More than 40 years after the release of the cult film "Grease", some consider that the musical contributes to the culture of rape. Explanations, after actress Olivia Newton John simply asked these criticisms … to close it.
Grease, "a bluette, funny and entertaining" ? These are the words of cult film star Olivia Newton John, who plays the iconic Sandy. In the podcast A Life of Greatness, posted in mid-February 2021, the actress reacted to the virulent analyzes surrounding the work and called them"idiots". "I think we need to relax a bit, and enjoy things for what they are", she added. On social networks, many Internet users now need to be qualified Grease as being misogynist and contributing to a certain rape culture. At first glance, it's hard to see a real problem. I have to say that Grease is one of those works that have passed through generations. The songs, John Travolta's fiery gaze and irresistible swaying hips only made this cult film with a tangy pop taste sexy. And then there's Rizzo, leader of the Pink Lady, who has long been considered progressive. Victim of slutshaming, this secondary character thrilled the spectators with his famous solo on "There Are Worse Things I Could Do."
But on closer inspection, Grease could well convey problematic messages, going so far as to trivialize sexist behavior without ever really questioning it … In short, quite a stroke of old age for this film from our childhood, a reflection of an entire era. Explanations.
Translation: Grease is a gruesome movie that carries the worst messages about teenage relationships. He's probably responsible for a certain rape culture in high school.
To see also: We explain everything about the culture of rape, a real scourge in cinema
In "Grease", Danny and his pals don't give a damn about their girlfriends consent
The first song speaks for itself. "Summer Nights", monument of the famous musical, opens the ball with a string of sexist comments staged against a backdrop of retro-cool. Sandy and Danny tell their friends about their vacation romance to their friends. The boys are unnamed heaviness and cry out: "Tell me more, tell me more", by asking questions like "Did she struggle ?!" in a joyful recklessness. And let's not forget that Danny doesn't hesitate to mimic obscene gestures by humming: "We flirted for hours, if you know what I mean." Sure, Danny has a dream figure, but beauty is no barrier to respecting girls. Take off his perfect physique and you'll see the behavior of a kinky teenager.
Then there's this scene at the drive-in. In the car, as Danny has his arm around Sandy, he tries to touch her breast. And when Sandy panics and tells her firmly "no", Danny tries to kiss her by force. Sandy struggles and ends up getting out of the car, knocking the door in Danny's crotch. Once again, the young man wins the award for the worst boyfriend. As for Sandy, of course, you shouldn't annoy him too much. In this sequence, she is right to blame her lover and to express him. But still, she still has a crush on the handsome brunette … And these 30 seconds of feminism are not enough to make her change her mind about her suitor, since the two lovebirds end up together anyway. Worse yet, at the end of the movie, Sandy changes his look for him. Metamophorsed, ultra-sexy and therefore, much more to the taste of the badboy, she smokes cigarettes in a frenzied choreography on "You're the one that I want." The young woman changes her attitude and her look for love, but all's well that ends well. A moral that leaves a bitter taste …
"Grease" spares no woman: the reflection of an era
Sandy is not alone in the midst of all this misogyny. While she has to make a choice between two labels, be "the frightened virgin" or "the sexy girl of the high school hunk", her classmates are not spared either. On several occasions, Jan's character is judged on his physique. Putzie, one of Danny's buddies, tells him he finds her understanding. He could have stopped on that nice compliment, but keeps on going: "You are more than a fat girl." Class … As a reminder, Jan is her and she's probably the same height as her girlfriends. And how big even she would have been, we would have done well without this grossophobic remark.
With hindsight, this blanket film has therefore lost its splendor. It trivializes violence against women, both moral and physical and, on catchy songs, it conveys a message clearly crammed with gender stereotypes. In the colorful world of Grease, you have to get into the boxes, respond to beauty dictates and it's okay to harass girls. This musical, shot in 1970 and set in the 1950s, unfortunately represents the thought of an era. Expression "timeless film" So it doesn't make too much sense here. To catalog this cult work, we prefer the drawer "To be placed in its context".