The Pretty Woman treatment is the phrase Kelly Clarkson used to describe feeling judged and dismissed by shop staff, borrowing from the 1990 film Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts’ character is sneered at in a luxury boutique before returning triumphant. Clarkson said staff gave her condescending looks and offered to find her something comparable, language that instantly framed the encounter as a story about money, status and who gets taken seriously.
(Stephen Schester / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain))
Mentioned in: What to Know About Kelly Clarkson’s Feud with the Brooklyn Store Where She Claims She Got the “Pretty Woman” Treatment