It was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Marilyn Monroe.
See, at the beginning of the movie, I was content with my sleepy husband and outspoken children while living in my rented room and driving a leased car. I was perfectly satisfied with eating chicken on most nights, and pretty okay with my home perm and un-acrylic nails. My little show dog is as scruffy as a mutt, but he doesn't bark or bite, so I guess he's okay. My laptop is old, and my television still looks like a giant computer monitor from the eighties.
My faded pink flannel pajamas lay limp against my plump legs as I pressed play. I dug into my Ben and Jerry's chocolaty concoction and took a bite.
About half way into the movie, the strangest thing happened. My room looked small, all of the sudden. My wedding ring that I often admired with love, suddenly looked like a piece of glass set in tin. My carpet looked cheap, and my pajamas felt large and unlady-like. My fingers looked chubby and I lost my appetite for the chocolate. I stared at Marilyn, mouth agape. I wanted to be her! Everything about this movie screamed," You can get any thing or have anyone you want with the right figure and a blonde wig." What happened?
I watched the screen become bigger than life. I was taken on a journey through diamonds tiaras and a plush cruise to Paris. I rode a platinum blonde ride through a wardrobe of the most beautiful clothes I have ever seen. By the end of the movie, I hadn't even noticed my husband walking in the room. I hopped on the internet and started googling international cruise prices and best times of years to go. By the looks of it, I would have to save up for about five years before I could actually take one, but if I went by myself, I could go in two!
Parrish the thought, I told myself. I have realized that Hollywood can make anything look grand and beautiful. Hollywood can sway our thoughts anyway they want to, most of the time. I am quite content with my life. I love my family. I love my job and I love my two mini vacations that my family takes every year, on the Mainland, no less. However, a movie that I sat down to enjoy, just to say I saw it, suddenly made me consider breaking myself to try and buy a glimpse of a life most of us only wish we could have.
In conclusion, I am the public; For a second I allowed the media to dictate to me whether or not my life was good enough, and I have decided to shake it off, and deny Hollywood the pleasure of turning me into a mindless dummie that allows the media to tell me what to wear, where to go and how to live my life.
Movies are fun, but believe me when I tell you, if you don't know how to draw the line between real life and fantasy, you may not want to watch them for a while.
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