Briefly illustrate how movies have dealt with the theme of second chances and transformation through the use of costumes and makeup in women’s pictures in Hollywood studio era and American movies today

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. American culture is steeped in the idea of second chances. It is a central concept of evangelical Christianity. Similarly, to the millions of immigrants who streamed to the Land of Opportunity, America was—and still is—a chance for a new life. Especially among women, the fashion industries encourage the belief that you can remake yourself, become a new you.
2. In movies, makeovers in dress and cosmetics usually symbolize a psychological and spiritual transformation as well, a sense of being fully authentic at last. Not to speak of being confident, sexy, and desirable.
3. The grande dame of the Hollywood studio era makeover movie is Now, Voyager, which features Bette Davis in one of her most brilliant performances. With the aid of a nurturing psychiatrist, she manages to transform herself, and this transformation is made visible through Davis’s changes in costume from a dowdy, hysterical spinster to a poised and alluring woman, in command of her own destiny.
4. In more recent times, a film like Last Holiday combines the makeover motif with the carpe diem (seize the day) motif. A mousy sales clerk played by Queen Latifah mistakenly believes that she has only three weeks to live, and so decides to have a last fling with a luxury trip to Europe. She emerges from her conservative shell like a magnificent butterfly from her protective cocoon. Just as in Now, Voyager, the character’s new look symbolizes her change in personality.