Limelight Wrecks Your Complexion And Other Life Lessons From “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

Okay, so the woman was ancient, drunk, and a little farther off her rocker than should have been allowed on a Mediterranean ocean liner, but the point was made. And made several times over as she became progressively convinced that I didn’t just look like Audrey but that I was her.

Did my little black dress and outdated-by-50-years bouffant have something to do with it? Likely, yes. However, I was a teenager and far from a vintage cinephile, so I brushed it off as an awkward and odd encounter and continued with my vacation.

It wasn’t until I was a couple of years older and suffering from a case of The (Tiffany) Blues that I decided to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s with a sort of won’t-hurt, can’t-help mindset. After all, I didn’t have anything else to do.

But instead of finding myself straggling through a too-long, hokey, over-acted old movie, I was swept away by not only Hepburn’s winning personality but also the delicacy and elegance through which she portrayed her character of Holly Golightly.

I was hooked.

A Controversial Character

Online, lovers of vintage cinema have a lot to say about Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and feminist journalists have tried more times than I can count to hijack the film and its messages by insisting that Holly is, among other ills, a prostitute. But, however many faults the characters in Breakfast at Tiffany’s may possess, Holly Golightly’s “work” is neither explicitly depicted nor mentioned. (This was a Hays Code era film, after all!)

Modern critics using the film as an excuse for the glorification of prostitution are sadly mistaken. Truman Capote himself (who wrote the more scandalous book that served as the basis for the film) is quoted as saying that Holly is not a prostitute.

Does Holly have issues? Of course. But, as she herself says, “It’s useful being top banana in the shock department.” And Hepburn’s exquisite portrayal of a down-on-her-luck movie-star wannabe is a poignant picture of our own hidden hopes and dreams.

So, is this movie perfect? No. Are its characters role models? Not exactly. But Breakfast at Tiffany’s offers us what few other vintage films do – a relatable, understandable portrait of the hard realities of life and a refreshing breath of hope that people can change and dreams do (sometimes) come true.

A Portrait of Life 

I’ve never much understood the appeal of books like Everything I Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book, but, as an avid fan of the life lessons found hidden amid the reels of film from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I can appreciate the sentiment. Within the hour and 55 minutes of playtime in this classic film, countless life lessons hide, ready and ripe for the taking if you can draw your attention away from Hepburn’s exquisite, Givenchy-designed wardrobe. 

Let’s start with one of the film’s best monologues, delivered by Paul Varjak, Holly’s love interest, who is dealing with a bit of unrequited love as Holly makes a move to leave the country in search of…well, not even Holly knows for sure. Paul tells her, “You call yourself a free spirit – a wild thing – and you’re terrified someone’s going to stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself…because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.”

Delivered at the climax of the film, this lecture of tough love is spot on. Throughout the movie, Holly has been trying to lose herself (or is it find herself?) in money, fame, fashion, anything she can think of. And, now, she’s convinced that the answer is waiting for her in Brazil.

But Paul has been by her side through all of this. He knows her better than she knows herself. And his words, while directed at her, are a poignant reminder for all of us too. We might fancy ourselves free-spirited and independent. We can travel the world, live however we want, shun conventionality and live our best lives to the point where we’re hurting those around us. But, in reality, all we’re doing is carrying ourselves further away from the life of our dreams and the people we love. In short, the more we focus on our freedom, the more trapped we become. 

Of course, not long after this emotional monologue, Holly jumps out of her cab, runs into an alleyway in the pouring rain, rescues her cat, and shares a kiss with Paul. His words ring true, and, for the first time in her life, Holly is willing to belong to someone. Not because she wants to abandon her independence, but because she’s finally realized that sharing a life with the one you love isn’t a sign of weakness but of strength.

That sounds like something all of us modern, independent women can stand to remember once in a while, doesn’t it?

“The Mean Reds” 

Much earlier in the film, when Holly and Paul first meet, they have a brief (and thoroughly random) conversation, covering everything from cats to Tiffany’s jewelry store. But, in it, Holly mentions something that causes Paul a bit of confusion: The Mean Reds.

”The mean reds?” he asks. “You mean, like the blues?”

Holly responds, “No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long. You’re just sad, that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly, you’re afraid, and you don’t know what you’re afraid of.”

While I think we can all appreciate and relate to Holly’s explanation of the blues, the “Mean Reds” was a new concept for me. But, as soon as Holly described it, I recognized it instantly. I think of the Mean Reds by a different name – impending doom – but, most likely, you’ve experienced them as well, even if you know them by a different name altogether. 

It’s when your anxiety mounts – you can practically feel your cortisol levels grabbing their climbing gear and getting ready for a trek to the top of an emotional Mt. Everest. It’s when you can’t focus on anything other than the uncertain future or the uncomfortable past. It’s when everything seems like it’s out to get you, and you’re powerless to stop it.

I hate the Mean Reds, and so does Holly. She developed a solution that we can all apply to our own “doom days.” She told Paul, “When I get it [the Mean Reds], the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it. Nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s…”

Holly’s “cure” for the Mean Reds manifests itself in one of cinema’s most iconic opening sequences, but it also reflects a contemporary method for dealing with stressful situations: the simple act of self-care. Instead of fighting with your own emotions when those Mean Reds show up, hop in your own cab and head to Tiffany’s – in other words, visit your happy place. Maybe you can’t physically visit your happy place every time life threatens to get you down (Tiffany’s happens to be my own happy place, but I live about as far from Fifth Avenue as Holly does from Brazil), but you can certainly go there in your mind.

So, the next time anxiety attacks, take a moment, pour yourself (or your cat) a glass of milk, and close your eyes as you imagine being in that place and being at peace.

Rising Above Your Circumstances

Once again, near the end of the film, in that same taxicab where Paul delivers his life-changing monologue, Holly makes a shorter – albeit not much less poignant – statement of her own, referring to another of the movie’s primary themes: fashion.

She’s just received a distressing note, and she knows the news within can’t be good. So, as she changes out of her sweater and into one of her signature little black dresses in the back of the cab, she implores Paul, “Hand me my purse, will you, darling? A girl can’t read that sort of thing…without her lipstick.”

While this primarily serves to showcase Holly’s instability and childishness in the face of a life-changing disaster, it’s also just so right. All throughout the movie, we have watched Holly dress and undress, primp and pout. It’s only right that the movie ends where it all began – wearing a little black dress in the backseat of a yellow city cab.

But there’s even more to it than that. While lipstick might not be the first thing on our minds during a crisis, there is something to be said for dressing for success, even in the midst of failure.

Holly’s world is about to implode once more, and she knows it. Yet, she doesn’t resort to looking anything less than her best – and neither should we. I know when I’m having a bad day and those Blues/Mean Reds are knocking at my door, it’s so much easier to say “to heck with it” and stay in my sweats. Hair? Why would I brush my hair? Skincare? What’s that? Toothbrush? Meh.

But not Holly. Not once. Her life might look like a royal mess, but she doesn’t. If Thursdays are gruesome, she’s going to dress to the nines. If she has a broken heart, she’s going to reach for her lipstick. She’s not letting her emotions keep her from looking her best, and neither should we.

On the days when I’m not feeling it, but I do, in fact, get dressed (and maybe even go a little extra), I always feel better – even if it’s just a little. So, the next time you get bad news or life just feels a little dreary, break out that favorite tube of lipstick. Put on a gorgeous dress or spray on a spritz of that perfume. Bad days are meant to be brightened, whether it’s with a splash of color on your lips or a trip to Tiffany’s.

Or, perhaps, just a cozy evening with a cup of coffee, croissant, and a vintage movie or two. And might I suggest Breakfast at Tiffany’s to start?