Gender Roles in Hollywood - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the tale of a fictional Hollywood queen by the name of Evelyn Hugo, who at long last narrates her legacy to Monique, a relatively unknown journalist. Evelyn is finally ready to tell the world all her secrets, and answer their biggest question: after seven husbands, who was her true love? This novel presents such a deep and profound account of a woman who we aren't particularly supposed to love, but who acts so unabashedly that we can't help but root for her anyway. Evelyn sports a somewhat Machiavellian perspective on life, with her confident persona and her consistent use of lies to advance in the film industry; we can see that she is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top and stay there. But what really stands out from her path to success is the contrast between the struggles she faces to climb her way up and the ease with which the men around her barely have to lift a finger before becoming stars. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a tale of the hardships of a woman who gave up so much to be on the same level as the men around her who barely tried, and how she embraces her femininity and uses it to her advantage. 

    Evelyn uses her appearance and charm perfectly to get from other people whatever she wants. In one occasion, she marries her rising costar, Rex, in their movie that they desperately want to go big. Evelyn does this because she knows people will be much more inclined to see the movie if the main characters are not only in love on screen but in love in real life. Even though Rex is attracted to Evelyn and thinks he could fall in love with her, she thinks of it only as a "marriage stunt" (Reid 197) and doesn't even consider the possibility of the marriage ever being real. In addition, when Evelyn's husband is threatening to expose her to the public, she dates a younger man to make it seem like her husband's accusations are bitter and fake in response to her supposed cheating. No doubt the younger man she was leading on was attracted to her somewhat, but her only reason for interacting with him was to salvage her reputation. Evelyn Hugo may be at a disadvantage because she is a woman, but she does a fine job of using her beauty to increase her success and keep her at the top.

    Evelyn does her best to become Hollywood royalty, but there is a significant imbalance in power between her and the men around her. Evelyn's first husband, Don Adler, is handsome and famous with lots of influence. However, Evelyn's popularity and success soon rises far above her husband's as his status declines. When Don is bitter about Evelyn's success and tries to convince her to have kids and quit her career, Evelyn blatantly rejects it. When the press gets wind of this, rather than portraying Don as a bitter husband that is jealous of his wife, they call Evelyn "cold" (Reid 99) and scorn her for not keeping a clean house herself and focusing on her career instead of children. Even though Don's career is down in the dumps, people still think that Don should be sympathized with because he is a man and therefore should have an obedient wife. 

    Evelyn earns her social position through capitalizing on her beauty and sexuality, but the men around her ease their way up to fame. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a clear example of how women can have all they need to be big, but they will never have the same simple path that men do by just being there and earning support from the public and the press. I learned a lot from this book and there are so many lessons that can be learned even for people not looking to be in the film industry. Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a strong voice that is channeled into Evelyn Hugo's character, and this book was a powerful and riveting read.

Sources: 

Reid, Taylor Jenkins. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Simon and Schuster, 2017.