Empowering Women and Embracing Differences in Purl
The short film titled Purl (2018), directed by Kristen Lester, depicts a ball of yarn trying to fit in with her co-workers at an investment firm called “B.R.O Capital”.[1] It is evident from the start of the short that she is the only ball of yarn working at the firm. The story follows Purl as she navigates relationships and her identity at her new job. Using the Freudian principle that women discovered the technique of “plaiting and weaving”[2], the filmmakers attach a sense of womanhood to Purl classifying her as a female character. By personifying the struggle that women endure when entering a male-dominated work environment, the character of Purl dismantles the traditional formulations of gender roles. Her initial method of tackling her obstacles entails her active role in shaping her destiny even though her objective is of complying with the given surroundings. After realizing the effects of her transformation resulting in the loss of self, Purl goes against the traditional structure of binary gender identity and emphasizes her individuality instead of conforming to the established uniformity.
Before breaking the rigid establishment surrounding gender identity in the workplace, the film depicts the precarious position in which Purl is placed. There are several factors that distinguish Purl from the rest of the employees at the investment firm. The first, and most obvious, is her materiality. She is depicted as a pink ball of yarn amidst a plethora of white men in dark suits which immediately alienates her from her co-workers. The next, and more subtle, distinction concerns her style of animation compared to the other employees. The framerate at which Purl moves is significantly lower than the smooth animations of the men.[3] This added factor makes it seem as if she does not belong in her position at the company further isolating her. Purl’s singular figure is especially noticeable in the interactions that she has with her co-workers. She is not able to relate to their sense of humor or to their boisterous personality leaving her subject to the estrangement of her peers. In addition, the short presents the act of staring as mentioned by Rosmarie Garland-Thomson in “Staring: How We Look”. She writes that “staring offers us an occasion to rethink the status quo”.[4] This directly relates to the behavior of the men when they gawk at Purl for being different cornering her in a category separate from them. Purl’s characterization relates to Judith Lorber’s definition of gender as a process in her writing “The Social Construction of Gender”. Purl’s inability to relate with the men at the firm establishes a social disparity for her which can be seen when her co-workers disregard her by not including her in communal activities, like going to a local bar for a celebration.[5] Through depictions of traditional gender patterns in media, audiences would expect Purl to remain complacent in her role at the firm. This is where the short film deviates from the conventional and gives Purl the power to literally shape her own identity and thereby assimilate with the other men. Going against Hegel’s notion of female development being “placid”[6] and Freud’s connotation of “feminine” meaning “passive”[7], Purl takes her fate into her own hands and changes her identity to better her chances for success at the firm. She reshapes herself to more closely resemble the men in their suits. The act of her transformation and the reasoning behind it are contradictory in dismantling the binary structures of gender roles. The physical act of changing herself promotes her resourcefulness and willingness to take matters into her own hands. The same way in which she shapes her appearance and her personality to match that of her co-workers, she shapes the path she wants to take with the future of her career at the firm. The reasoning for her transition is because she is trying to fit in with the male-dominated environment she works in. Instead of emphasizing her individuality, she chooses to change herself to conform to the established gender hierarchy at the firm. The short film presents Purl’s conflicting decision as the basis for dismantling the conventions surrounding the binary interpretations on gender roles.
Purl’s transformation has its own repercussions when it comes to her behavior and her reception by others at the firm. Her initial experience is fruitful in the sense that it gives her the opportunity to better connect with her co-workers and earns her their acceptance. She is depicted as the new rising star at the firm through her newfound qualities that mirror those of the other men. Even though she revels in the recognition of her peers, she quickly realizes how the changes she has made to her personality have an alienating effect on a new employee who is introduced in the narrative. This new employee, Lacy, is shown as a yellow ball of yarn with the same enthusiasm and nature as Purl’s initial form.[8] Seeing that the men continue to alienate anyone who does not adhere to their perceptions of what an employee should be, Purl enters a period of self-reflection. She recollects how she first felt when entering the toxic work environment and how no one was willing to give her any form of assistance. Purl realizes that she has lost herself in the process of gaining the respect of her male co-workers. She immediately leaves the men and goes to Lacy to lend her a helping hand and introduces her to the other men at the firm.[9] Through this interaction, Purl remembers who she is and emphasizes her individuality instead of adhering to the societal norm of a gender-oriented corporate structure. The example she sets is eventually embraced by the other members of the firm and is adopted in changing the overall structure of the office. This change in sentiment is reflected in the next scene in the short which shows a time in the near future depicting the firm being comprised evenly of men and of balls of yarn. It can clearly be seen that the demographic working at the firm has changed significantly. This addresses the point that the short makes concerning the importance of embracing differences over emphasizing sameness. The template employee that was initially adhered to has been completely overhauled and replaced with a more diverse assembly of workers. This is shown through both their identity as well as their attire. Initially, it was expected of all the men to were shirts, ties, and jackets to exhibit their professionalism and the only one who looked out of place was Purl and her bright pink color. In the more modern representation of the office environment, these superfluous rules have been cast aside to emphasize individuality instead of a mass group resulting in individuals wearing different colors regardless of gender identity. This emergence of difference among the employees at the firm reflects the sentiments of repetition articulated by Judith Butler in the text “Imitation and Gender Insubordination”. She mentions that there is an inherent need for the repetition of identity to be established in a structure. This implies that “identity is not self-identical” since it needs to be reinforced at multiple points.[10] Relating this to the work environment at the investment firm, the constant repetition of the white male identity eventually led to the firm’s reevaluation of identity resulting in racial and gender diversity emerging amongst the employees.
In conclusion, Purl deconstructs the established representation of the binary nature surrounding gender roles in the workplace by eventually presenting a sense of harmony between individuals of differing identities. In addition, it subverts the traditional depiction of femininity as being passive by giving the character of Purl the power to take her own decisions and thereby shape her life.
[1] Purl (Lester, 2018)
[2] Sigmund Freud, “Femininity”, New Introductory Lectures, 1933, 114-115
[3] Purl
[4] Rosmarie Garland-Thomson, “Why Do We Stare”, Staring: How We Look, 2009, 6
[5] Judith Lorber, “The Social Construction of Gender”, Sex and Gender, 1991, 101-102
[6] Susan Bordo, “Reading the Male Body”, Michigan Quarterly Review 32.4, 1993, 719
[7] Sigmund Freud, “Femininity”
[8] Purl
[9] Purl
[10] Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination”, The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader, 1993, 315