Inventing Anna Repeats Old Tropes
The Netflix show tells a familiar story of a conwoman gone conning
We love a Shondaland moment (see my long-ago post on Bridgerton [returning this week on Netflix*]), and as usual, new Shonda-shows typically create a bit of tension on the Internet. But, as with Bridgerton, gossip is an important part of a trending show, and all pop culture, that helps us to determine its status, its values, its representativeness.
Inventing Anna is no exception, and it’s the latest Shonda-joint I’ve had the pleasure of watching. The show, which runs nine episodes long, follows a dramatized story of Anna Sorokin/Delvey, an alleged German heiress who successfully hoodwinked and bamboozled the uppercrust of Manhattan’s elite: socialites, banks, investment firms, lawyers, etc., until she was caught in 2017 and sent to prison. The original article that this story is based on is quite nearly the exact plot of the show, so if you’re interested to know what happens without watching all nine hours, it’s definitely worth a read. Further, what’s also worth a read is a response from one of the scammed (a character featured on the Netflix version as well and quoted later in this post), who gives her own perspective on it all.
The general summation of the show and the story is thus: Anna Delvey, an immigrant from Russia/Germany with a wild accent, longed to be part of the upper echelons of art and cultured society in America. To achieve this goal, she epitomized “faking it till you make it,” with faking it literally tantamount to fraud of all varieties. However, in the reporting of this story and its dramatization on Netflix, both creators position this story as one that is uniquely American, one that essentializes (and demonizes) what it actually takes to achieve the American Dream, and this is where the show gets interesting. Despite its claims about the barriers of womanhood in white-collar industries and spaces (which certainly do exist), the show and article inadvertently demonstrate that the American Dream is achievable for some women, but not all women. Further, the American Dream still can be for immigrants, even those with heavy accents who pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but not all immigrants–just the white ones from European countries.
This takeaway from the show is inserted here and there by dialogue delivered Delvey’s friends in the show, Neff and Kasy, two black women who befriend Anna as a result of their jobs and their own proximity to wealth (via service careers), but these comments are few and far between. These comments also conflict directly with Anna’s oft-verbalized take on feminism (paraphrasing here): the world is sexist, and if I were a man, I would already have my bag and be rich. Men manipulate and lie to people all the time for wealth, so why shouldn’t I? This position, of course, is what feminism is sometimes understood to be: the idea that women should have the same exact things that men do (extreme power and wealth), and that to get these things, we MUST behave like men to show that we are deserving of respect. Unfortunately, this view of feminism is harmful to all involved, as it perpetuates behaviors and power structures that are proven to be socially and societally damaging. Endless greed, conducted with a top-dollar, emotionless calculation of profit, only leads to the harm of the people who are not allowed into the room. It requires a level of lying (to oneself and others) and delusion that all actions are justified in the ends of billions of dollars through the means of destruction of people, of relationships, of nature, of the planet.
These kind of “calculating” (greed-driven) characteristics are often found in powerful men and their structures of power, and Anna is no different. She lies to everyone around her, with the expressionless and remorseless chops that could only be delivered by the incredible Julia Garner. My love for Garner (and her performance) is what pulled me through the series, as she really nails the deadpan and wild accent, all while deceiving everyone around her without a care for anyone but herself. Delvey’s unmatchable narcissism, and/or myopic view of the world as one that must ensure her survival at all costs, is another thread that the show pokes at, and quite frankly, teases out as another famous narcissist blond from Queens.
The parallels that Inventing Anna makes between Anna Delvey and Donald Trump are overt, at times, and subtle at others. Of course, the self-centeredness is a primary characteristic, as Anna is only ever concerned about how outcomes of events will serve or affect her. Connected to the self-centeredness is her ruthlessness, the way in which she doesn’t see her lies as negatively affecting the service workers whose own lives are tethered to their jobs and the continued existence of their paychecks. Even as Anna befriends entry-level professionals who aid in the creation of her social image, she does not care that her stealing from her friends’ companies may negatively impact their employment. Further, she makes nearly abusive demands that her friends focus on fulfilling her needs (financial and social) over performing their jobs’ duties.
The Delvey and Trump parallel is thus solidified in the way that Anna bullies everyone around her. She bullies her friends, she bullies her “colleagues,” she bullies anyone who stands in her way of what she wants. This bullying, of course, is not through threat of violence, but the active use of mockery and public shaming. The way that Garner delivers the word “basic” (buh-eyeeee-SIK - this onomatopoeia does NOT do it justice), and the phrase “basic bitches” over and over and over again (maybe she only says it five times, but I was obsessed with every utterance) as a means to shame those around her is so entertaining. Delvey is an expert at manipulating those around her, especially her friends who long for social capital and clout, by pointing out that they’re not smart enough, not good enough, to recognize the finer things and what it takes to achieve them, and instead, relegates even her closest friends into the category of being a sheep, basic, just like everyone else. Being unspecial is the perfect insult to throw at any American, as specialness is a part of our cultural fabric and indoctrination, and Delvey’s position as an immigrant gives her these tools to wield as a cudgel against anyone who tries to get in her way.
The Netflix version of this story adds one more layer of similarity between Trump and Delvey, and that’s through Delvey’s manipulation of the press. She utilizes the very woman writing her story, even while in prison, to give her another chance at fame, another chance at demonstrating to the world that she is not basic. And the press gives Delvey plenty of room, throughout the show and even in real life. Such attention is oxygen to narcissists (it’s why men like Trump, and especially Putin, are so dangerous - their actions have to be reported to the press when they’re in positions of power, but the attention just continues the cycle), which is why even still Anna Delvey’s formerly-scorned friend points out that this series, and this media frenzy around it (1), is only fueling the flames of Delvey’s ego to push her into similar behavior again. In the response piece to the renewed attention around Delvey, Rachel Deloache Williams heeds a warning.
“...your attention is an investment. Giving someone your attention is the act of being influenced, whether or not you’re aware of it in the moment. And especially in this age of constant stimulation, with endless people and stories competing for your…time, your attention has value. It has power. It’s worth something—it can even put money in someone’s pocket. Be careful where you spend it, and understand the cost." (2)
Such is the danger of paying attention to these grifters, liars, and thieves in the first-place. It is difficult to ignore people who have a kind of charisma, a kind of energy about you that draws them in. But just as important as following their charisma trail is fact-checking their actions and their entire persona, frankly. More people need to be willing to trust their gut, to know when you’re being lied to, and thus removing yourself from such a situation. “Politeness” is not a great excuse for allowing someone to rob you or other vulnerable parties.
But politeness in society, especially around a delicate white woman, is what allows people like Anna to rise to the top. It’s a kind of equality, I guess, but not the kind we need more of in this world.
Endnotes
*if you’re still rich enough to afford Netflix and its newly announced punitive pricing model for sharing your account
This newsletter excluded, of course.
Williams, Rachel DeLoache. 2019. “Anna ‘Delvey’ Sorokin Almost Ruined My Life. Now She’s Being Rewarded for Her Crimes” https://time.com/6146419/inventing-anna-rachel-williams-anna-delvey/
Pressler, Jessica. 2018. “Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It” https://jessicapressler.com/maybe-she-had-so-much-money-she-just-lost-track-of-it/1207