"There's So Much More Than What You See..."

BREAKFAST WITH TIFFANY

So about a week ago, I was watching one of my favorite classic movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring the gorgeous belated Audrey Hepburn. While watching the movie, I began to pick up on messages with the film that I never payed attention to before when watching for just pure entertainment. For those that have never seen the movie, here is the synopsis from IMDb:

Holly Golightly (AUDREY HEPBURN) lives in a brownstone on Manhattan's swank East Side. Totally madcap, she has a partially furnished apartment, owns a cat with no name, gets rid of the "mean reds" by visiting Tiffany's jewelry store, and is forever misplacing her door key.. Holly makes her living in two ways: she receive $50 from her gentlemen escorts whenever she needs powder room money, and she is paid $100 for each weekly trip she makes to Sing Sing Prison, where she visits Sally Tomato an ex-mobster. One day Paul Varjak a young writer who is supported by an older rich woman comes into Holly's life when he moves into her apartment building. Eventually, Paul realizes that he is in love with Holly and proposes to her; but she is determined to marry José, a South American millionaire. However, when it is publicly revealed that Holly has been innocently carrying narcotics ring information from Sally Tomato to his New York associates, the stuffy José abandons her.

This time when watching the movie, it made me think about this lavished lifestyle even in today’s society, that many people still dream about today and feel determines their worth. I mean after all, life is not worth living if you don’t drive at least a Mercedes, wear designer labels that cost more than your rent, or have the latest and newest technology gadgets that took half your paycheck to purchase, right? One of my closest friends we joke around all the time about how we are so different with perspectives towards materialistic things. So, nonetheless, I am NOT Madonna’s typical “material girl.”

I know nothing about cars, and really could care less besides that it looks descent and takes me from point A to point B without breaking down. Now don’t get me wrong, I DO like “Nice” things, but I determine what’s nice in my book and it could very well be a scarf from Wal Mart or a really nice vintage vest that I bought at the Thrift Store for 6 bucks and I still look FLY! So my friend in this convo, will be referred to as “Tiffany,” hence the title of the blog and it’s ambiguity with the theme of the movie. Well Tiffany you see places value and ambitions towards getting her Mercedes.  Considering that she feels that she personally will not be able to afford it any time soon, she is hoping to marry someone much like Jose’ who Holly was suppose to marry in the movie. She finds value in the clothes she wears, the type of car she is longing to have and places value on others by the same determining factors. Therefore I and Tiffany sometimes bump heads on a lot of things due to our perspectives. But then I realized that we as society are placing these same values on our youth. My “God-daughter” who is only 10, is already consumed into labels, the type of shoes and clothes that she wears. And I think we all know that the media plays a large role in this, with ads, magazines, tv shows, videos and movies that put a price tag on individual worth and social acceptance. Here is a popular teen video by the talented OMG Girls entitled "Gucci This."

I just found out from another teen in a conversation I had a few weeks ago that if you wear Polo Association with the two men instead of one which represents Ralph Lauren Polo, you will get laughed and ridiculed in school. Believe it or not it is social suicide! Talk about a rude awakening I did not even know the difference besides the names.

Let’s teach youth today that the value of life is not placed on the type of clothes you wear or the type of car you drive. The value of life is placed on internal happiness and self contentment with yourself. No amount of money or label with someone else’s name can truly give you self peace or contentment that has to be found inside yourself. The clothes can only cover up the outside. Find value in the things that are important in life, things that are irreplaceable once they’re gone, like people. Use your wallet to make a difference in the world instead of spending it on perishable items…There is so much more to life, there is so much more than what you see in the media.

PS **** The BEST things In LIFE are FREE!

Written By: Jimmeka Anderson