'm planning to add a piece to my wardrobe, I usually check second hand/auction sites online first. And every time, without fail, I will stumble upon a user that is "clearing out their wardrobe" and is selling HUNDREDS of individual objects at once. If it's an entire family, and it's a mix of old and new clothing(like dated back a century or more), I don't think it's much of a problem. Kids grow out of things, if you have kids you might never end up the same size you were prior to pregnancy etc. Fairly reasonable wardrobe clearance, and most items tend to look like they've been used a bit as well. But there are a lot of young women selling hundreds of items they've bought at stores like H&M over the course of two-three years or less, that don't look used at all. And that is absolutely crazy. If someone has more than 50 pairs of pants in their closet that are a good fit, that they still don't use, and they still buy MORE pants... That is a problem in my opinion, and it's not only on the expense of the person compulsively shopping for new clothes. Cheap clothing generally comes at a high price in terms of ethics. So there's good reason to cut back even though it's not something that is causing someone personal grief.
Yeah I wasn`t a fan of the ending either. It was a cliché. I didn`t like how the movie blamed Rebecca so harshly. She made mistakes yeah, and I understand the other characters were frustrated about that, but at no point (if I remember correctly, I probably don`t) did the characters say to Rebecca "Sorry for overreacting the other day. I understand that societal expectations have informed your decisions, and that`s why you`ve overspent.". It`s typical in Hollywood-movies to not condemn being too harsh in your criticism towards people who`ve made mistakes. And typically in those movies, in this one for example, the character who made the mistake is immediately regretful that they fucked up. Or are later. And even if the character shows sincere regret later on, apologises for their behavior, the characters who`re being apologised to show anger and disdain, and the films don`t usually critique this angry reaction. I understand that real people often have difficulty to assess to a situation like that. If a person who seriously hurt your feelings and/or physically hurt you is apologising for their behavior, you might feel so pissed off at them that you can`t help but say something mean to them even when they`re trying to patch things up. So it makes sense that fictional characters also act like that in a fictional story that`s trying to imitate real life. But like I mentioned, this movie didn`t (AS FAR AS I REMEMBER) critique this approach of listening to an apology. It basically just lets it slide and dunks on Rebecca. The only characters who`re supportive to her by the end are her parents. Even Rebeccas boyfriend doesn`t show her any support! Or if does, too little. But do bear in mind I saw this film a long ago, and I didn`t pay 100 % attention even then. If I`ve misremembered something, pray tell if you like.
Also, it was pretty funny when I realized this is a video essay about a random movie I side-eyed a couple of years ago, when it was showing on TV as a late night movie that my sister was watching while I was in the same room doing whatever. Probably drawing or watching videos I don`t remember. That`s really cool.
@@munjatkumo1929 Thanks for your analysis! Yeah, even if the movie did try to make a statement, it ultimately failed. Like, don't get me wrong, it's a charming movie that does its best to criticise capitalism. But it also kind of forgets that Becky is a victim of a bigger system in place. In the end, the whole idea was that she didn't have enough money to spend. @Ozymandias in the comments section pointed out that the whole issue is that she didn't have enough money to spend. If she did, then... nothing would be wrong with this lifestyle. I guess it's restricted by the nature of movies and Hollywood and big bad Disney. Oh well.
Think the ending would've been better if Rebecca chose to keep the green scarf at the sale and had to give it up to trade for the bridesmaids dress. This way she still chooses to let go of this impulsive buy to show growth and also more meaning to Suze when she sees the trade at the wedding
I feel like this movie would have a longer impact if it didn’t eclipse this interesting story about shopping consumerist addiction with a romance plot. And the fact that he was her boss while falling in love feels gross 😂
I try to avoid all advertising I can and I also am a penny pincher and don't buy unless I need something, not to make myself feel like I'm meeting the expectations of the culture.
DONATE TO MY KO-FI PAGE: ko-fi.com/post/Can-Elsa-Solve-Colonialism-M4M719WCZ
~
The making of this video was a wild and emotional ride.
I experienced a serious case of impostor syndrome. I was constantly tired and nervous, and had a couple of breakdowns trying to get the research part perfect. And to top it all off, I had to deal with copyright claims from the evil monopoly that is Disney despite being protected by fair use.
So thank you to everyone who supports this video, and who has supported my channel from the beginning. You all rock.
I feel the one of other reason why this movie was underrated was because it hits on the capitalist culture of USA and it's unhealthy relationship with the consumer but still glamorizes it nonetheless to the audience. I know we are seeing this from the character Becky's point of view which is why the process of shopping looks so appealing in it, but it sort off shows she was only caught because she didn't have enough money to spend for it. If she had, she still would have continued this culture. The movie came out during the recession of 2008 so this concept make sense then, but now USA has the highest number of millionaires in them and the moral the movie is shows is falling short. Consumer culture has came back with vengeance with not just celebrities but also even influencers promoting high -end expansive lifestyles to the younger generations. Brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior are growing not just in USA but internationally with countries like China becoming its biggest contender.
This is another fantastic analysis of the movie.
This is such a great analysis.. Thank you..
i always thought becky getting the scarf back was counterproductive. she bought it impulsively and it represents her self destructive tendencies, so why would she keep it after finally breaking her bad habit :/
I saw it as both as a warning and important memorabilia to a point were her life changed.
Good video. This is a problem for a lot of women.
When I'm planning to add a piece to my wardrobe, I usually check second hand/auction sites online first. And every time, without fail, I will stumble upon a user that is "clearing out their wardrobe" and is selling HUNDREDS of individual objects at once. If it's an entire family, and it's a mix of old and new clothing(like dated back a century or more), I don't think it's much of a problem. Kids grow out of things, if you have kids you might never end up the same size you were prior to pregnancy etc. Fairly reasonable wardrobe clearance, and most items tend to look like they've been used a bit as well.
But there are a lot of young women selling hundreds of items they've bought at stores like H&M over the course of two-three years or less, that don't look used at all. And that is absolutely crazy. If someone has more than 50 pairs of pants in their closet that are a good fit, that they still don't use, and they still buy MORE pants... That is a problem in my opinion, and it's not only on the expense of the person compulsively shopping for new clothes. Cheap clothing generally comes at a high price in terms of ethics. So there's good reason to cut back even though it's not something that is causing someone personal grief.
Yeah I wasn`t a fan of the ending either. It was a cliché.
I didn`t like how the movie blamed Rebecca so harshly. She made mistakes yeah, and I understand the other characters were frustrated about that, but at no point (if I remember correctly, I probably don`t) did the characters say to Rebecca "Sorry for overreacting the other day. I understand that societal expectations have informed your decisions, and that`s why you`ve overspent.".
It`s typical in Hollywood-movies to not condemn being too harsh in your criticism towards people who`ve made mistakes. And typically in those movies, in this one for example, the character who made the mistake is immediately regretful that they fucked up. Or are later. And even if the character shows sincere regret later on, apologises for their behavior, the characters who`re being apologised to show anger and disdain, and the films don`t usually critique this angry reaction.
I understand that real people often have difficulty to assess to a situation like that. If a person who seriously hurt your feelings and/or physically hurt you is apologising for their behavior, you might feel so pissed off at them that you can`t help but say something mean to them even when they`re trying to patch things up. So it makes sense that fictional characters also act like that in a fictional story that`s trying to imitate real life.
But like I mentioned, this movie didn`t (AS FAR AS I REMEMBER) critique this approach of listening to an apology. It basically just lets it slide and dunks on Rebecca. The only characters who`re supportive to her by the end are her parents. Even Rebeccas boyfriend doesn`t show her any support! Or if does, too little.
But do bear in mind I saw this film a long ago, and I didn`t pay 100 % attention even then. If I`ve misremembered something, pray tell if you like.
Also, it was pretty funny when I realized this is a video essay about a random movie I side-eyed a couple of years ago, when it was showing on TV as a late night movie that my sister was watching while I was in the same room doing whatever. Probably drawing or watching videos I don`t remember. That`s really cool.
@@munjatkumo1929 Thanks for your analysis! Yeah, even if the movie did try to make a statement, it ultimately failed. Like, don't get me wrong, it's a charming movie that does its best to criticise capitalism. But it also kind of forgets that Becky is a victim of a bigger system in place.
In the end, the whole idea was that she didn't have enough money to spend. @Ozymandias in the comments section pointed out that the whole issue is that she didn't have enough money to spend. If she did, then... nothing would be wrong with this lifestyle.
I guess it's restricted by the nature of movies and Hollywood and big bad Disney. Oh well.
Think the ending would've been better if Rebecca chose to keep the green scarf at the sale and had to give it up to trade for the bridesmaids dress. This way she still chooses to let go of this impulsive buy to show growth and also more meaning to Suze when she sees the trade at the wedding
Another fantastic video! Congrats!
Thank you!
Thank you for the amazing perspective! Always appreciated ♥️
Thank you! Always thankful for feedback like this.
I feel like this movie would have a longer impact if it didn’t eclipse this interesting story about shopping consumerist addiction with a romance plot.
And the fact that he was her boss while falling in love feels gross 😂
I try to avoid all advertising I can and I also am a penny pincher and don't buy unless I need something, not to make myself feel like I'm meeting the expectations of the culture.
Yes good.
Good video but I had to click out because I couldn’t keep hearing the main character being called ‘Becky’ 🥵