Subversive Secretaries and Corporate Fairy Tales: Exploring the Resilient Assistant Trope In Cinema
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For the past decade, I have supported myself through some type of office job while I have pursued writing on the side. Through my day jobs I have had a variety of powerful bosses in multiple industries. Some were nice, reasonable, and caring enough to give me a slight boost on the corporate ladder, my time with others was not as pleasant. When I was working for one of these horrible executives or middle managers, I did my best to bite my tongue and get through the bad days without flipping over any tables, tying up any bosses or poisoning any coffee.
But after a long day bending to the whims of adults whose true passions didn’t seem to go beyond financial reports and temper tantrums, there is nothing I enjoyed more than coming home and unwinding with a film that understood my struggle. The Devil Wears Prada, Working Girl, and 9 to 5 all fall into the category of cinematic delights that give me a sense of corporate catharsis. I can relax seeing characters like Andy Sachs or Tess McGill struggle in ways familiar to me, but ultimately have their revenge against their horrible bosses.
All of these films focus on a plot where a mistreated assistant is able to subvert the power dynamic and get some type of revenge, be it professional or personal, on an employer who unfairly flexes their dominance over them. Each leading actress - despite probably never working in an office - seemed to understand my daily struggle of slaving away behind a desk and hoping for something more, even if there is no clear route to accessing it. Above all, I love the women in these movies because they live in and then ultimately overturn their power dynamics, even though I am still economically forced to participate in one.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
Although I find these movies cathartic, I have a fraught relationship with the “corporate fairy tale” genre of film. On of my favourites, 9 to 5 follows Judy, Violet, and Doralee (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton) as they work for their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss Mr. Heart (Dabney Coleman) at the ultra corporate Consolidated firm. Mr. Heart uses his position of power to humiliate each of the women throughout the day. He condescends, belittles, and steals ideas from Violet - who is up for a much deserved promotion and unable to fight back - and makes a sport out of sexually harassing his executive assistant Doralee. When not terrorising them, Heart spends the day creating unnecessary rules under the guise of “stopping unprofessionalism” to further assert dominance over his floor of entirely female staff.
In a pivotal scene during 9 to 5, the trio have vivid revenge fantasies, in which they all wish to give Mr. Heart a taste of his own medicine. Violet describes her fantasy as a literal fairy tale where at the end she unshackles all her imprisoned coworkers; that's how dark she feels her circumstances are. She dreams of a fantasy sequence where little birds sing as she poisons Mr. Heart and forces him out a window. So worn down by Mr. Heart’s dictatorship, Violet sees any future out from under Mr. Hearts thumb as a magical impossibility.
If you are not familiar with the film, Violet's fantasy accidentally leads to a misunderstanding that leaves the three women in charge of the office impersonating an absent Mr. Heart. When they get their chance to make their own rules, the three make changes not for themselves and personal power, but for the greater good and happiness of all the employees at Consolidated. It leads to not only a more humane work environment, but increased productivity.
9 to 5 is arguably one of my favourite movies - it is unmatched in comedic performances by its three leading ladies, showcases incredible 80s costuming, and has an undoubtedly excellent script, yet the film still leaves me with a sense of longing. As the film grows older, it exposes even more faults with workplace hierarchies; that we have accepted this type of culture well past its prime. How long must we allow ourselves to be so dehumanised in the workplace? Will it always be a societal norm that executives can mistreat those who work for them simply because of an established corporate ladder?
In Working Girl, Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is a secretary at her wit's end. Following assignment after assignment, being chased around the desk, and being sent to fetch coffee so her boss could watch her walk away, she is assigned to assist her first woman boss, the seemingly talented and professional Katheirn Parker (Sigourney Weaver). At first Katherine seems to mentor and help the ambitious Tess, and even offers to help any ideas Tess has come to fruition. Eventually, Tess discovered Katherine had stolen her idea for a big corporate merger: intending to make the deal on her own and take the credit. Katherine only listened to Tess' ideas in order to manipulate, steal, and push her down on the corporate ladder..
Tess then seizes an opportunity when Katherine is recovering from a skiing injury - an injury only available to the rich - and makes the deal while posing as Katherine’s co-worker rather than her secretary. When Katherine returns and reveals to all involved that Tess is actually a secretary, Tess points out that breaking the rules was her only option: “You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you're trying to get there. And if you're someone like me, you can't get there without bending the rules.”
“How long must we allow ourselves to be so dehumanised in the workplace? Will it always be a societal norm that executives can mistreat those who work for them simply because of an established corporate ladder?”
Most often when people think of films about bosses, they think of The Devil Wears Prada and Meryl Streep’s iconic Miranda Priestly. Although I related to her assistant’s Andy Sachs' (Anne Hathaway) frustrations while working for a demanding boss, this film doesn't hit the mark for me as much as films above do. Miranda Priestly seemed genuinely eager to groom Andy into a bigger role and by quitting, Andy's revenge was personal - opting for happiness and calm rather than a professional take down of a tyrant. Secretary is another favourite - although this film touches on this power dynamic in a different way, showing an assistant (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who wished to be dominated, this time for her own pleasure. She seeks out the role specifically for its inherent imbalanced dynamic. By showing us the power struggles naturally intertwined in a boss - secretary relationship, the film exposes just how intricate these office hierarchies can be and how easily they can be abused if not closely watched.
When I watch these films I feel relief, I feel seen. Despite how lonely I have felt when working for someone difficult, I know there are many more like me who are longing for something more. These movies remind me of one important thing, a job isn’t all there is to life and playing along with the power structures within the corporate world isn’t going to benefit the secretaries forced into submission or the bosses who have to attempt to quell an uprising after taking advantage of those under their command.
Words: Elizabeth Teets