In Sam Mendes' American Beauty and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo the characters of Angela and Judy are both similar. Angela and Judy are both using their sexuality a symbol of their womanhood to obtain what they want in life. However, both Angela and Judy are not women. They have no idea what a woman is. In their struggle to become women while using their sexuality to obtain what they want from men they learn that they must look within themselves for validation and not to men or society.
             Angela and Judy are both pretending to be someone they are not. Angela, the angel, is pretending to be a slut. Yet, later in the film we learn she is actually a virgin. Angela is trying to be a woman by transforming herself into an "All-American" beauty. She is a cheerleader, which connotates femininity. She is popular, beautiful, and she dreams of being a model. Angela epitomizes every girl's fantasy. Judy is also pretending to be someone she is not, literally. Judy is a young woman who is hired by a man, Gavin, to pose as his wife Madeleine, his wife in a complex murder plot. Madeleine is a beautiful, rich, woman who has everything Judy could ever want. This motivates Judy to portray her. Both Angela and Judy are trying to find their place as women. Neither is sure exactly what a woman is, and rather than explore themselves and try to figure it out, they choose to mold themselves into a predefined woman. They discover that this is simply a quick fix. They are desperately seeking love and acceptance. However, no one can accept and love them for themselves when they are pretending to be someone else and do not know who they are. This is the constant dilemma Angela and Judy face, to be themselves and risk rejection, or be someone else and never really achieve the acceptance and love they are seeking.
             The idea of both Angela and Judy are the fantasies of the main male characters in Vertigo and American Beauty. They enjoy being this fantasy...