How do you think Harriet viewed Birdie? Did she truly care about her, or do you think she merely felt she was responsible for the teen because of her youth? Why do you suppose she wasn’t more vocal about the choices Birdie was making?
I didn’t like Harriet. I think she was in it for the fame and fortune and she was abusive in her own way. Plus I think she didn’t want to face how she was pushing all these young models for her own gain.
I was very conflicted about Harriet. I wanted her to be a mother figure to Birdie, but she never really stepped up, did she. She also was the whole reason Birdie got into the messes she did, for employing her at such a young age. So there’s definitely the argument to make that she was just after a profit. But there were the few times, too, that she reached out to Birdie that seemed like she was concerned, and she claims she steered the girl toward that cosmetics job to keep her in New York. So… Dunno!
1 Like
I, too, had very mixed feelings about Harriet. I think when we think about the time period..she was a woman in a man’s world and to survive she did things and made choices that made her money, but seriously hurt her girls. I think Harriet did care about Birdie, as much as she could care about anyone, but the business always came first and when you think about it..she could have easily warned Birdie and her parents. Not sure if it would have mattered, but maybe.
I think she did care about her and she regretted the choices she allowed Birdie to make. But I also think she had her own self interests and her own desire to make momey
I think she cared about Birdie, but she cared more about her own career. She had to have realized that Birdie trusted her, and if she had really pushed, she might have been able to either get Birdie to leave the rock star or at least let Birdie know that she could come to Harriet if she needed help.
Instead, she tried to control her life through other means, like the Cameo contract. Much like others in Birdie’s life, Harriet didn’t see her as a whole person to engage with honestly.
1 Like
Sorry I’m behind in answering the discussion questions.
When Harriet appeared i thought of the Ford Modeling Agency which was very popular in the 70’s. It was run by Eileen and Jerry Ford. Brooke Shields, Christy Brinkley and many other high profile models.
Eileen insisted the underage models live in their home, taught them etiquette and controlled the model’s schedules. She was considered their godmother. Unlike Harriet she was more involved in the models lives.
I really feel she let Birdie down in a way. Given her age and no experience I think she could have done a better job mentoring her.
I think Initially Harriet wanted Birdie to join her modeling agency because of the money she could make. But as time went on I think she cared for Birdie and had regrets that she had not warned Birdie about the rock star and what could happen.
I do think Harriet cared about Birdie but she was also very driven in her career and had to work hard to continue to prove herself as a force in the modeling industry. I think she was conflicted about Birdie’s “arrangement” with the rock star. Since she wasn’t Birdie’s mother, she kept her at arm’s length to a degree, which i also think she later regretted.
2 Likes
I think Harriet cared very much for Birdie, but I think she held back from showing her feelings because of the era. Harriet was striving to run a business in a man’s world. She would need to hide many of the emotions often associated with being weak, such as caring or wanting to guide another woman. I think the late 60’s through the 80’s working women were striving so much to be considered equals that they had to hide or ignore any signs of caring for another woman in the work place.
1 Like
I think Harriet cared about Birdie as much as she cared about anyone who wasn’t herself. She was a selfish, self-centered woman focused mainly on her own money and fame and the “girls” were just a means to an end. It doesn’t matter if she may have felt closer to Birdie toward the end; that was, I believe, just her guilty conscience for how she historically treated Birdie and the other models in her employ.
I agree with Helene. In that world, the models are commodities, except for the very few who become superstars. And if you are NOT a superstar, you have to play the game whether you like the rules or not. I think Harriet knows these girls come and go and probably doesn’t want to be too invested in any one girl.
I don’t think Harriet really cared about her. I thought she saw her as a money maker. She felt responsible for her to keep her in her business.