A picture of perfection. Thought to be the idealistic lady, carrying enchanting poise and flair wherever she goes. The golden girl is a societal concept that the author F. Scott Fitzgerald deeply describes in his novel and short story’s, The Great Gatsby, Winter Dreams, Basil and Cleopatra and in the adapted film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button directed by David Fincher. Fitzgerald presents the idea of how the ‘golden girl’ is actually a toxic unrealistic expectation and an illusion created by society. Putting pressure on young women who aspire to become the perfect image and those actually living it, being incapable of obtaining it. Though Fitzgerald’s characters, Daisy Buchanan, Judy Jones, Minnie and Daisy are all set in the 1920s era, we can compare their experiences and the pressure they experienced to today. Where everyday we view and seek to become what society wants. In Fitzgerald’s novel and short stories, each golden girl is described as being unable to fulfill the expectations that were placed on her, causing pain and suffering for not only herself but the others around her also.

Within the enchanting picturesque palaces of East Egg, Daisy Buchanan is placed by Fitzgerald in the novel, The Great Gatsby. She is imaged as the golden girl, growing amongst wealth and then marrying one belonging to an appropriate social class for her, Tom Buchanan. Before her marriage she was admired by many suitors, dazzled by what she will bring them. No one is actually in love with Daisy, but the thought of her social status in their life they love the idea of. One of the men she mingles with in her younger, more vulnerable years is Jay Gatsby, a then poor man aspiring to achieve ‘The American Dream’ of obtaining wealth. Enchanted by Daisy we understand that she would be the key to accomplishing his goal. Gatsby becomes wealthy and moves into a mansion in West Egg, across the bay from his final accomplishment, Daisy Buchanan. Tormented by her aura he feels the need to gain her on his arm, to eventually achieve his american dream. The reader learns that Daisy is actually very intelligent, fully aware of how only men love the idea of her and that she has no power otherwise. ” I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. Daisy is unhappy in a male dominated world because she is awake to the little say she has over her own body and opinions. The only power she has is over men, because of her high trail of admiring suitors, she uses this to her advantage to manipulate some power back. Gatsby is unfortunately one of the men used in her power play. Nick the narrator describes that “her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who cared about her found it difficult to forget”. Even though she is sad internally she outputs the characteristics that manipulates the men she wants into loving the idea of her. Leaving an everlasting imprint on their american dream driven minds, she to be the final piece of their puzzle. She was already born into what other classes aspire to achieve, so she has no regard to society that is ranked lower than her own. This leaves a chaotic effect on other characters in the novel, those that are not born into wealth dead or scarred for life because of the events that they witnessed. Daisy herself is not a bad individual, but a bi-product of the toxic environment she was raised in.

A pattern throughout Fitzgeralds texts, with the golden girl, showing how it’s a toxic illusion that masks the truth and puts pressure on women to maintain the gold standard. In the text of Gatsby Daisy is saddened by this, harnessing her only power of beauty to regain some sort of control. The character Judy Jones in Winter Dreams is another example of this. Growing up within a high class social circle like Daisy, she is pushed into the role of displaying perfection. Dexter meets her from a young age like Gatsby, he doesn’t belong to the same social circle as Judy, but grows up knowing of her and how she is deeply admired by many men. When he gains wealth, she comes into his life. Like Gatsby with Daisy, Dexter is dragged through his life and tormented by Judy. Promised of her desired attention and love, she leaves a vivid imprint in his mind. Many men are just like Dexter, fully unaware of her toxic powerplay on them, as she threads them along on a rope, regaining the power society took from her. Through the “Summer, fall, winter, spring, another summer, another fall – so much he had given of his active life to the incorrigible lips of Judy Jones”. Showing that Judy continues to pull him along making his mind fall deeper into her spell, then pushing him away leaving him paralysed with uncertainty of her return, then coming back to him in her boredom. Dexter eventually becomes engaged to another lady, but Judy finds him again and begs for him to take her hand. Making him uncertain, he breaks off his engagement and blindly pursues Judy thinking it will last forever as she promised. She eventually breaks his heart, leaving him stingle, stranded and numb to the power she took from him. Years passed and he hears her name once again but learns that she doesn’t seem so special anymore. “Lots of women fade like that” describes Judy later one, as she has lost her beauty and now society doesn’t care for her anymore, she has lost her power and only place in the world. Showing how toxic the idea of a ‘golden girl’ is to everyone, as when they lose it they are no longer seen as anything special.

Minnie, a character alike Judy Jones and Daisy, manipulates the men who love her into following along on her trail. Tormenting them with flirtation but then pulling away at the last minute. Minnie does this to Basil in the text of Basil and Cleopatra. She often references him as a friend but allows herself to flirt with him. Causing confusion when he sees her acting around other men identically to how she is around him. She has bewitched Basil, as he knows that she is using him like Judy did to Dexter for power but still cannot resist her presence. “He saw only the expression on her face, the mouth that gave an attractive interpretation of any emotion she felt or pretended to feel”. Aware of how she falsely presents herself to seem more desirable to society, and to show that people want or are attracted to, she moves quickly between men, roping Basil along with her and tormenting him while he sees them fall in love with her while he watches. “She had just glanced over his shoulder and fallen in love with another young man”. Showing that she moves quickly through men, although Minnie doesn’t believe what she is doing is wrong or doesn’t intend to hurt Basil with her actions, but is young and unaware of the damage her power does to those around her. When Basil starts to achieve something himself, he realizes that Minnie isn’t anything special and the desire he grew for her fades like Dexter did for Judy seeing her as just another girl. This objectifies the girl and uses her just for entertainment also. The idea of the ‘Golden Girl’ is a vicious cycle that affects the female showing them that men are all they need to become fulfilled, but when the man eventually leaves after they fail to live up to the illusion, they are left feeling empty. It hurts the men when they get tormented and having to compete against each other to obtain what they believe will make them achieve their final dream. 

Unlike the other ‘perfect’ females that feature in Fitzgerald’s work Daisy in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button doesn’t live up to the toxic characteristics that others have portrayed. In the adapted film directed by David Fisher, Daisy meets Benjamin when they are both ‘young’. Benjamin being presented as an old man and her a young girl, they both form some sort of friendship that over years develops into a strong bond. Daisy leaves a strong imprint on Benjamin as when he leaves her because he doesn’t think it is fair on her to care for him when he grows younger while she gets older, the lighting in the movie gets darker and music sadder. Showing the effect that Daisy had on Benjamin and the happiness and fulfillment she brought him. Daisy is a unique character in comparison to Daisy Buchanan, Judy Jones and Minnie who rope along men to their advantage. She is an independent person and doesn’t try to live up to the societal expectation that is enforced upon women to obtain perfection. Benjamin also isn’t like the many men that the other women encountered, he loves Daisy and the person she is. Resulting in no one getting hurt by the structure of ‘the golden girl’ but the idea of time and how it is inevitable. Daisy wasn’t pressured to obtain certain characteristics and grew up among people who actually loved her for herself and who she will become. This encouraging her to be independent, and try to pursue her dream of ballet.

Throughout Fitzgeralds texts he presents some of his female characters in a similar way, grown up incredibly privileged and among the expectation to become ‘the golden girl’. Daisy Buchanan, Judy and Minnie all are left with people in pain or numb from the trauma that was brung to them. The girls also left unhappy as when they don’t portray specific traits anymore they are left alone. Daisy is seen to not follow societal expectations and attempts at pursuing her dream, instead no one ends up hurt from her actions. Learning that these girls who are enforced into the pressures, aren’t actually terrible people, just bi-products of the toxic environments that they grew up in, not actually seen as people, just bodies. Those who aren’t forced into the illusion end up accomplishing so much more than those who are, this is why society needs to change their views as it is a false reality that no one can achieve.