I think she was supposed to be a bit like Shelley Duvall's Wendy in The Shining, a woman that hung out with a loser (though not an abuser like Nicholson's Jack), though I found Fay a much more attractive woman, I must say. Kubrick went out of his way to avoid having Wendy look attractive, indeed he made her appearance as unattractive as possible. This made her decision to stay with Jack more believable than that of Fay perhaps. So clearly, Kubrick was conscious of how his attresses appeared and may have wanted to make sure it clear what kind of woman would stay with a man like Jack Torrance in The Shining. If Wendy had been even half as attractive as Fay, the audience wouldn't have bought it.
Anyway, back to The Killing. I think the point Kubrick was trying to make is that Fay was attractive, but lacked self-esteem. She says to Johnny in one scene: "You don't have to sell it to me, Johnny. I'll go along with whatever you say. I always have. Just like when we were kids". From this line of dialogue we learn that they have been close since childhood, and Johnny may in fact be the only man she's ever had. I think Johnny liked her precisely because of her childlike innocence, and willingness to go along with him unquestioningly. Since Johnny has always been in her life since childhood, perhaps she had always been "Johnny's Girl", and never thought of herself as a sexualized woman someone else would want. This is obviously not true, however, as men do find her attractive, even extremely so. Watch closely near the end of the film, as Fay is waiting for Johnny at the airport. You will see what appears to be an airplane captain, gazing upon her admiringly, looking as though he had just seen an angel. He takes off his cap respectfully and appears as if he is about to come up to her and speak when she suddenly sees Johnny coming and runs outside to greet him. The Killing is all about chance, luck and fate. What if Johnny had come just a few minutes later and the Captain had a chance to talk with her. Would she have made a different choice and gone with him if he had swept her off her feet? Shades of the naval officer that Alice fantasized about running away with in Eyes Wide Shut, perhaps? I doubt Fay would actually have bolted, but who knows for sure?
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