- 19 hours ago
The escapism movies & tv shows provide can be so fun, but it can also set us up with some pretty unrealistic ideas about money, finances and our lives...
From starting out in our 20s like...
From starting out in our 20s like...
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00As far as most movies and shows are concerned,
00:00:02if you want to change your life, all you need to do is change your look.
00:00:06What you need is a makeover.
00:00:07A new outfit or entire wardrobe and updated hairdo can do wonders for confidence
00:00:13and is often used to externally signify a big internal shift
00:00:17taking place in a character.
00:00:18These montages are often a lot of fun moments of movie magic
00:00:22that make us wish we could live that fairy tale too,
00:00:25but there's one big part of changing your entire look
00:00:28that these movies and shows often leave out, the price tag.
00:00:31Declined.
00:00:32Really? Could you just, could you try it again?
00:00:39Really declined.
00:00:40So let's take a look at the finances behind some of our favorite movie makeovers,
00:00:44from the perfectly obtainable to the only on film,
00:00:47totally unrealistic but still fun,
00:00:50and uncover what these makeover montages really tell us
00:00:53about creating a new and improved you.
00:00:56Who is that sad little person?
00:00:59Are we doing a before and after piece I don't know about?
00:01:02As we covered in our video on the ugly pretty girl trope,
00:01:05on screen the characters that get these makeovers are pretty much
00:01:08always played by beautiful actresses who are just dressed down
00:01:11a tiny bit to look more normal, which is the hideous before.
00:01:15Guys, she's got glasses and a ponytail.
00:01:19Ah, look at that. She's got paint on her overalls. What is that?
00:01:22While movies and shows can get a little ridiculous with this part of the trope,
00:01:25it is true that just a few small tweaks can change your look.
00:01:29And given that our faces are what we show to the world every day,
00:01:32the conduit through which we express our emotions,
00:01:34it's not surprising that people often tend to zero in on them
00:01:38and what they want to change about them.
00:01:39Pores are huge.
00:01:41One thing movies seem to hate is glasses.
00:01:44Do you wear contact lenses?
00:01:46Well, I have them, but I don't really like to wear them that much.
00:01:50Now you do.
00:01:52There is a belief that glasses are always holding the character back
00:01:55from reaching their true beauty potential.
00:01:58So what if she can't see?
00:01:59It's more important that everyone else can see her, right?
00:02:03On top of how ridiculous that is as a concept,
00:02:05the trope also always just glosses over a pretty huge financial issue.
00:02:10Glasses themselves are often already pretty expensive.
00:02:13When you add up the cost of the frames, prescription lenses,
00:02:15and the appointment with the eye doctor to get them,
00:02:17they can cost well into the hundreds of dollars for just a single pair.
00:02:21So to have to throw those out the window and get contacts is not a cheap feat,
00:02:25especially since those require a separate exam back to the eye doctor
00:02:28and the purchase of the boxes of contacts themselves.
00:02:31Then there's the skin care.
00:02:33Most of these characters already have Hollywood perfect skin,
00:02:35but there's still usually someone around to tell them
00:02:38that they need zit ointment or wrinkle cream.
00:02:41And as we all know, even when you're buying drugstore skin care,
00:02:44the cost starts adding up quickly.
00:02:46And don't forget about those teeth.
00:02:48Most characters are already pearly white,
00:02:50but of course they need to be a little whiter.
00:02:52While on screen one whitening strip is usually all it takes
00:02:55to get Chip Skylark-level chompers,
00:02:57in the real world you usually need to use an entire box of strips
00:03:01to see results or even get professional whitening done,
00:03:03which can cost hundreds of dollars.
00:03:06Another so-called problem that movies especially from the 90s
00:03:09and early 2000s loved to hone in on is eyebrows.
00:03:13When was the last time you tweezed?
00:03:14What?
00:03:15As in your eyebrows?
00:03:17Never. Why?
00:03:19Well, you ever watch Sesame Street?
00:03:21Uh huh.
00:03:22You know Bert?
00:03:25Nearly every makeover montage saw the recipient getting admonished
00:03:28for their allegedly over-the-top brows,
00:03:31and forced to wax them within an inch of their lives.
00:03:34Even nowadays, an eyebrow waxed by a professional
00:03:36can cost anywhere from fifteen bucks to over a hundred dollars,
00:03:39and that's just for one visit.
00:03:41If you want to keep up the look,
00:03:42you have to keep paying, or learn to do it yourself,
00:03:45and hope you don't end up having any brow-destroying mishaps.
00:03:48Thankfully, in recent years, people have learned to love their bushy brows,
00:03:51and movies have stopped pushing the idea that anyone whose eyebrows
00:03:54aren't razor thin needs to wax them off,
00:03:57and that having a unibrow is some horrible problem.
00:04:00And then, of course, there's all that beautiful makeup.
00:04:02This is where the montages usually start to get more fun,
00:04:05trying on lots of new colors, and really getting lost in the magic of makeup.
00:04:09A lot of movie makeovers take place at home,
00:04:11with one character sharing their own makeup with the one being made over.
00:04:14Maybe not terribly hygienic, but definitely cost-effective.
00:04:18But others go all out, with entire professional glam teams dropping in
00:04:22to pretty much completely change the character's face.
00:04:25Just one professional makeup artist will run you around $100 an hour,
00:04:29and it could be several times that,
00:04:31depending on their level of expertise
00:04:33and just how much you want them to change your look.
00:04:35As you can see, a true makeover can start to hit your wallet
00:04:38in a big way surprisingly quickly,
00:04:40and that's not even mentioning the clothes.
00:04:43Get in, loser. We're going shopping.
00:04:45To go with their new look, characters usually need new outfits
00:04:48that match their updated vibe.
00:04:50Sometimes this just means buying a nice dress for one event,
00:04:53which can certainly get pricey, but often won't break the bank.
00:04:56Congratulations, you just got your first slow-motion entrance.
00:05:00But sometimes characters want to change it all
00:05:03and get an entirely new wardrobe,
00:05:05which, even if they were doing Teemu hauls,
00:05:07would likely still add up quickly.
00:05:09But these characters usually hit the mall for a major shopping spree,
00:05:12which likely means hundreds of dollars or even thousands
00:05:16to get an entire new wardrobe.
00:05:17You clean up real nice.
00:05:20Sure don't fit in down on the boulevard looking like you do.
00:05:22Not that you ever did.
00:05:23Well, thanks.
00:05:25It's easy to clean up when you got money.
00:05:27Oftentimes in these cases, it's someone else footing that bill,
00:05:30so the character gets all the fun of shopping
00:05:32with none of the bummer of the credit card bill.
00:05:34You work on commission, right?
00:05:35Yes, big mistake. Big. Huge.
00:05:40The Devil Wears Prada, which reportedly had a $1 million wardrobe,
00:05:44sees Andy getting to borrow and sometimes keep incredibly expensive items,
00:05:48from bags to dresses from Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, and Chanel.
00:05:52Are you wearing the Chanel boots?
00:05:55Yeah, I am.
00:05:56This is the new Marc Jacobs.
00:05:57This is sold out everywhere.
00:05:58Where did you get this?
00:06:00Miranda didn't want it himself.
00:06:02Oh, no, no, no, no, no. This bag is $1,900. I cannot take this from you.
00:06:06These characters often feel like the fact that they're not fashionable enough
00:06:09is a big part of the reason why they just can't seem to fit in.
00:06:12And of course, society is often telling them the same thing.
00:06:15Just because you don't look like these girls in Poise magazine
00:06:18doesn't mean that you're not beautiful in your own way.
00:06:20I don't want to be beautiful in my own way.
00:06:23I want to look like these people.
00:06:25And when they do emerge as beautiful new swans,
00:06:27they usually are treated better by those around them,
00:06:30except their old friends, who often find the new look
00:06:32and new attitude threatening.
00:06:34You're morphing into one of them.
00:06:36Next week, you could be waving Pelopoms in my face.
00:06:39But while they might have felt invisible before,
00:06:42now with their new look, they often have to worry
00:06:44if their newfound beauty is the only thing anyone sees in them,
00:06:47as if their entire personhood has been wiped away by the change.
00:06:51The first time you saw me, I was cleaning your bathroom floor,
00:06:53only you didn't see me.
00:06:54Sometimes the makeover is happening against their will.
00:06:57Someone else has decided that they need to clean up and look hot.
00:07:00And you have no style or sense of fashion.
00:07:04Well, um, I think that depends on what you're-
00:07:09No, no.
00:07:10That wasn't a question.
00:07:11But other times, it's something that the character wanted
00:07:14for a long time, but just couldn't or didn't know how to do.
00:07:18Whatever the motivation, makeovers are used on screen
00:07:20as visual markers of larger internal changes happening within the character.
00:07:24When the makeover is against their will,
00:07:26it usually happens at the beginning of the film
00:07:28and is the impetus for their change.
00:07:30It's through stepping into these new shoes, often literally,
00:07:33that they open themselves up to new experiences and grow as people.
00:07:37And I realized that these women are smart,
00:07:42terrific people who are just trying to make a difference in the world.
00:07:48When the makeover is the result of a latent desire
00:07:50finally making its way to the surface,
00:07:52the makeover usually happens at the end of the film,
00:07:55a culmination of the character's growth into their new self.
00:08:04Sandy!
00:08:05Once your new makeup and wardrobe are set,
00:08:07there's always one last piece of the puzzle,
00:08:09totally changing up your hair.
00:08:11Your hair should make a statement.
00:08:13As long as it doesn't say,
00:08:14thank you very much for the country music award.
00:08:16Haircuts are a time-honored way of marking a big change in your life,
00:08:19especially for characters on screen.
00:08:21Whether they just went through a breakup,
00:08:23got a new job,
00:08:23or have just decided they're going to turn their life around,
00:08:26a big hair change is often involved.
00:08:28Nothing personal, Lainey, but this particular
00:08:31quaff doesn't really go with your face shape.
00:08:36What do you have in mind?
00:08:38You'd really have to trust me.
00:08:40Haircuts come at many different price points,
00:08:42from free at-home DIYs to cheap snips at a local barber.
00:08:45That'd be eight dollars.
00:08:53To all-out high-dollar glam blowouts at classy salons.
00:08:57How much a character spends or doesn't spend on their new do
00:09:00is often decided by what kind of change they're going through.
00:09:04Characters who are finally taking control of their life
00:09:06usually go for the at-home-in-the-bathroom
00:09:08with a pair of kitchen scissors or even an electric shaver
00:09:11if they're really going for a major change option.
00:09:14They are the ones who are making this big choice in their life,
00:09:17so they want to be the ones to make this physical change
00:09:19to go along with it.
00:09:20With style cuts, it can go either way.
00:09:23Sometimes the character just wants to pay to get a professional
00:09:25to bring their desire to life.
00:09:27Other times, they're being pushed into making a change
00:09:35to better fit some idea of what they should look like.
00:09:38You have to change the color of your hair.
00:09:39What's wrong with my hair?
00:09:41While every part of movie and TV makeovers can make us want to shell out some cash
00:09:45for a little update of our own, surprisingly, one of the most influential character changes
00:09:50of all time came from a haircut.
00:09:52In the 20th episode of Friends' first season,
00:09:55Rachel Green debuted a new haircut and it became an immediate sensation.
00:09:59Dubbed The Rachel, women across the country flock to salons,
00:10:03hoping to get the same cut.
00:10:04The Dew has continued to inspire haircuts year after year,
00:10:07and even has its own surprisingly lengthy Wikipedia page.
00:10:11One obvious thing to consider with movie and TV makeovers is that
00:10:14their expensive nature is kind of the point.
00:10:17They're so entertaining precisely because they're so out of reach,
00:10:20but fun to think about doing.
00:10:22And even if we can't afford to completely change our entire wardrobe,
00:10:26makeup and hair in a day or month or year,
00:10:29these joyful makeovers might give us the confidence we need to try out
00:10:32a few small tweaks or one new look we've been wanting to go for.
00:10:36And even if we don't want to change anything about ourselves at all,
00:10:39it can still be a good time to watch characters switch things up on screen.
00:10:43It only becomes a problem when we absorb the more negative aspects
00:10:46of the montages, especially from older decades,
00:10:49about how we have to change basic parts of ourselves if we want to be loved.
00:10:53If it's just for myself, shouldn't I be comfortable?
00:10:55No! Put yourself first in a sexy way!
00:10:58Or if we feel like we need to start racking up debt
00:11:01to get an allegedly better look.
00:11:03Nowadays, thanks to social media, we can make and share our own
00:11:06makeover montages whenever we feel like it,
00:11:08and get tips on how to change things up without breaking the bank.
00:11:12And even on-screen makeovers have started to change things up in recent years,
00:11:16no longer based on entirely buffing away yourself to create a new, shinier you,
00:11:20now they seek to just highlight the things that already make you amazing.
00:11:24And that's really the only makeover we need.
00:11:28I am Dumplin'.
00:11:29Will.
00:11:30I am Will.
00:11:32I am Will-O-Dean.
00:11:33I'm a beauty queen.
00:11:34Film and TV love to show partly relatable,
00:11:37partly aspirational lifestyles that actually don't make a whole lot of sense
00:11:41when you really think about them.
00:11:43Of course, we're not always watching movies and shows just to see real life.
00:11:46And it can sometimes work well when media chooses to let go of realism a little bit
00:11:51to have more fun.
00:11:52But this can also lead to some pretty unrealistic ideas about life and money.
00:11:57So let's take a look at some of the most nonsensical finances in media,
00:12:01why we're influenced by them,
00:12:03and how we can enjoy our favorite shows without comparing ourselves to the fantastical examples on screen.
00:12:09Look, you clearly are living beyond your means.
00:12:11Can you afford that bag?
00:12:13This was a gift from a very wealthy friend.
00:12:15That's too expensive for you.
00:12:16As much as we love our favorite film and television characters,
00:12:19it can be frustratingly distracting that their salaries, or lack thereof,
00:12:24just don't make sense with their lifestyles,
00:12:26especially when it comes to their living spaces.
00:12:29How in the world can you afford to live in a house like this, Simpson?
00:12:32I dunno.
00:12:32So often on screen, we see a scrappy young adult attempting to make ends meet working odd jobs,
00:12:38and yet still somehow able to afford a huge apartment in a major city.
00:12:42Part of this is due to the real-world constraints that come with filming a movie or show.
00:12:47Whether it's a soundstage or an actual home, you need space for all of the crew and equipment.
00:12:52So having your character live in a converted walk-in closet just isn't realistic.
00:12:56This is kind of a lot of kitchen for a studio apartment, but I needed to create it open in this
00:13:01way so that we could actually film that cooking part.
00:13:05It's noticeable that so many of these shows and movies are set in New York City,
00:13:09a haven for attractive young adults with big dreams.
00:13:12In season 4 of Glee, for example, Rachel and Kurt leave Ohio for the Big Apple,
00:13:17and somehow manage to snag a sizable loft in a lively, expensive neighborhood.
00:13:22This place is enormous!
00:13:24For 1800 bucks a month we could get a shoebox in Manhattan or this hanger in Bushwick.
00:13:28These two are students, who at the time were still unemployed.
00:13:32When you think of enviable sitcom residences, the wildly popular show Friends likely comes to mind,
00:13:38while Chandler and Joey's setup can be smoothed over by just assuming
00:13:42that Chandler pays for most of the rent with whatever it is he does for a living.
00:13:46Alright kids, I gotta get to work.
00:13:48If I don't input those numbers, it doesn't make much of a difference.
00:13:52Aspiring chef Monica and part-time waitress Rachel managing to afford their huge apartment
00:13:57is a lot more difficult to square away.
00:14:00This has been analyzed countless times, both while the show was on the air and in the decades since.
00:14:05Friends itself eventually provided an explanation during the run,
00:14:08after the writers got hit with so many questions about it.
00:14:11It turns out that Monica inherited the apartment from her grandmother and it was rent controlled,
00:14:15and so significantly more affordable than a similar apartment would have been at market rate.
00:14:20But more important, because of rent control, it was a friggin' steal.
00:14:24So, not a totally unrealistic setup, as some people do have this happen in real life,
00:14:29but definitely not something attainable for the average viewer.
00:14:33The West Coast isn't immune to TV finance magic either.
00:14:37Take New Girl's roommate setup, which is slightly more realistic,
00:14:40with multiple adult roommates with jobs splitting the rent.
00:14:43But given the soaring rents in downtown Los Angeles,
00:14:46the four-bedroom loft likely would still be over the budget for people with regular jobs,
00:14:51like schoolteacher Jessica Day.
00:14:53In addition to living spaces, characters' entire lifestyles often seem out of step with reality.
00:14:59Friends even made fun of the fact that its characters always being free to sit around
00:15:03and drink coffee in a cafe in the middle of the workday doesn't really make a lot of sense.
00:15:08We're also used to seeing characters gathered around takeout boxes and going out to eat,
00:15:23which may seem like small expenses, but as we all know,
00:15:26all those small expenses can definitely start adding up.
00:15:30Take Gilmore Girls.
00:15:31Lorelai comes from money, but is out on her own,
00:15:33and a huge point of contention on the show is that she doesn't want to take money from
00:15:38her parents to make her life easier.
00:15:40She worries about how to pay Rory's tuition at Chilton,
00:15:42but never really seems concerned about budgeting to any degree.
00:15:45Between daily meals at Luke's Diner, ordering pizza, and buying snacks,
00:15:49the mother-daughter duo probably blow a huge amount of cash on just coffee and treats alone,
00:15:55on top of, you know, their actual groceries.
00:15:57Seeing them enjoy takeout and Pop-Tarts is part of the cozy fun of the show,
00:16:01but it can at times feel a little divorced from the reality of what it's like to be worried about
00:16:06money.
00:16:07A more recent example of pure fantasy is Emily in Paris.
00:16:10The titular marketing maven moves to France for work and lives a dreamy Insta-worthy life.
00:16:16She has a stylish but impractical wardrobe, frequently goes out for food and drinks,
00:16:21and lives in an apartment that in real life would be much smaller.
00:16:24But of course, their creators aren't striving for realism here,
00:16:37and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It is a fictional TV show after all.
00:16:42But when these worlds that are being presented as so relatable on screen are so far from real life,
00:16:47it can start to cause some problems.
00:16:50If you're watching a show that glamorizes financial ignorance, there's a risk that you're gonna think
00:16:54that's okay too.
00:16:56Shopping is often portrayed as a hobby or even self-care.
00:16:59A little retail therapy before work.
00:17:01And as much as we can appreciate the fashion, showing characters spending money so frivolously
00:17:07only makes it that much easier for us to also begin to see shopping as a solution to all of life's
00:17:12troubles.
00:17:13They didn't even need any money. They had magic cards.
00:17:17I wanted one. Little did I know, I would end up with 12.
00:17:24The use and overuse of credit cards is a common plot point in film and TV,
00:17:28used to explain away the less than realistic finances of hardcore shoppers.
00:17:32But their financial woes often come to a head and are overcome in a single episode,
00:17:37before they continue on with their happy lives.
00:17:40And things definitely don't usually go that smoothly in real life.
00:17:44You cannot shop your way out of an unhappy life.
00:17:48In How I Met Your Mother, Lily is forced to confess the truth about her finances
00:17:52when she and Marshall try to purchase a home.
00:17:55It turns out that she's been stress spending and has maxed out 15 credit cards.
00:18:00You know what, it's fine to penalize me for trying to get an education and build a career,
00:18:04but I will not let you deprive my beautiful wife of her dream home just because I want-
00:18:07Okay, actually, it's because of your wife's credit card debt.
00:18:10But after that, it's kind of never mentioned again, and everything seems mostly fine?
00:18:16Emily in Paris creator Darren Starr is also behind the iconic Sex and the City,
00:18:20another series full of some rather reckless spending and unrealistic portrayals of living in New York City.
00:18:26Carrie Bradshaw's expensive taste and designer shoe addiction doesn't really seem to line up with
00:18:30her once-a-week column writer's salary.
00:18:32The show does address how she's often on the edge of a big issue,
00:18:36but it never seems to actually affect her in any material long-term way.
00:18:41It says here that you have 700 in your checking account.
00:18:45I just paid my credit card bill.
00:18:48And 957 in savings?
00:18:52The infamous season 4 episode Ring-a-Ding-Ding that sees Carrie finally fully
00:18:57confronted by her outrageous finances really lays out how ridiculous her lifestyle is.
00:19:02I spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live?
00:19:08But because this is TV, instead of having to sell half of her stuff and buckle down on budgeting,
00:19:14Carrie just whines until she gets her friend to fix her problems by guilting her into selling
00:19:19her own engagement ring. Which was so out of line, even fans were rubbed the wrong way.
00:19:24That scene where Carrie comes in and says to Charlotte-
00:19:27Why didn't you offer me the money?
00:19:28A lot of people thought that was sort of a
00:19:30despicable thing for another person to say to a friend.
00:19:33We may be talking about fictional people living fictional lives on shows that aren't
00:19:37supposed to be viewed as a documentary or a rulebook by which to live your life.
00:19:41But it's been long shown that our understanding of the world is influenced or shaped by the media
00:19:47we consume, also known as the cultivation theory.
00:19:50A 2022 report by Credit Karma found that nearly 40% of young adults put more money towards
00:19:56experiences rather than the essentials like bills. The concept of fake it till you make it
00:20:00encourages spending way beyond our means just to keep up appearances.
00:20:04These otherwise relatable characters give people an unrealistic impression of finances,
00:20:10particularly for young adults entering the workforce. An aspiring journalist might move to NYC
00:20:15expecting to land a taxing but glamorous job at a magazine, find a spacious one bedroom with a
00:20:20killer view, all while having the time and money to enjoy what the city has to offer.
00:20:25Because if they're not familiar with the city, they'll think it's totally plausible that a
00:20:29stand-up comedian could afford to live alone in Manhattan, or that a freelance writer makes enough
00:20:34cash to live comfortably on the Upper East Side. Thankfully, there are some shows that value the
00:20:40accuracy of a character's financial situation and how it affects their lifestyle.
00:20:44I mean, we got our places 30 years ago when the Arconia was affordable, but you?
00:20:48Would your parents have a place there?
00:20:49Good God, you don't have to answer that, Mabel. I mean, unless you want to, because I'm also curious.
00:20:55Only Murders in the Building explains Mabel's living situation by having her essentially working
00:20:59for her aunt. And when that aunt eventually sells the apartment, Mabel is tasked with finding a
00:21:05new place to live and an actual job. This is the whole apartment?
00:21:09I know. Feels like a palace. 460 square feet all to yourself.
00:21:14And while we don't see where season 3's newcomer Kimber actually lives,
00:21:18we do see that she makes her way by holding down multiple jobs.
00:21:22So, you manage all this? Businesses, TikTok, an acting career?
00:21:27You know how it is. Being our age in New York, you have to hustle if you want to make it here.
00:21:33Broad City, in particular, has been praised as a more realistic portrayal of millennial
00:21:37women living in New York.
00:21:38It's a hallway.
00:21:41It is a beautiful, railroad-style apartment in your budget.
00:21:46Where's the bathroom?
00:21:47Where isn't the bathroom?
00:21:49Abby and Alana don't have expensive brunches or shopping sprees, and they both have to live
00:21:53with roommates in actually New York-sized apartments. Neither have steady jobs. Instead,
00:21:58they cycle through different gigs like waitressing, house-sitting, dog walking, cleaning, and the
00:22:03occasional start-up. Any event or fancy dinner is treated as a rarity instead of a routine.
00:22:08In one episode, Abby hesitantly drops over $400 on a dress for a party.
00:22:13But that'll be $438.
00:22:17That's real. There.
00:22:19Let me ask you a quick question. What is your return policy?
00:22:24But instead of returning it, she proceeds to wear the same dress throughout the season
00:22:28because it was an investment.
00:22:30That's your total equity? $374? Are you kidding me?
00:22:34You gotta keep more money in your bank account than that?
00:22:37When it comes to entertainment, most audiences want escapism, not realism.
00:22:41Which is, in part, why shows like Friends, The White Lotus, and Emily in Paris are so popular.
00:22:47And why society can't seem to kick its fascination with the phenomenon of escapist reality television.
00:22:53Plus, having wealthy characters, or not wealthy characters who just somehow never seem to have
00:22:58to worry about money, gives the writers more freedom with storytelling, enabling them to put
00:23:03characters into heightened situations while also presenting something aspirational.
00:23:08Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with escapism. It's just important for audiences to understand
00:23:12what's realistic and what's a fantasy. Because that's how we protect ourselves from feeling
00:23:18down about our own lives and finances. Getting caught up in on-screen comparisons
00:23:22only leads to negative emotions, self-criticism, and dissatisfaction.
00:23:27In order for financial literacy to become more mainstream in our society,
00:23:32we have to start writing financially literate television characters.
00:23:35But even if the gigantic apartments and endless takeout aren't relatable,
00:23:39that doesn't mean they aren't fun to watch. Are there any other on-screen financial
00:23:43mysteries or ridiculousness that you always notice on-screen that we left out?
00:23:47Tell us about it in the comments.
00:23:48As much as Hollywood loves stories about the horrible exploits of rich people,
00:23:53they also love to pump out stories about struggling 20-something-year-olds trying to
00:23:57make it in the big city. Shows like Broad City and Two Broke Girls gained lots of popularity
00:24:02for their depiction of young urban dwellers working odd jobs to afford living in the Big Apple.
00:24:07While both series tried to base their leading ladies' financial troubles in realism by giving
00:24:12them shabby apartments or showing them shopping at Goodwill,
00:24:15Lots of people cry at Goodwill.
00:24:18You go to France, you eat snails, you come here, you cry.
00:24:21They still have plenty of time for out-of-work shenanigans and quirky side quests.
00:24:26Even when they are shown at work, they're doing a lot of chit-chatting and
00:24:29questionable activities that, in reality, would probably get them fired.
00:24:33So let's take a closer look at what Hollywood gets wrong and right in its depictions of 20-somethings
00:24:38on-screen, why we're drawn to these characters, and the financial and emotional reality of trying
00:24:44to make it on your own after college. Gen Z and millennials, more than any other age group,
00:24:49are more likely to work at least two jobs to make ends meet or pursue a creative interest.
00:24:54Some people, notably those who work in finance, have tried to spin this change in the work landscape as
00:24:59a cultural trend in response to the pandemic, coining the term polywork,
00:25:03which feels akin to the corporate rebrand of rose gold appliances.
00:25:07Did you just come up with a fun euphemism to describe us not being able to survive off of one job?
00:25:12No, no, this is completely different.
00:25:15There is nothing hip or cool about having to work multiple jobs,
00:25:19because your 9 to 5 doesn't pay you a sustainable salary.
00:25:22The median rent continues to skyrocket, and your once affordable neighborhood is now being gentrified.
00:25:27Here we go, Washington Heights.
00:25:30What the f**k?
00:25:32It makes sense why so many shows that depict financial hardship are packaged as comedies.
00:25:37The reality and costs of going to school to work in a specific field,
00:25:41only to face an extremely competitive job market, which will likely force you to work
00:25:45multiple jobs until you make enough to pursue what you're actually passionate about,
00:25:49is soul-crushing.
00:25:50It's just like, everybody can tell me what I can't do,
00:25:55but nobody can tell me what I can do.
00:26:00Which is perhaps why film and TV about struggling friends working odd jobs and
00:26:04getting up to wild shenanigans are so appealing.
00:26:07You? You think we're going to give the shares to the man who wants to pull a mutant from a
00:26:10mystery hole in the bar and live with him?
00:26:11All right, well, look, I'm just trying to come up with a system.
00:26:13Sitcoms that revolve around struggling 20-something-year-olds like Friends, How I Met Your Mother,
00:26:18and Seinfeld became such smash hits because they speak to the cultural phenomenon of what it's like
00:26:22to fumble through your 20s.
00:26:24Welcome to the real world.
00:26:26It sucks.
00:26:27You're gonna love it.
00:26:28Cities like New York, LA, and London are popular settings for these shows
00:26:31because they're filled with all kinds of characters struggling through relatable situations,
00:26:36like trying to find an apartment within your budget.
00:26:38Well, what do you think?
00:26:40It's a hallway.
00:26:42It is a beautiful railroad-style apartment in your budget.
00:26:47Many of us dreamed of living in a big city because we watched these shows growing up,
00:26:51and wanted to find our own central perk to meet up with our attractive friend group
00:26:55and run into celebrities.
00:26:56It's a middle of a city.
00:26:58Are you serious?
00:26:59Or dreaming of landing a job at a fancy corp in Midtown,
00:27:03where we impress the CEO with our young and innovative ideas.
00:27:07Really?
00:27:08I think you might have something important to say about makeup.
00:27:12And I know someone who might be hiring.
00:27:15Another trend worth looking at in film and TV is the portrayal of working-class characters,
00:27:19who actually come from generational wealth.
00:27:22Yeah, just the word, swing by.
00:27:24Oh, how lovely, lucky ass.
00:27:26Oh, don't worry. Dad's already booking me a taxi.
00:27:29Which means their financial troubles are superficial at best.
00:27:32Sometimes this portrayal is meant to be satirical.
00:27:34The writers are clearly in on the joke that this seemingly struggling
00:27:3820-something-year-old can easily call up their parents if they're short on rent.
00:27:42Till yesterday, I got all of my money from my parents.
00:27:45Okay.
00:27:46Does that make you feel sick?
00:27:48Make you not want to talk to me?
00:27:49However, time and time again,
00:27:51Hollywood has proven its lack of awareness about financial insecurity,
00:27:55likely because historically those who succeed in the entertainment industry
00:27:58predominantly come from wealth, and are detached from the reality that
00:28:02most of us have to contend with.
00:28:04Rory and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls are a perfect example of this discrepancy in film and TV.
00:28:09Lorelai is introduced as a single parent who had Rory when she was a teenager,
00:28:13leaving her waspy upbringing and working as a hotel maid
00:28:17until she eventually worked her way up to a hotel manager,
00:28:20managing to buy a home in Connecticut.
00:28:22Well, ordering pizza, that's enough.
00:28:24Are you crazy?
00:28:25You can't watch Willy Wonka without massive amounts of junk food going in.
00:28:29Even in 1995, her salary as a hotel manager likely would not have been enough
00:28:33to purchase a home of that size,
00:28:36let alone afford to pay Connecticut property taxes and order takeout every night.
00:28:40Fans have theorized that Lorelai likely had a trust fund from her wealthy grandmother,
00:28:45which went into effect when she was 25.
00:28:47Much like Monica from Friends, who was later revealed to have
00:28:50inherited her grandmother's massive rent-controlled apartment in Greenwich Village.
00:28:54However, both Lorelai and Monica's characters probably wouldn't admit
00:28:58that their proximity to wealth, despite how independent they are,
00:29:01has given them and their loved ones a privileged life.
00:29:04You left the world of privilege to do things your way.
00:29:08I guess I never thought of it that way.
00:29:10And you did it when you were younger and had a baby to take care of.
00:29:12I know, it was really impressive.
00:29:13Lena Dunham's show Girls rocked pop culture when it premiered in 2012 for its satirical,
00:29:18controversial, and often dead-on portrayal of four white millennial friends navigating
00:29:23their post-college 20s.
00:29:25Dunham plays the lead character Hannah, who is introduced having a full-on quarter-life crisis
00:29:29when her parents cut her off, and her internship won't pay her.
00:29:33But I have no job.
00:29:34No, you have an internship that you say is going to turn into a job.
00:29:38I don't know when.
00:29:39You graduated from college two years ago.
00:29:41We've been supporting you for two years, and that's enough.
00:29:44In some ways, Hannah is the talented, quirked-up, unglamorous younger sister of Carrie Bradshaw.
00:29:49Hannah's struggles as a writer and millennial are relatable to pretty much
00:29:53anyone who graduated from a liberal arts college, but she and her friends are also
00:29:57emblematic of privileged 20-somethings who move into gentrified neighborhoods
00:30:01and always have a safety net to fall on.
00:30:03During its run, Girls garnered both resentment and praise for centering these kinds of narcissistic
00:30:08female characters while still exploring their complexities.
00:30:12As Dustin Rolls puts it,
00:30:13the difference between a show like Girls and a show like Friends,
00:30:16which is also populated with wealthy, privileged characters,
00:30:19is the sense of self-awareness.
00:30:21Dunham, whether she belongs to this class of people or not,
00:30:24understands that they are unlikable.
00:30:26She doesn't want to offer her characters salvation.
00:30:28She just wants us to know they exist, and for all their negative qualities,
00:30:32they are complicated people.
00:30:34The linear narrative that getting an education that will automatically
00:30:37land you your dream job has been peddled for generations.
00:30:41We are told that with hard work and dedication we can achieve anything,
00:30:44inflation and student debt be damned.
00:30:46Pop culture is one of the great peddlers of this myth that obtaining a glamorous dream job
00:30:51is worth the years, or on screen often more like months,
00:30:54of extraneous labor and poor wages.
00:30:56I swear this is my break, this is my chance, this is my boss.
00:31:04I'm sorry, Dad, I have to take this.
00:31:06As Scarlett Harris puts it,
00:31:07a lovable job is also the poorly constructed myth that motivated millennials through childhood and college,
00:31:13sustaining aspirational media and publishing workers through devalued,
00:31:18no guarantees arts degrees in the hope that a measly entry-level salary or freelance writing career
00:31:23will allow an approximation of the lifestyles seen on film and television.
00:31:28These aspirational lifestyles extend beyond media and publishing,
00:31:32from Elle Woods defending a star client in court as only a first-year law student,
00:31:37You're fired.
00:31:38I have no representation.
00:31:41Who?
00:31:41To Pretty Little Liars, Spencer and Mona getting jobs on Capitol Hill straight out of college.
00:31:49All this time and we both end up in the same business.
00:31:52Um, not really.
00:31:54We both sell policy.
00:31:56Different kinds of policy.
00:31:57Film and TV often take creative leaps when depicting ambitious 20-something-year-olds taking
00:32:02their first steps out into the adult world.
00:32:05And while it is pretty unrealistic that so many people would land their dream jobs right after
00:32:10graduation, there are young people in real life who get early career breaks after school,
00:32:15often in fields like tech or finance.
00:32:17However, they are a privileged minority compared to most millennials and older Gen Zers in the workforce.
00:32:23When you think about it, modern stories about young self-starters are products of the American
00:32:27dream, which became our national ethos because there were people from all walks of life in the
00:32:3320th century who were able to grow their small businesses into empires.
00:32:37To paraphrase the great J.D. Rockefeller, ain't no reward without risk.
00:32:42Who's in, gentlemen?
00:32:43Or they were discovered by someone in a position of power, changing their life forever.
00:32:48All you gotta do is trust me.
00:32:51That's all you gotta do.
00:32:52Hollywood and pop culture cling to these stories because they are true,
00:32:56but they are also extremely rare.
00:32:58In a society that functions through mass production, it's essential that young people have big dreams of
00:33:04entering the workforce, and to be effective, it has to look fun.
00:33:07I got everyone's t-shirts!
00:33:12Work is fun!
00:33:13Who didn't want to become a toy tester after watching Big or solve small-town crimes as a
00:33:18teenage private detective?
00:33:19Still, I've got too many questions swirling around in my head to wait until he's willing to share.
00:33:25These questions need answers.
00:33:27That's what I do.
00:33:28Popular media has come a long way since the golden years of 90s and early 2000s film and TV.
00:33:33Instead of instant-coffee escapism and feel-good sitcoms with characters having only superficial
00:33:38money problems, we're seeing more stories that acknowledge the financial struggles people are
00:33:42facing across the board, especially young folks of various identities working and living in big cities.
00:33:48You have protagonists who may have landed their dream job at a high-powered company,
00:33:52but they still live with their parents because their entry-level salary isn't
00:33:56substantial enough to let them rent an apartment.
00:33:58She said she wishes you'd be more realistic, but I think she's full of crap.
00:34:03And when they do finally move out of their family home,
00:34:06the next best option is a six-story walk-up with roommates who are always late on rent.
00:34:11I feel like all I do is work.
00:34:13I can barely pay my rent.
00:34:14Oh, which is due tomorrow!
00:34:15I almost forgot.
00:34:17Hmm, is Juice Mucha pitching in?
00:34:19Well, I've been dropping hints all week.
00:34:22Then you have characters having to work multiple jobs to pay the rent,
00:34:24like waitressing or driving for Lyft.
00:34:26Yes, a Capri Sun.
00:34:28You know my heart.
00:34:28No, no, no, no, girl.
00:34:29Those have to be passengers.
00:34:30And sometimes they have to resort to creative,
00:34:32or downright illegal, methods to find affordable housing.
00:34:35Look, the whole point of living in a disused hospital is to get a girl on a slab.
00:34:40No, Sam, it's to save money for a deposit on an actual house.
00:34:43Or make some quick cash to avoid sleeping on the streets.
00:34:46Broad City's Abby and Alana are friends in their mid-20s,
00:34:49trying to make it on their own in New York City.
00:34:51They sloppily balance various minimum wage jobs and throw 420 parties,
00:34:55or sell stolen office supplies to make some extra bucks.
00:34:58So, correct me if I'm wrong,
00:34:59people are paying you to use the free public charging station?
00:35:03So what?
00:35:04All the great male entrepreneurs do it, okay?
00:35:06While Alana's wackier schemes, always seeming to work out in the end,
00:35:10no matter how dire her money troubles,
00:35:12can start to feel a little unrealistic at times.
00:35:16Abby's story of having to work a miserable job in the hopes of maybe getting promoted
00:35:20to something that doesn't totally suck and might pay you a livable wage,
00:35:24not to mention totally putting her real dream job on hold
00:35:27because she can't even really afford to think about it,
00:35:30is something that so many of us can relate to.
00:35:33And their more out-there plans to make ends meet
00:35:36help balance out the harsher realities with a bit of fun.
00:35:39While my partner removes the ERAC,
00:35:43I'm gonna teach you boys about the dangers of ripping under-aged bongs.
00:35:48One show in particular that skillfully explores this kind of realism is the recent Netflix
00:35:52adaptation of One Day, which follows the love story between two college friends
00:35:56as they navigate the trials and tribulations of their 20s.
00:36:00While the story mainly takes place during the 90s, Emma and Dexter's winding career paths and
00:36:04struggles as young adults still resonate with millennials and Gen Zers today.
00:36:08Emma, a straight-A student and budding writer, is faced with realistic financial challenges
00:36:13almost immediately after graduation.
00:36:15Unlike posh boy Dexter, Emma did not grow up with family wealth
00:36:19and ends up working a hellish service job in London.
00:36:22Welcome to the graveyard of ambition.
00:36:24Loco caliente means crazy hot.
00:36:26Hot because the air conditioning doesn't work.
00:36:28Crazy because that's what you'd have to be to eat here.
00:36:30Emma's insufferable work life, like so many people's jobs after college,
00:36:34nearly crushes her dreams of becoming a writer.
00:36:37Meanwhile, Dexter gets to gallivant around Europe before landing a job as a TV presenter,
00:36:41but life eventually catches up to him, as it does for all of us in varying degrees.
00:36:46You know, you've been through a lot in the last few years with your mum.
00:36:49I've tried to understand that, really, I have, but you're just not the person I used to know.
00:36:54One Day has been praised for its authentic storytelling,
00:36:57and the way it navigates class, gender, and relationships represents a new cultural ethos.
00:37:02Showing characters struggling in their 20s without immediately landing their dream jobs can
00:37:06actually be very comforting for those of us experiencing a similar existential dread.
00:37:11Success is not always linear, nor is it only determined by material gain.
00:37:15Success can look like making a difference in your community.
00:37:18Got my pickles.
00:37:19Yeah, extra pickles, they're in there.
00:37:20And a beanie because it's getting colder.
00:37:22Or finally coming to terms with who you are.
00:37:24I'm gay.
00:37:25And while there's nothing wrong with being ambitious in your 20s,
00:37:37it's important to remember that the economy and job market is not what it used to be,
00:37:42and plans can change.
00:37:44Nothing is guaranteed, and sometimes it may take years, if not a decade, to land your dream job.
00:37:49And who knows, by the time you finally get there, you might have a whole new dream.
00:37:53As we evolve as people, so can our desires.
00:37:56A table and chairs license?
00:37:58And the local authority, I've already checked.
00:38:00I think we get it.
00:38:01It's all here, the business plan.
00:38:03It's all laid out for the next two years.
00:38:05Many of us will have to slog through numerous jobs in our lives before we can truly settle down,
00:38:10if we're lucky.
00:38:11And some of those jobs will outright suck.
00:38:14But there's always something to be learned.
00:38:15And that may be the true measure of success.
00:38:18For a long time, popular culture held that by the time you hit 30,
00:38:22you'd have your entire life figured out, feeling stable with a good job,
00:38:26a nice house, a loving partnership.
00:38:28But nowadays, your 30s often look quite different.
00:38:31Job hunt is on.
00:38:34This hospital website says I can earn up to $700,
00:38:37and all I have to do is be infected with dengue fever.
00:38:40Sometimes, the lives of characters in their 30s on screen can feel hilariously out of reach.
00:38:45But thankfully, in recent years, we've started to get many more films and shows that are willing to get
00:38:50honest about what it's like to be in your 30s now, the good and the less than stellar.
00:38:54Welcome to the no-options club.
00:38:58It's a cool club.
00:38:59Yeah?
00:38:59Actually, I'm in it.
00:39:00Oh.
00:39:02Most of America's in it.
00:39:03We've been on Tuesdays.
00:39:04So what do movies and TV get right and wrong about life and finances in your 30s?
00:39:09This adult stuff is hard, isn't it?
00:39:13I wonder if the rest of the 30-something gang goes through crap like this.
00:39:16Being unstable in your 20s is often framed as fun and quirky,
00:39:20all just a part of figuring out your life.
00:39:22But once you hit 30, it takes on a very different sheen.
00:39:26Your 20s are for wild shenanigans.
00:39:30But aren't you 30?
00:39:31For a long time on screen,
00:39:33instability and financial worry was a problem for people in their early 20s.
00:39:36By the time characters reached their 30s,
00:39:38they usually had their lives pretty together,
00:39:41maybe occasionally getting hit with an unwelcome surprise.
00:39:44Phone bell.
00:39:47Bell?
00:39:49Carol?
00:39:51Carol?
00:39:52But generally, things were pretty steady.
00:39:54Even into the late 90s and early 2000s,
00:39:56most characters on screen seemed to be doing pretty alright for themselves
00:40:00by the time they made it to the other side of their 30s crisis.
00:40:03And if one was still floundering,
00:40:04they were often specifically pointed out as THE hilarious flighty one
00:40:08in a group of otherwise stable friends.
00:40:10I've spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live?
00:40:16I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes.
00:40:20And in many ways this was sensible,
00:40:22since that was the reality for a lot of people of that age at that time.
00:40:26But even in more modern shows,
00:40:28financial difficulties of characters in their 30s
00:40:30are sometimes just sprinkled in to add a bit of relatability
00:40:34before never getting mentioned again.
00:40:35Like when How I Met Your Mother's Lily racked up a huge amount of credit card debt.
00:40:40I have 15 credit cards and they're all maxed out.
00:40:43Only for it to not really end up affecting her and Marshall's lives that much in the end.
00:40:48And on the one hand, it makes sense that comedy shows like How I Met Your Mother
00:40:51might have sought to focus more on fun than consequences.
00:40:55But the constant assumption that being in your 30s equals having everything figured out,
00:40:59or if things go wrong, being able to quickly fix everything,
00:41:02can make people who are getting crushed under the current reality of the world
00:41:06feel like they're the ones that are doing something wrong.
00:41:09What do you guys live for?
00:41:12What's up? What?
00:41:13Like what gets you up in the morning?
00:41:17Nowadays, being in your 30s does usually mean you're done with the hunt for entry-level jobs,
00:41:21but that doesn't mean the struggle is over.
00:41:23While trying to find an entry-level job that doesn't expect you
00:41:26to already have 10 years of experience in your 20s is hard,
00:41:30finding a job in your 30s can feel equally impossible.
00:41:33I have no job. I have no credit. I have no underwear.
00:41:36Even though we're told that we now need to switch jobs every few years
00:41:39to hope to get enough of a raise to keep up with cost of living increases,
00:41:43actually finding those jobs can be a nightmare.
00:41:46Analyzing two reports from Georgetown University, HR Dive's Rick Seltzer concluded,
00:41:51the reports identified three major barriers for young people seeking quality jobs.
00:41:55Rising post-secondary education costs, limited access to high-quality work-based learning,
00:42:01and inadequate counseling and career navigation services.
00:42:04They said these barriers are exacerbated by discrimination.
00:42:07Is this what you always want to do?
00:42:09Uh, no.
00:42:12But I got this job after college, and I fit my interests at the time.
00:42:15It's not pie-in-the-sky-I-won't-accept-anything-less-than-my-dream-job-thinking
00:42:19that makes the search difficult.
00:42:21It's finding any job at all that pays a living wage,
00:42:24doesn't expect you to live in the office or join a cult,
00:42:26and has a functional benefits package.
00:42:29I'm a bartender who's 30 years old.
00:42:31I don't have health insurance.
00:42:32And once you do finally secure a job,
00:42:34then you have to live under the constant threat of getting fired or laid off,
00:42:37or your entire company being bought up by a venture capital firm
00:42:40and burned to the ground.
00:42:42But it'll never be said that Garrett McNeil did not do just enough
00:42:46to not get fired.
00:42:47A huge factor weighing people in their 30s down now
00:42:50that previous generations didn't have to deal with on such a crushing scale
00:42:54is student loan debt.
00:42:56According to the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University,
00:43:00having ever held student debt curtails wealth at age 30 for everyone by about $8,200,
00:43:06independent of the value of current student loan debt.
00:43:08Even if you do get that stable, well-paying job,
00:43:11a huge part of your paycheck will be going to paying off that loan
00:43:14that's been racking up interest as you've been hunting for the job
00:43:17that degree was supposed to secure you.
00:43:20And this continues to have negative knock-on effects well into your future.
00:43:24A survey conducted by TIA's and MIT's AIDS Lab found that
00:43:28the vast majority of participants reported that student loans
00:43:32negatively impacted the amount they save for retirement.
00:43:35Participants with higher current student loan debt balances
00:43:38tended to possess less retirement savings.
00:43:40Nick doesn't have a life plan.
00:43:42He doesn't have a day plan.
00:43:43I once found a note he wrote to himself that said put on pants.
00:43:47Another problem that can begin ratcheting up in your 30s
00:43:50is the fear of aging and the desire to reclaim your youth.
00:43:53I was having this awful nightmare that I was 32,
00:43:58and then I woke up and I was 23, so relieved.
00:44:01And then I woke up for real, and I was 32.
00:44:04Your 30s is often when you do start to see those first real signs of aging,
00:44:08like wrinkles that don't go away even when you're properly hydrated,
00:44:12and gray hairs.
00:44:13I'm doing so much flinching, it's bad for my skin.
00:44:15I'm getting crow's feet.
00:44:16CROW'S FEET!
00:44:17And this fear on its own certainly isn't a new phenomenon,
00:44:20but the amount of things you can purchase to supposedly help you
00:44:24slow down the aging process has skyrocketed in recent years.
00:44:28Welcome back to 30 Ways I'm Leveling Up My Life in My 30s,
00:44:31skincare edition.
00:44:32Now it's not just buying a sports car or getting a new haircut,
00:44:35but the expectation that you'll focus nearly all of your energy
00:44:39and money on holding onto your youth,
00:44:41while making it seem effortless, of course.
00:44:44And since thanks to social media,
00:44:45we're also so much more visible to so many more people
00:44:48than we ever have been in history,
00:44:50the pressure to preserve yourself at all costs feels even higher.
00:44:54Reverse aging.
00:44:55This video has been so highly requested on my channel.
00:44:57I'm 30 years old, but I really haven't aged since I was about 21, 22.
00:45:00There's also the pressure for women in particular
00:45:03to try to avoid the ostracization that can come with aging.
00:45:06As AARP's Heather Tinsley Fix told Fortune,
00:45:10there's a much higher bar for women to appear younger.
00:45:13Women face a much higher bar with regard to ageism.
00:45:16They experience it earlier and more frequently than men.
00:45:19But the desire to stay looking young isn't just about aesthetics.
00:45:22People in their 30s just don't feel as old
00:45:25as society had long prescribed your 30s to be.
00:45:28There's a desire to keep your outside matching how you feel on the inside,
00:45:31whatever the cost.
00:45:32And on the flip side,
00:45:33while some things like plastic surgery procedures are incredibly expensive,
00:45:37smaller scale items like a thrifted dress or a nice face mask
00:45:40are some of the only self-care we can afford,
00:45:43so we have to make the most of it.
00:45:44Self-care Sunday!
00:45:47We all need somewhere to lay our head,
00:45:49but actually affording that is becoming increasingly difficult.
00:45:53For a long time on screen,
00:45:55pretty much everyone had a pretty decent living situation,
00:45:58if not by virtue of the character's life,
00:46:00then due to the real-world necessities of filming the given show or movie.
00:46:04Even with just a part-time job, or even being totally unemployed,
00:46:08everyone still got to go home to massive apartments at the end of the day.
00:46:11And this has been even more true for characters in their 30s,
00:46:14who seemingly always live in huge multi-story homes with giant kitchens and spacious yards.
00:46:21And for a time, that wasn't so terribly far off from real life.
00:46:24Before the 1980s, it was possible for a young person to graduate from high school,
00:46:31find a job that was a full-time, that paid them enough for them to be able to buy a home.
00:46:38But now, things are quite different.
00:46:40We might have imagined our 30s playing out in Lorelei's cozy Connecticut home,
00:46:44only to find ourselves in more of a new-girl-multiple-adult-roommate situation,
00:46:48if we're lucky.
00:46:49By the time my parents were 30, they already had two kids.
00:46:53They had careers with steady paychecks, a mortgage!
00:46:57As the dream of home ownership continues to slip away from many,
00:47:00some films and shows do, of course, continue to showcase people in their 30s
00:47:04living in those big TV houses, but we do also get more of that variety.
00:47:08From smaller living spaces, to roommate setups, to even having to move back home,
00:47:13because you can't afford anything else.
00:47:15They've been to college, then out in the real world,
00:47:17and it spit them out like a stale piece of gum,
00:47:19and now they're all back in their old rooms, like you!
00:47:22Having children isn't the unchangeable expectation it long was.
00:47:26Now plenty of people decide that that's not the right choice for them.
00:47:30But for those that do choose to go down the parenthood route,
00:47:32they're confronted with a whole new world of ever-rising costs.
00:47:36From prenatal care, to setting up the nursery,
00:47:39to the hospital stay, to the diapers and food and clothes,
00:47:41they seem to immediately grow out of, to the astronomical daycare costs,
00:47:45it's a lot.
00:47:47And all of that is on top of the fact that given how expensive everything is,
00:47:50both parents often still have to work full-time on top of parenting.
00:47:54And in heterosexual households, this often means that the parenting
00:47:58and home care actually exclusively falls to the mother in addition to her job.
00:48:02Yeah, what's the trick to making all this work?
00:48:05I'm trying to stay positive, it just… having it all seems a little…
00:48:12impossible.
00:48:13Having kids can be wonderful and world-expanding,
00:48:16but it can also be draining, financially and psychologically.
00:48:20Children are a crushing responsibility.
00:48:27Happy birthday.
00:48:28And things only seem to be getting worse.
00:48:30According to Business Insider, the cost to care for one child in the U.S. in 2024
00:48:35will be at least $25,714, which is a 41.5% increase since 2016,
00:48:42and costs will likely continue to go up this year.
00:48:45But thankfully, more films and shows have begun to show a more full picture
00:48:48of what it's like to be a struggling new parent,
00:48:50and have done away with the times where we were all meant to pretend
00:48:53that everything was all a breeze.
00:48:55You didn't say it was going to be this hard.
00:48:57Have I made this look easy to you?
00:48:59When we were younger and unsure, we might have looked toward our 30s
00:49:02as the time we'd finally have everything together.
00:49:04I suppose it won't matter when I'm 38.
00:49:07And so actually getting there and realizing that that's not necessarily the case
00:49:11can feel scary.
00:49:12And the financial burdens of your 30s can be a huge drag
00:49:15and make it feel like you'll never be able to catch up.
00:49:18You were denied a cell phone because you have the credit score of a homeless ghost.
00:49:22How I got here doesn't matter.
00:49:24Way more than your credit score.
00:49:25But the great thing about your 30s is that even if things aren't going your way,
00:49:29you've already had time to work on yourself and figure out what really matters to you.
00:49:34We have so much talent and excellence right here,
00:49:37and I felt like we didn't have enough spaces to showcase and celebrate that
00:49:41in this neighborhood.
00:49:42So then you can focus on that and hopefully keep working towards the life you dream of,
00:49:47even if it doesn't end up being what you thought you'd want your 30s to be like
00:49:51in your 20s.
00:49:52Maybe instead of running in the morning, I'll go for a walk.
00:49:56Slow it down a little.
00:49:57That seems like a good way to start the day.
00:49:59TV and film have long been mediums that both reflect and exaggerate real life on screen.
00:50:04Most notably, their portrayal of various occupations and lifestyles that
00:50:08often don't add up to a character's salary or a realistic work schedule.
00:50:13We've covered inaccuracies like these before,
00:50:15from lofty TV-sized apartments to workplace comedies where people hardly work.
00:50:20Oh my god! Okay, it's happening!
00:50:22Everybody stay calm!
00:50:23What's the procedure, everyone?
00:50:24What's the procedure?
00:50:25Stay f***ing calm!
00:50:26Though it's understandable why Hollywood takes creative liberties about work culture
00:50:30to allocate more time for plot and fun side stories,
00:50:33it is interesting that most fictional characters on screen seem to live beyond their means.
00:50:39I made $400 today already. I hired an extremely diverse ethnic smorgasbord of unpaid interns.
00:50:48Turns out, I'm an effective leader.
00:50:50Let's take a look at some common jobs on screen that seriously toy with reality,
00:50:54what they actually make in the real world, and the few portrayals that get it right.
00:50:59Film and TV can't seem to get enough of the struggling artist archetype,
00:51:03but ironically, their actual struggles are rarely depicted accurately on screen.
00:51:08Hollywood loves protagonists who are idealists with big dreams
00:51:11that become disillusioned when life doesn't go as planned,
00:51:15forcing them to take the unconventional path where they encounter a love interest or zany sidekick.
00:51:20And somehow, many of these characters manage to afford to live in sizable apartments,
00:51:25or even a renovated fire station,
00:51:27and order takeout nightly in some of the most expensive cities in the world like Paris or San Francisco.
00:51:33The average freelance writer in the United States makes around $23 per hour,
00:51:38which can vary depending on whether you live in a big metropolitan area like New York City.
00:51:43Still, a writer's salary even in a metropolis like New York or Los Angeles often can't cover rent,
00:51:49living expenses, and health insurance, let alone a designer shopping habit.
00:51:53Well, I decided to investigate this theory I had about shopping as a way to unleash the creative subconscious.
00:51:59One glaring falsehood in film and TV's portrayal of writers is that so many of these characters
00:52:04are solely supported by their writing careers.
00:52:07I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet.
00:52:10In reality, most writers, even those who have written for prominent publications and have won awards,
00:52:16work multiple jobs to pay the bills.
00:52:18As Kate Dwyer puts it,
00:52:19Without any other revenue streams, it's highly unlikely that someone could make ends meet
00:52:24or support a family by writing novels.
00:52:26Most novelists have day jobs, and the majority of those who don't are either independently wealthy
00:52:32or juggling a handful of projects at once, often in different mediums like film, journalism, and audio.
00:52:39Over the years, Hollywood has even gone somewhat meta by centering characters who are aspiring actors.
00:52:56You think Meryl Streep and Kaley Cuoco became stars just because they're the best?
00:52:59Yes.
00:52:59No.
00:53:00It's because they wanted it the most.
00:53:02Or seasoned entertainers.
00:53:03You're forgetting about your third bucket.
00:53:05People from Florida, they love me, and my numbers are strong.
00:53:10You'll still be doing shows, just not Friday and Saturday.
00:53:13Showing how cutthroat and dehumanizing the industry can be.
00:53:16Most actors, unless you're Meryl Streep, are constantly auditioning in between shifts,
00:53:21putting together last-minute tapes for agents who barely make it in time
00:53:24for their clients who aren't making them commission.
00:53:27I think people are going to soon see what I can see, which is actually that Dexter Mayhew is growing up.
00:53:33Realistically, Joey on Friends probably couldn't afford to live in New York City as a part-time actor,
00:53:39which makes you wonder how much rent money he owed his buddy Chandler.
00:53:42Of course, we'd have an apartment over the garage where Joey could grow old.
00:53:46And though Jerrion Seinfeld is an established comedian,
00:53:49making regular appearances at the Comedy Cellar or late-night TV,
00:53:53in real life, his income as a B-list celebrity probably wouldn't afford him that massive apartment
00:53:59or allow him to dine out every day.
00:54:01I have a sixth sense.
00:54:04Cheapness is not a sense.
00:54:06And things are even worse nowadays.
00:54:08Only comedians who sell up big venues or get Netflix specials can even hope to sustain themselves
00:54:14on their comedy career alone.
00:54:16When movies and shows do show any of the struggle that comes with being a freelance creative of any kind,
00:54:22it's usually framed comedically.
00:54:24On the one hand, this makes sense.
00:54:26It is supposed to be entertainment, after all.
00:54:28But it can also help create very real misunderstandings about what the lifestyle is really like,
00:54:34which can then, in turn, make creatives who are really struggling feel like they're just doing something wrong,
00:54:40when the truth is that most freelance creatives aren't pulling in enough to pay their bills consistently,
00:54:46much less spend every day at endless brunch.
00:54:49Work procedurals provide a comforting, problem-solving story formula that often serves to romanticize the work,
00:54:55while also framing it as the thing that singularly defines a person's identity.
00:55:00Healing begins when someone bears witness.
00:55:05I saw you.
00:55:07I believe you.
00:55:08They serve the idea that our work is our worth,
00:55:11and often completely ignore the reality that most people are overworked and underpaid,
00:55:16and that our jobs shouldn't be the only focus of our lives.
00:55:20On screen, teachers are often depicted as doing A-OK financially.
00:55:24Their biggest problems usually revolve around inspiring their students.
00:55:28Even if we do see that they're not pulling in much money,
00:55:30it's often shown as being worth it because the work is so important.
00:55:35But the reality is very different.
00:55:37Teachers often have to struggle to make ends meet,
00:55:40and on top of being barely able to afford to cover their own needs with their low salaries,
00:55:45are also expected to pay for everything in their classrooms, which can add up very quickly.
00:55:51Teachers' pay hasn't kept up with inflation at all.
00:55:54According to a report by the National Education Association,
00:55:57Teachers on average make $3,644 less than they did 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.
00:56:04On Boy Meets World, Corey and the Gang's teacher Mr. Feeney can afford a very nice house,
00:56:09and seemingly has plenty of free time to always just be… around.
00:56:13New Girl's Jessica Day is a very passionate teacher who loves her students,
00:56:18but having so much free time for shenanigans, and being able to afford to live in a huge loft in
00:56:23downtown Los Angeles, even with roommates, is pretty unrealistic.
00:56:28Mean Girl showed a bit more of the real struggle of being a teacher,
00:56:31both with the difficulty of dealing with young people,
00:56:33and Miss Norbury having to get a second job at the mall just to make ends meet.
00:56:37My Nana takes her wig off when she's drunk.
00:56:39Your Nana and I have that in common.
00:56:42No, actually, I'm just here because I bartend a couple nights a week down at PJ Calamity's.
00:56:47Abbott Elementary has been praised for its realistic portrayal of the public education
00:56:51system, which is notoriously underfunded. While much of the activity on the show takes place in
00:56:57the teacher's lounge or in between classes, the writers make sure we see just how tired and
00:57:01overworked these teachers are, which feels true to real life. Abbott Elementary's wonderful blend
00:57:07of realism with comedy and characters viewers can relate to is what makes the show such a triumph,
00:57:13and has reinvented the work comedy genre.
00:57:15I still have to stop and remind myself why I'm still here.
00:57:20It's not my paycheck, certainly not the perks from the people who sign it.
00:57:24It's about the people who show up here every blessed day.
00:57:28Hollywood also wants us to know that there are benefits to centering your whole life around a
00:57:32career, even if those benefits are exaggerated for visual purposes.
00:57:36One career that's often glamorized on screen is the legal profession. Usually portrayed as
00:57:42charismatic and brilliant, lawyers on TV and film tend to have a lot of free time to flaunt their
00:57:47wealth, and then just swan into the courtroom occasionally to win over juries through dramatic
00:57:51theatrics, while wearing expensive chic tailored suits.
00:57:55You can't take the fifth, Mr. Santana. This isn't a criminal case. What color was the light?
00:58:00In reality, lawyers spend most of their time doing unglamorous work like legal research,
00:58:06drafting contracts and negotiating settlements without ever going to court, which can take
00:58:11months if not years. The salary range for lawyers is pretty wide and depends on multiple factors,
00:58:17such as what type of law they're practicing, if they work for a corporation or big city firm,
00:58:22versus working in the public sector. And where they're geographically located. For example, a local
00:58:40attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico wouldn't make nearly as much as an attorney in a major city who
00:58:45works on behalf of a corporation's interests. I mean, they'll smile at you, they'll pat you on the
00:58:49head, but they are never, ever letting you in. On suit, Harvey, a senior equity partner at a New
00:58:57York City law firm, spends his seven-figure salary on designer cars, clothes, private club memberships,
00:59:02and fine dining his uber-rich clients. In real life, senior equity partners do make a lot of money,
00:59:08pocketing around 1.39 million dollars per year. But their jobs also carry a lot of risk, making
00:59:14Harvey's lifestyle choices questionable at best. Attorney, I close situations. So you only care
00:59:21about money? Truth is, I do it for the children. While Harvey's salary might make sense given his
00:59:26high status and work in the corporate sector, on screen, it seems like nearly every lawyer is living
00:59:32a lavish senior partner life. On Ally McBeal, the titular character seemed to spend more time
00:59:37worrying about her love life than her cases. It was the 90s, and yet is still apparently putting
00:59:43in enough billable hours to be able to afford a huge apartment and endless cocktails. Sex in the
00:59:48City's Miranda also has a suspiciously large amount of free time for a corporate lawyer.
00:59:53One under-discussed aspect of on-screen pay for any profession, including lawyers,
01:00:09is the gender pay gap. Female lawyers reportedly make about 26.5% less than male lawyers. And of course,
01:00:17the gap is even worse for women of color. We get a more realistic example of the realities,
01:00:22good and bad, of being a lawyer on Insecure. When we first meet Molly, she is a high-powered
01:00:27lawyer in Los Angeles, who lives in a gorgeous studio apartment with her dog and closet full
01:00:33of designer clothes. And while Molly is often shown dining out with her friends or dates,
01:00:37or splurging on a luxury Airbnb, we clearly see that she works hard to afford and sustain her lifestyle.
01:00:44In spite of all the hours she puts into her job, Molly learns that her white male co-workers make
01:00:49more than her for doing less work. The effect this has on Molly, and her painful attempts to be
01:01:06accepted into the all-boys club, evokes a sobering realism that makes Insecure's portrayal of corporate
01:01:11life feel much more true to reality. I thought I was killing it. I just keep going. You know what,
01:01:20it doesn't even matter. I get it. It's an all-boys club. And whatever I got to do to get in, I just
01:01:26figure it out and then it should be fine. While still retaining its signature comedic prowess.
01:01:32That's why I make sure my white clients get less on their tax returns. It's reparations.
01:01:37From Josh Baskin's charmed life as a toy tester, to fictional pastry chefs with perfect hair and
01:01:43makeup and beyond, work life on screen can be a fancy-free dream packaged in sensual visuals and
01:01:50colorful jargon to keep viewers engaged. The change of control needs a supermajority
01:01:55and the holding company mom got us that divorce. We need us on board. Most college professors don't
01:02:01live in a Victorian mansion off campus. Unless they're independently wealthy. And even your
01:02:06average architect in New York City makes only between $68,000 to $79,000 a year. Meaning,
01:02:12instead of living the lavish life, they're probably having to think about getting a side hustle to
01:02:17make ends meet. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun to watch. At the end of the day,
01:02:33movies and shows are meant to be entertaining dreams to lose ourselves in for a few minutes.
01:02:38It can be a problem when they give us super unrealistic expectations about work and life,
01:02:43but when done right, it can help give us the drive to chase our dreams. And hopefully get paid fairly
01:02:49for it. We only had time to cover a few here, so let us know. What other jobs, salaries, and lifestyles
01:02:55do you think film and TV gets majorly wrong? Or right? That's the take! Click here to watch the
01:03:01video we think you'll love. Or here to check out a whole playlist of awesome content. Don't forget to
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