I'm going to get flamed hard for the next sentence from some of you, but fuck it, here it goes...
A couple weeks ago, I was watching Flashdance with my roommate and her friend.
There. I said it.
Okay, it didn't take that much convincing...
With that out of the way, I'm going to get into something I found very interesting when watching the movie and my friends. I love women and I feel bad that they can get sucked into movies like this where, on the surface at least, it appears the message is about a woman's independence and self-determination, but really, when you look at it, it's about something wholly different. Unfortunately, they are missing the whole thread and hidden message of the movie.
Flashdance appears to be a movie about a young woman with humble upbringings attempting to persevere in the snooty dance world, inhabited by prissy ballerinas and dance-conservatory trained performers. She has to battle the fact that she's a quasi-stripper with no formal training at all.
She may not be high class, but she's definitely got ass.
Flashdance feels like a feel good story. The two very intelligent and thoughtful young women I watched it with got worked up over the film. The lead character has a big audition but she flakes out because she is nervous and feels she doesn't belong. But her boyfriend steps in and gets her another audition and she knocks it out of the park and so the good girl wins and the moral of the story is that with hard work, dedication and a little luck you can succeed, despite the hand you are dealt.
Or at least that's what they want you to think...
I saw things a little bit differently. I looked at it through the eyes of the male protagonist: a well-to-do steel foreman in his early-30s who goes gaga over Jennifer Beals at a cabaret. Throughout the entire movie, he courts the 18-year old, who just happens to work at the foundry. (Yes, 18... and she's an apprentice welder with her own sick apartment. ¿Que? Note: The girls thought nothing of the fact that this 30-something was shamelessly following this teenager around like the pony-ring at a circus, but I'm sure if I started dating an 18-year-old, they would be revolted. Again, it's the way the movie is framed or something.) The man buys Beals expensive dinners and we find out she's a total sex pot, playing with his junk with her foot at a fancy eatery one night. At that same dinner, she basically fellates a piece of lobster. This guy is living the dream.
After she blows her audition, he sets something up with one of his connections and gets her another shot. She hates him for this when she finds out because she doesn't need any help and they break up. At this point, I felt like this man's dream was dashed. I was sad. But then Beals' grandma dies and she is inspired to take another crack at it. She goes to the audition and knocks it out of the park. The foreman is leaning on his whip on the street holding a big bouquet of flowers and she hugs him and they drive away in love.
Who do you think is happier here? The one who just overcame her demons or the one who's about to unload some semen? I'll go with the one who's sporting the chubby.
A tear trickles down from mine eye and I learn something from the flick: the moral of the story being that, with a little effort and with some connections, a middle-aged man's dream of railing an 18-year-old dancer can come true.
Don't think I'm on the level? Think I'm just trying to be provocative?
I think not. I have proof that this is what the movie is about.
Go and IMDB Flashdance...
Go ahead. I'll wait for you.
Here I'll even put up a link: FLASHDANCE on IMDB
You're back. Nice to see you again.
So, did you notice anything interesting about the flick? No?
You didn't read that the movie was directed by a man? And written by two men? I bet they were both around the same age as the male lead. Just a guess.
Why would three middle-aged men have any interest in making a movie about a dancer following her dream? Seriously, what would they know about that struggle? Absolutely nothing.
No, they were writing about their dreams and fantasies.
I'm just sayin.
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