On Women Who Want It Both Ways: The Pop Culture View

The Wench recently viewed The Nanny Diaries. The Wench was not pleased.

Let us put aside Laura Linney's abrupt character transformation at the end. Let us put aside the fact that Scarlett Johansson's character is whiny and weak of spine. The Wench's real beef is that the movie panders to the base female urge to have it both ways.

Case in point: throughout the course of the movie, Ms. Johansson learns that wealth does not mean happiness, and that she would rather pursue a less lucrative career in anthropology than make piles of dough in finance.

All very well and good, The Wench says. But if this character's epiphany, if the message behind it, is to have a shred of integrity at all, why have Ms. Johansson wind up with the filthy rich (and cute!) guy at the end?

Why? Because women want it both ways. They cling to the romantic ideal that money doesn't matter, that one should search for and find the one who fills the soul -- not the pocketbook. And yet. And yet. Wouldn't it be nice if your soul-mate was conveniently loaded? So that you'd never have to work again? Or so that you could pursue a low-paying but deeply satisfying career like anthropology without sweating it?

The makers of The Nanny Diaries understand this impulse. They also understand that women feel a little guilty about it. That's why they made Chris Evans's character a poor little rich boy whose mommy died when he was a toddler. Awwwwwwwww. See? She's not into him for his looks or money. She's into him because he's wounded.

This creative cop-out has been around for a long time. The Wench first took note of it as it pertained to these gals:

In the final scene of How To Marry A Millionaire, Lauren Bacall announces that she's through with gold-digging and satisfied to be with her very average new boyfriend. At which point, the boyfriend reveals that he is, in fact . . . don't faint, now . . . a millionaire! An updated version of this gag appears in the Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, wherein an entire show-stopping number is devoted to Millie's declaration of love for Jimmy, even though he hasn't so much as two sticks to rub together. And then, surprise! Turns out Jimmy's loaded, too.

The Wench thinks Lauren Bacall's boyfriend should have stayed an Average Joe. And Jimmy should have stayed a penniless schmuck. But that would risk losing the female audience.

This is one of the many, many reasons The Wench loves Jane Austen: When it comes to women and money, she does not resort to such cheap cynicism and gimmickry. On the contrary: Our girl Jane lays it on the line.

Consider Elizabeth Bennett's visit to Pemberley. Before, she's just not that into Darcy. In fact, she thinks he's kind of a creep. Then she sees this:

And then she gets the grand tour of the grounds, the palatial mansion, and Darcy's ginormous sculpture gallery. And all of a sudden, she goes from Ice Queen to Hot and Bothered:



Let's be honest, ladies. You can believe in love for its own sake, with all its limited-income frustrations. Or you can go for the guy with the deep pockets. If you're lucky, you might find that Mr. Soul-Mate and Mr. Deep Pockets are one and the same. If not -- well, then. Pick a side.