watching 'Grease' with a feminist gaze

[abbeylockhart]

Not seen it for years.

Dp says 'isnt it sexist?', will watch and see...

Oh Man, thinking about this, Grease is so much fuller of pathos than I'd ever imagined.

The boys as well, are full of shit about trying to be macho and unconcerned, and bothering about their hair and denying their real feelings and when Danny tries to be a Jock he's pathetic and the construction of masculinity stuff there is so painful and funny and inyerface and I simply cannot imagine anyone tackling it in such a mainstream films so effectively nowadays.

patti simcox was always the one that would go far such great organisational skills

That's a good point Proles. Changing to keep a man's interest (why?). Not being good enough as you are..what kind of messages are those?

None of the male characters have to change, do they?

danny tries to be a jock doesn't he

Yes but you know what happens with Danny? He tries to be a jock, he fails abysmally and he realises it's not him, so he compromises and buys a cardigan but that's as far as he goes.

While Sandi OTOH, goes the whole hog. Even though she stumbles a bit, she's sticking with htis new persona, whereas Danny has been allowed to keep his essential self.

Whcih always struck me, even at the age of twelve or thirteen or whatever i was, as deeply unfair.

Yes, but Danny's only concession in the end involves wearing a cardigan instead of a leather jacket. He wins, Sandy loses.

How the hell she didn't bust her ankles in those mules I'll never know - she SKIPS in them

And - guess what - he throws the cardigan away.

I always feel that was very symbolic.

He didn't just buy a cardigan. :o He lettered in track. And explained to his guys that if that's what Sandy wanted, that's what he would do.

Ghastly film, hate it.

i would take the tight trousers over a nice cardigan

Yes but didn't he give up track when he faced the fact that it wasn't him?

In other words, he's allowed to have an essential self?

I feel we might need a group outing to a showing of Grease to thrash this out...

Yeah exactly - Danny's concessions are portrayed as absurd or foolish and temporary, whereas poor old Sandy is obliged to 'do femininity' in a certain way to get her man, and do it permanently. You know, when she sings (wistfully and sadly)

"Sandy, You must start anew,
Don't you know what you must do
Hold your head high,
Take a deep breath and sigh
Goodbye to Sandra Dee"

He didn't give it up. He just took off his cardi. It's quite warm. :o

Someone upthread said that Vince Fontaine spiked Marty's drink. When did that happen? I'm very concerned about this

I saw her clothes change as also to do with fitting in with the other girls as well as for danny.

She sees them all at thunderroad and wants to jion in.

Plus it is frenchie, the beauty school drop out who makes her over so of course she over does it, that's her style.

And when frenchie asks Sandy if she is happy at thunder road, her answer is "No, but I think I can be" or somesuch and asks for Frenchie's help. So obviously not happy with herself and trying something else - maybe?

And SEA - why thank you

Sandy sings this pre transformation...it's her last solo.

Look at me,
There has to be,
something more than what they see,
wholesome and pure,
so scared and unsure,
a poor mans Sandra dee.

When they criticise and make fun of me,
Don't they see the tears in my smile?
Don't they realize there's just one of me?
It has to last me a while.

Sandy you must start at a new,
Dont you no what you must do-,
hold your head high,
take a deep breath and sigh--,
Goodbye.
To Sandra Deeeeee--

Oh, xpost, was too slow!

Look, I dunno about all this feminism an that

But when I saw this film as a teenager it made me

Value our girl 'gang' as being equally as valid as the boys 'teams'
Realise that it was actually OK to try on different personas until I found the one that fitted (fitted me rather than fitting in)
See that being in control of my sexuality could have consequences (Rizzo's pregnancy) so that I had to be fully in control and take responsibility for myself

Want to do four part harmony all the way through the leaving disco....

"Tell me more, tell me more,
Did she put up a fight?"

Yeah, really sexist.

Girls who didn't want to have PIV sex got mocked even though there was no abortion in those days and the consequences of pregnancy were dire.

And it's all about getting a boyfriend, as if that's the only thing that matters - to be paired up.

The reason the boys spend so much time doing their hair and playing with combs is because in the play that the film was based on the boys played with flick knives a lot. The play is said to be far more violent and sexulised. JT, who was in the play, suggested combs instead of knives for the film as the knives wouldn't have got passed the sensors (or something like that).

I re watched the movie a few years ago and couldn't believe I had been allowed to watch it as actually quite a young child.

Yeah cloudydays, that line ruins the song for me. Sounds like assault.

thunderboltsandlightning "there was no abortion in those days"

Yes there was
Very little legal and safe abortion though

"Tell me more, tell me more,
Did she put up a fight?"

That made me feel ill even when I was about 13 and saw the film for the first time.