The American and specifically New York City work/life culture cannot even be called a balance. It is blatantly unbalanced, and the media and visual culture feeds into this to make is seem desirable.
There are many images of ambitious, successful people, particularly women, who have it all. A meaningful job, a loving husband, a great sex life, adoring children, a beautiful home that is perfectly organized and tidy, great friends, great health, beautiful things to wear and have. These superwomen are everywhere in the media. Sarah Jessica-Parker, Heidi Klum, Michele Obama and Angelina Jolie come to mind.
Sometimes walking around the city, I think I glimpse one. A woman on her way to work at 7am wearing a professional and polished outfit, holding a luxurious handbag, with her hair casually looking perfect and just enough make up on, holding a Starbucks cup with an awake, serene look on her face. A woman walking around town on the weekend, wearing a cool ‘I just threw this on’ outfit including perfect boots, coat and bag and the perfect accessory-a man with his arm around her shoulder as they walk slowly and nuzzle. Laughing while they push a stroller with their adorable baby in it.
Everyone has problems, and I am sure if I asked the Superwoman I see if they did, they would say yes. That does not take away the envy and wishful thinking I assume when I see them. I take fantasy people and put them in these images of real people. This is why we all love to hear about a celebrity who has a drug problem, or gets dumped-we can feel better about not having it all. We all dream of our version of having it all, if we have a perfect apartment and job, we obsess over finding love. If we have love and a great apartment, we obsess over the perfect apartment. If you have all three, then it’s your body or wanting children. It’s always something. The more we try to get it all, reading lifestyle magazines and fantasizing about other peoples perfect lives, the less we will always have.
