Since the Elizabethan period we have lived in a society where appearance is what matters. What you really are is not so interesting, because what matters is who you appear to be. And appearing to be has not been such a challenge. With the rise of social media, it's become a lot easier to fake a life you don't have. It is according to this idea that a character appears who uses and abuses to appear to be what she is not: Anna Vadimovna Sorokina. The series “Inventing Anna” is a Netflix original production based on a true story.
In 1991, Anna was born in Russia, went to Germany at the age of 16 and, at 21, straight to Paris. But it was in New York that the young woman started her scams, saying that she was heir to a powerful and wealthy German family. Everyone believes in her, because of the way she behaves and because she trusts her own story so much. Also, there was a very important factor in this story: white privilege. What is it that made Anna manage to include herself in so many social cycles even though she was not at that social level? It needs to be talked about.
Who is Anna Sorokin?
Born in Moscow, Anna passed through Germany, Paris and stayed in New York. It was in Paris that she adopted the name Anna Delvey. Her way of working was to pretend to be a German heiress, daughter of an extremely wealthy father, but in fact her father was a truck driver and her mother owned a convenience store.
It was her arrival in New York that turned the tide, as she began to spread throughout her social cycles that she had a trust fund of about $82 million. With that, Anna began to walk alongside the highest society in New York, she was always included in these environments and people believed her, because she knew how to behave in that context and had an image that deceived people.
It was in New York City that Anna carried out several scams on lenders, banks, people, hotels… She got everything for free just on the grounds that she would pay as soon as her father released the money. She always had an excuse for the lack of money at the moment, and people, believing in the truth of who she was, paid. But she failed to materialize her plans, and in 2019, she was arrested and convicted. Her convictions include theft of property, theft of services and aggravated robbery.
Anna was jailed with a sentence of 4 to 12 years plus a fine of $223. She was even released from custody to be deported to Germany, but refused to go and had to remain in prison. But she didn't leave her hands empty: Netflix paid the amount of $ 320 for Anna to authorize the production of the series.
“Inventing Anna”, the series that portrayed this story
On February 11, 2022, the series “Inventing Anna” arrived on Netflix. Signed by the acclaimed Shonda Rhimes, it has nine episodes that unfold around all the shenanigans that the protagonist has done. Anna is played by Julia Delph and the character is composed with an anti-heroine concept. Her actions are mixed with her past, perhaps looking for answers or perhaps to justify her swindles—or maybe a little of both.
The series, which reached the top 10 in the list of the most watched on Netflix in España, is told through the character Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), who is a journalist who decides to do a report on the false German heiress, and that is something that happened in real life, as the series is inspired by journalist Jessica Pressler's report on Anna Sorokin.
The report is called “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” or, in free translation, “How Anna Delvey Tricked Socialites in New York”. Another character who gained notoriety is Rachel Williams, who in the series is also called Rachel. In real life, Rachel was friends with Anna, was scammed for $60 and never received that money. Anna was cleared of this charge, which made her angry when the series came out, so the victim published a book on the subject and took a stand against the perspective of the series and the money Anna received for it.
It is interesting to watch the series to understand how dramaturgy can create a perspective on an entire situation, how a discourse can be inserted through the plot and how it is possible to read society within a series that is apparently just another story. “Inventing Anna” is a series that talks about all of us.
the status society
It is interesting to analyze how Anna managed to be inside the social cycles of an inaccessible elite, an elite that values ​​material goods and the name you have. Anna never had an attention-grabbing last name, but she knew exactly what to do and what to say to please these people and get the approval that kept her there.
This is because culturally the elite always wants to show that they have the best cars, the best brands and that they go to the best places. This presence is enough for acceptance to happen. This status society is easily deceived by a person like Anna, who meets the requirement of an aesthetic standard that is socially accepted, so she knew how to take advantage of this privilege.
Her Instagram account was a perfect showcase of the life of a supposed heiress who was flaunting her fortune, so it was believable. She's never been questioned about who she is, she's been automatically accepted by a society that picks its favorites and is more concerned with the outside than what you really are. It's not about being, it's absolutely about seeming. Money was just one more factor in this story, it was what mattered the least. It is possible to see in the series how there is a movement towards an ideal life, a luxurious life — and how there is a pattern of behavior that is also ideal to be part of this cycle.
racism and immigration
Anna is a white woman who aesthetically speaks to the American ideal of beauty. This is an essential factor in understanding how she achieved everything she achieved, how she achieved relevance, credibility and the trust of those who bet on her.
This case is a perfect example of how white privilege plays out in society, as a black person who was genuinely heir to a tycoon father would have to spend his whole life being questioned, and people would not believe his word. In Anna's case, she didn't need to prove anything to anyone. Her status was unquestionable.
There is an even deeper layer: Anna was bullied a lot for being a foreigner. This xenophobia is not uncommon and causes severe damage to a person's life. The United States is a country that has a complex relationship with immigration and that has historically discussed the legitimacy of foreigners staying in the country.
This layer is one of Anna's biggest motivations: much more important than having money was being respected, seen as an equal and feeling like she belonged. This desire to belong was what drove her actions, as well as the desire not to be disowned by her identity.
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We all suffer because of this social pressure of what we should be and how we should behave, but it's important to always be aware of the right stimuli. You are not what you buy. You cannot be hostage to an idea that is far from your possibilities. Life is much more than just appearing to be something. Life is to exist taking the best of who you are with honesty and affection.
