Primary Source Analysis
The primary source that I have chosen to analyze is a scene from the movie Grease. This movie was released in June of 1978 and is about a so-called good girl named Sandy falling in love with bad boy greaser Danny over the summer. Once it’s time for class to be back in session, they find out they attend the same high school and challenges face them as to how they can rekindle their prior romance with the eyes of their friends focused on them. Sandy is the typical good girl who obeys the rules and does what she is told. She falls in love with Danny who is a polar opposite to her. So instead of the typical movie ending where the bad boy turns into a good guy for the girl he is in love with, the writers threw in a plot twist and it ends up being Sandy who changes the most. She alters from a goody two shoes into a “hot and sexy bad girl” as co-creator Jim Jacobs states in an interview about the meaning to the ending of the film. I think that this movie is a prime example of the way gender roles have been visualized among society for a very long time. Additionally, it also doubles as an example as to how gender roles have changed as well throughout the decades that have passed by.
The specific scene that I have decided to go over that greatly underlines the gender stereotypes we see in the media everyday, and before the eighties, is a scene where Sandy, Danny, and the crew are singing the song We Go Together. Sandy sings about her, Frenchie and Rizzo needing a man and even the girl who they believe to be the ugly one, Jan, needing one as well. Here, plain and simple, Grease is suggesting that a woman absolutely needs a man in order to function and be a whole human being. This specific scene completely reinforces that the main theme of the entire film is the guys’ race to find a woman of their own. In this scene though, the movie is leaving an impression on young men that in order to be cool and liked, they need to have a picture perfect girl on their arm that they can only show affection to when they’re not around their friends. It is telling them that in order to be someone, you need a woman that is accepted by society. The same exact message is displayed for young women who watch the movie
Throughout history, men and women have been viewed in utterly different spheres. Men have been, and still are, believed to be the hard working individual who is in charge of “bringing home the bacon” and supporting the household finically. On the other hand, women are expected to have little to say, the house spotless, supper on the table, the children bathed, fed, in bed, and educated, all while maintaining a flawless hairdo and makeup. These stereotypes seem a bit offensive nowadays, but if you really consider it, it has been and most likely will be this way for our entire existence.
There are a number of societal concepts that have changed over time, these changes are clearly exhibited when comparing the culture of Puberty Blues to my own. One of these concepts is gender roles. In the film, gender roles are clearly defined, masculinity and femininity are two completely different sociatel constructs that must be followed. Gender roles provide the basis for the status quo, where boys are in charge and served by girls who are used and policed by boys.
Grease is a classic American film that takes place in the 1950s and explores ideas of gender and sexuality. The film was produced in 1978 by Robert Stigwood and Allen Carr and was directed by Rundel Kleiser. The film was not set in the 1970s because it would have to tell a different story; in the 1970s there was birth control and an abundance of sexual liberation, unlike the 1950s. The producers were able to connect the concepts of events from the 1950s into the film. Grease explores the ideas of gender and sexuality through specific gender roles. On one hand, there are characters in the film who are sexually good and are innocent, they are pure. On the other hand, there are characters who are sexually bad and have a tendency to sin,
Growing up as a child with parents that were both fairly busy with work I often found myself sat in front of a television either waiting for the day to begin or to end. I remember watching shows and seeing how the boys always seemed to be more outspoken, hyper-masculine and the leader in a given situation while the girls were always the passive ones who were depicted as shy followers. Now that I am older I find myself watching even more television, allowing me to see how the media depicts men and women in society. For example, The Big Bang Theory, in its earlier seasons, it only had one female lead, Penny. Her character was very stereotypical in the sense that she was the scattebrained neighbor. The way that men and women are portrayed has
Gender roles have been a hotly debated topic in the most recent years, especially the role of women in society. Women have had set expectations that they are believed to conform to, which is shown in many pieces of film and literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the life of a man in the upper class in the 1920’s, as well as women in the 1920’s. The movie The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, visually explains the treatment and expectations of women, and especially focuses on the “damsel in distress” stereotype.. Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” explains the stereotypes against women and ways women can come together and fight these constraints. Based on these sources, societal expectations take away from each individual’s identity, forcing women to conform to society's standards. In order to fight against these expectations, women have banded together and formed movements against these standards.
From television to film, from music to advertising, men are often portrayed as strong willed and powerful, while women are often shown as submissive, powerless, and sexually promiscuous. Particularly in American
There has been a major shift in gender roles since the 50’s, but due to media and its power to mold peoples’ opinions, it was definitely a struggle to maintain equality because of the cataloging of sexual characteristics.
In this paper I am going to write about the movie “Grease.” Specifically, on the two main characters Sandy and Danny. I will be describing and analyzing their interpersonal communication, but mainly on the conflict of their communication.
Grease was a musical production performed by the Metropolitan State University of Denver's department of theatre, in later September and early October of 2015. Grease is a musical mainly about two characters Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson. These two fell in love over the summer, but then reality hits them when it's time for school to start again. Well, Sandy ends up transferring to Rydell High School where Danny attends. Danny acts like he doesn't know Sandy and wants nothing to do with her, but Sandy just wants their summer love back and is willing to completely change herself for Danny to love her again.
Watch the classical film Grease and one can understand how relationships function in Western Society. The film tells a story of a boy (Danny) and a girl (Sandy) who falls in love. Through a series of misunderstandings they break up, but still somehow care for each other. Through ballads such as Summer Night’s that are still popular today, the film shows how differently males and females view relationships. Films like Grease are like a mirror, reflecting societal values and how it socializes its members. It makes it clear that in relationships, males are socialized to view relationships as mostly a physical, sexual endeavor, while females view it as a perpetual bond –a deeper connection between the two individuals within a relationship.
Throughout life every man and woman fits into a specific gender role. We are told what is expected of men and women from birth until death. Many people influence our view of how we should act and what we should say such as our parents, friends, and even the media. Males and females play very different roles and these differences are apparent in our every day lives. These differences are not the same as they used to be. Society has changed the way it treats men and women over time.
Throughout the history of society, women and men both have faced the constricting roles forced upon them, from a young age; each gender is given specific social and cultural roles to play out throughout their lives. Little girls are given dolls and kitchen toys, little boys are given dinosaurs and power tool toys, if one was to step out of this specified role, social conflict would ensue. Contrast to popular belief, sex is a biological construct, and gender is a social construct specifying the roles men and women are to follow to be accepted into society as “normal”. The effects of gender roles have had on women have proved harmful over the decades. Although the woman’s involvement in society has improved throughout the decades,
Gender defined roles are continuously adapting to the new societal norms of the era. There is a surplus of historical events that have reimagined the traditional expectations of a man or women.
Before entering college, I had always had an idea that, ever since the beginning of time, the world has been revolved around a male’s point of view, and his likes or dislikes. However, with classes I am currently taking like Popular Culture and Minority Groups which both explain how awfully unfair and unequal the two sexes
Gender roles have been changing throughout the centuries with both men and women. The most and drastic change has occurred in our 21st century to women. Women are now viewed as equals in the work and home, they are able to achieve just as much as men and no longer have limits suppressing them. There have been limits put on women since the beginning of time, women were to attend to the house and children but never other responsibilities beyond that. This change in gender roles has shaped our society in numerous ways making new jobs for women and breaking through social norms. Throughout history the role of women has dramatically changed, first with women being primary caregivers and up keepers of the house to women being able to have their own careers and lastly to being equal to men and no longer being inferior to them.