Critical Context: Dirty Dancing: Feminism, Post-Feminism, and Neo-Feminism

In the scholarly article "Dirty Dancing: Feminism, Postfeminism, and Neo-Feminism" written by Hilary Radner, she emphasizes two aspects of the film: "it's heroine, who is described as "a strong, compelling female character how is true to herself, her beliefs and her desires," and the film's treatment of abortion, the feminism of which becomes apparent when they re-assess their understanding of their "past" viewings of the film in the context of the present" (Radner 134). I would agree with Radner that the strong female character (Baby) finds who she truly is and what she stands for, the summer she spent at Kellerman's. She knew she wanted to make a difference in the world before that family vacation, but this was a different kind of change in the world. Baby impacted the lives of many underprivileged individuals in her own area. She didn't have to travel around the world to make a difference. She just took a few steps outside of what would be expected out of her and proved her father that there her betrayal to him wasn't such a horrible action. Her betrayal ended up making her more proud of the person she could be and the people she could help.

Radner also brings across the argument between, fairy tale or feminist statement. "...as a prototypical Cinderella/ugly ducking story, it seems to confirm the very tenets that feminism worked so hard to interrogate and undermine: that a woman's fulfillment is best achieved in the arms of a man..." (Radner 132). Like we discussed in WOM 102 earlier in the semester was how women don't need men to go through life. We don't depend on them. Both genders are capable of being strong and independent, not relying on the opposite gender for certain roles to be filled. For awhile in the film, Baby's father has a lot of say in what Baby does. When Neil asks if Baby would like to help with the talent show, Jake says, "Of course she would like to help!"  Baby always did what she thought would please her father most. She thought very highly of him and hoped she would meet a partner to settle down with someday that was as good as her dad, but as the story goes on, Baby begins to realize her father is a bit controlling in ways and isn't always 100% right on everything he does or says. Jake is holding Baby back from following her desires in life. When Baby breaks free and disobeys her father, she discovers a person who is more independent and ready to take on anything as she becomes more confident in her actions and what she is capable of changing for the better. There are certain roles where a man can hold a better role such as Penny suggest earlier in the film when teaching the guests to dance, she says, "Ladies, he's the boss on the dance floor but nowhere else." But other than that line, the women in this film seem to be pretty confident in speaking their mind, such as Baby's mom does at the end show, telling Jake to sit down.

"Dirty Dancing" truly is a coming-of-age film, filled with delightful surprises. "Baby is not only attracted to a working-class man, but is willing to risk her reputation to help him" (Radner 139).  So many sacrifices are made throughout the film. Baby sacrifices her relationship with her father multiple times by lying to him as she continues to see Johnny and helps Penny out with her abortion. Johnny risks his job as he beats up on Robbie and as he sleeps with Baby even though he was given specific instructions to keep his hands off all daughters, only to give them dance lessons. "Johnny and Frances learn from each other and "lead" each other in new directions. Johnny teaches Frances to dance, but she encourages him to value himself, because she values him, and to stand up for himself and for her" (Radner 144). These two are a great pair and have something special that they both can add to each others personalities changing them to become stronger and more mature human beings.

Radner's piece has a nice contribution to the film "Dirty Dancing"  in a way that it allows viewers to think outside of the box. Many viewers, including myself, would see this film as a love story and feel that it's about the passion for dance. However, there are some other valid points that Radner brings to the table to discuss how the film focuses on class, feminism, and abortion. All her points are made clear in the article and are very reasonable and convinced me/made me realize that there are many aspects to the film, that make is so much more enjoyable.

Work Cited:
Radner, Hilary. "Dirty Dancing: Feminism, Postfeminism, and Neo-Feminism." The Time of Our Lives: Dirty Dancing and Popular Culture. Eds. Yannis Tzioumakis and Sian Lincoln. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2013. 131-149. 

Reader Response: What others have to say about the film

I was curious to see what others had to say about the film so here are some general society viewer responses from the websites of Amazon, IMDB, and Rotten Tomatoes.

Main responses & reactions from Amazon Viewers:Customers from Amazon who have watched  the film, Dirty Dancing really enjoyed the overall message. The average rating was 4.7 out of 5 stars. The movie was said to have a great love story of a girl and guy from different classes. The movie is also filled with a mix of great, upbeat music, that’s sound is very crisp and clear clarity. 
Stand out quote: “This is very much a “coming-of-age” film” -amyshamrock

- By this, I believe amyshamrock means, several characters throughout the film grow stronger and learn valuable life lessons as the story plays on. We can all gain valuable life lessons in a short period of time when we are surrounded by a new environment or exposed to new people. 
My response to reviews: The reviews that were listed on the first page were helpful and easy to understand of what the viewers thought about the film. The people who rated the film with 4 or 5 stars had great evidence to support their reasoning on why they enjoyed the film. Those who rated the film with 3 or less stars had bad reasoning on why the film wasn’t worth watching. Those who watched it said they had problems with streaming through Amazon and some also said that they had issues with viewing the disc in their dvd player. These are personal problems not something to do with the film and therefor don’t have any impact on why others shouldn’t enjoy the film or keep them from wanting to watch it. 

Main response & reactions from IMDB viewers:Reviews on IMDB had more detail and a longer review of the movie which was nice to see because the viewer didn’t have just one nice thing to say about the movie but instead had quite a bit of events that occurred that stood out to them.Many of the viewers on here have watched the film hundreds of times because every time they watch it feels like the first time again. It is a classic film that can’t be dated there are numerous scenes that make you feel young again and inspired by how love can change your life. Some say it’s a typical girl meets boy movie but even so there are many events that catch you off guard and get you hooked in their love story. 
Stand out quote:“The chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze it's like no other I have ever seen, and that is what makes the film so perfect.”  -rmgirl1 

-This is an opinion but if the film were remade with different characters it probably wouldn’t be the same. It’s really nice to see when the actors truly click, like they do in this film. The connection these two have is just magical and heartwarming, making you want to watch the movie for at least a second time. 
My response to the reviews: Overall these responses were very helpful to me and allowed me to see that many people enjoyed the film and those who don’t like it are just jealous they can’t dance like Grey or Swayze. (Just Kidding) There is no movie that will please every single person in the entire world, just not possible. Everyone has different tastes and interests. 

Main response & reactions from Rotten Tomatoes  viewers:The film was given an average rating of 6/10 stars. 39 ratings were “Fresh” and 15 were “Rotten”. The viewers here again mentioned the film having catchy, upbeat music, that would last in your head for days. 
Stand out quote: “Endlessly quotable, strangely fascinating and immensely charming”. -Caroline Westbrook 

-There are some powerful passionate quotes throughout the movie one of my favorite and I feel like Caroline could be refer to in her quote above is: “Me? I’m scared of everything. I’m scared of what I saw, I’m scared of what I did, of  who I am, and most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the  rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” This quote shows how love is very powerful and we may not be able to choose who or how quickly we fall in love with someone. Baby and Johnny have a spark like no other that make the film charming and unforgettable. 
My response to the reviews: I felt that the critics on Rotten Tomatoes were helpful as they gave their honest opinion. Once again those who didn’t like the film didn’t have evidence to support why it wasn’t a good film. They simply stated that it was a ‘‘crappy romance’’ or that it’s “trash”.Those who had ‘fresh’ reviews made it quite enjoyable to read their comments. These people put themselves into the movie themselves as if they were young and in love, dancing to the beat of the music. It’s nice to see how so many appreciate an older film and consider it a classic.  

Work Cited:

"Dirty Dancing." Amazon. Amazon.com, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.

"Dirty Dancing." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.

"Dirty Dancing." Rottentomatoes. Rottentomatoes.com, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. 

***Please feel free to post comments below on your thoughts or favorite quotes from the movie, as well as taking the poll earlier in my blog rating the movie on a scale of 5 stars. I’d love to hear more.

Multimedia Connection: Coming Of Age Movies

The Spectacular Now (2013)

A hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical "nice girl."
-IMDb

The character Sutter Keeley (Miles Teller) is a popular high school senior who always lives in the now. He has poor grades and no plans for the future. He spends majority of his time drinking and attending parties. His long-term girlfriend dumps him  because he is unable to admit his excessive drinking as a form of alcoholism and that he has a lack of ambition to do anything in life. Sutter seeks out tutoring from a girl named Aimee and she helps him realize that there are more important things in life besides living in the moment. As Sutter and Aimee grow close to each other, Sutter see's how rough of a family life she has at home, and does everything he can to try to make Aimee have something worth-while in her life. The two go to visit Sutters father, who he has been detached from his whole life. When he visits and speaks with him for awhile Sutter and Aimee realize why his father is not a part of the family anymore. He is an alcoholic and would rather  flirt with the girl at the bar than speak to his own son and son's girlfriend (Aimee). He tells the two he has to give the girl a ride home because she had too much to drink, but they could take his car and wait for him back home. They waited for many hours and he never came. The two drove all this way to see him and were very disappointed in his actions. From that day on, Sutter committed himself to become a more mature and responsible individual.

"The Spectacular Now" is a coming-of-age film just like "Dirty Dancing". Sutter begins to realize there are more important aspects of life, such as going to college to earn a well paying job for the future. Thanks to Aimee, Sutter realizes he wants to be able to provide for and support his future family someday, rather than struggling with bills and being there for his children because he didn't go to college or continued to keep his drinking habits.  He wised up and became an adult thanks to Aimee. Aimee believed in Sutter and that he could change his life for the better, just as Baby wised up realizing there was more to life than trying to save the world, or run to daddy for help.
Baby grew to become a stronger individual as she started to feel her own emotions and help people around her that she cared for even if they weren't from the same class as her. Social status didn't matter to Baby. That summer when she met a different group of people who were kind people that worked very hard to get by in life. Baby was determined to make a difference in the entertainment member's lives and in return they made a difference in her life. Baby took risks for people she barely new; she helped  Penny get an abortion and Johnny with dance routine.
When Neil came in the studio and talked down to Johnny, not even allowing him to share his ideas, Baby told Johnny that Neil is just a person like everyone else, he should've spoken up to him and told him his ideas. Johnny knew he couldn't have done that or else his job would be in danger. Johnny told Baby that she just doesn't understand. I don't think Baby understood how it was either. Coming from a higher class she doesn't experience how some of her same people talk down to lower class individuals. Johnny reverses the rolls and gives Baby a lecture on fighting harder. "I don't see you fighting so hard, running up to your daddy and telling him, 'I'm your guy'." Baby responds, " I will tell my father. It's complicated. I will tell him." "I don't believe you Baby. I don't think you ever had any intention of telling him ever."
Baby ends up standing up to her father.

 "You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break, but you meant everyone who was like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world but you meant by becoming a lawyer or an economist by marrying someone from Harvard. I'm not proud of myself but I'm in this family too and you can't keep giving me the silent treatment.There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought but if you love me you have to love all the things about me. I love you. I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry daddy, but you let me down too."

 Johnny tried standing up to Baby's father but he gets shut down. However he does stand up to all the guests at Kellerman's at the final show. Even though he was fired, he returns for one last word and a final dance.

"I always do the last dance of the season. This year somebody told me not to. So I'm going to do my kind of dancing with a great partner, whose not only a terrific dancer, but somebody whose taught me that are are people willing to stand up for other people no matter what it costs them. Somebody whose taught me about the kind of person I want to be."

Both Johnny and Baby made a difference impacting not only their own life and views but others as well. Those around them were impacted on how they should treat others and how they should go after what makes them a happier and stronger human being. These two characters showed courage and a sense of maturity fighting for self-worth, and a sense of equality within a community.

13 Going on 30 (2004)

A 13 year old girl plays a game on her 13th birthday and wakes up the next day as a 30 year old woman.
-IMDb

In this film a 13 year old girl named Jenna is an unpopular girl who wishes she could be a part of this clique at school. She is desperate to do anything it takes as she wants to fit in. She has this dream of being 30. In a fashion magazine she runs across a heading, "Thirty, flirty, and thriving" and she wishes to become 30. She wakes up the next day and her wish became a reality. Clueless and totally innocent, she is not prepared to be that age and hold so many responsibilities. As she was a very high end fashion editor in a magazine she discovered she wasn't very nice to others who worked under her. Jenna starts to notice how people fear her and she wishes to change her ways and be nicer to those around her. Jenna wants her dorky friend Matty back in her life since we was kind to her and a true friend. As much as Jenna wanted to be popular as a teenager, she grew up to realize that if being popular meant being mean to others and talking down to them, that she didn't want to partake in that label. Baby does the something similar in Dirty Dancing. She goes out of her social class norms and reaches out to those who are not as privileged as her to help them out. Baby realizes there is more to life than having money and fixing things. Baby discovers the importance of relationships and the power of close bonds with others to have them notice how special each of them are and what they are all capable of doing regardless of social class. 


Here are some other movies that are considered 'coming-of-age' movies as they all have a variety of individuals that come from different classes, and in the end all come together realizing that they aren't so different and don't have to act so rude to others. Being nice all around makes more people like you and well accepted as a human being. 

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) 
Mean Girls (2004)
The Breakfast Club (1985) 

 
Work Cited:

"The Spectacular Now." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.

"13 Going on 30." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.

"The Devil Wears Prada." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.

"Mean Girls." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.

"The Breakfast Club." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.

Personal Synthesis+Feminist Analysis

Class Related Materials and Discussion for Topics related to the film:
Social class level is very important at this resort. When it comes to food and wardrobe the two are distinctly different. The higher class has an abundance of food, so much left over that they are to throw it out. Baby feels guilty about it and wishes she could send it to SE Asia to the underdeveloped countries who don't have much food. While others in the resort don't seem to mind the fact they are wasting food, that's just a matter of life. The entertainment staff isn't as fortunate when it comes to food, they don't have a ton to choose from. They showed 3 big watermelons for all of them. The higher class wears more reserved with fancy dresses and business suit attire with dressier casual clothing compared to the lower class wearing barely any clothing that is more revealing and tighter fitting to show off their bodies.

Upper class:
Like the Upper Class Privilege handout we recieved in class, there are many more advantages to having more money. Like I mentioned in my Multimedia Connection, Sutter from "The Spectacular Now" followed the example of, "I can give my children an inheritance so their road is easier than the road of others". Another example that many ofthe Upper class individuals seem to care to notice is, "I have the freedom to overlook the feelings of others regarding my lack of feeling/awareness."
Baby is a higher-class individual that has big dreams of making a difference in the world as she wishes to join the peace corps and help underdeveloped countries. She is a more reserved girl while her sister Lisa doesn't know what she will accomplish in life. Baby says, "Lisa's here to just decorate the world."
Other characters such as Max and the waiter staff at Kellerman's are also wealthy and come from more privileged families. Max orders Bobby around to get the Baby's family's bags and he talks down to the entertainment staff. Max tells the waiters to give the girls everything they want, even the dogs, just to take good care of them and show them a good time but when the entertainment staff comes in, he ensures them that they will do what they are paid to do, teach dance lessons, they aren't to go any further.
Neil thinks he's pretty great since he's in hotel management. He's very arrogant as he says, "I'm kind of the catch of the county".
Robbie, as he is referring to knocking Penny up states, "Some people count, some people don't." He really thinks he is something special. It was his decision to sleep with her and now because she got pregnant he doesn't want anything to do with her and he have any empathy to help her get out of this mess. Penny thought he loved her, that's the only reason she slept with him. Robbie is a conniving man who uses his wealth to get women and then ditch them when he gets bored or something does't go right.
Lower class:
When Baby gets the money for Penny to have an abortion, she's in shock. "Is this kid for real?" Then when Johnny says, "It takes a real saint to go ask daddy." Penny gives the money back to Baby and says she can't accept the money. Johnny responds, "What are you doing Penny? Take the money." Penny seems like she really values Johnny's opinion and has a lot of pride in accepting what has happened to her and earning her own way to where she needs to be to get out of this mess.
Johnny is a very sensitive man. At first he seems pretty macho and negative towards Baby. "Little Miss.Fix it, would you do that? Would you take time out from Simon says to do this? You can't do it, you can't dance." However we see a different side of Johnny later as he takes full responsibility for Penny and does anything he can to keep her safe. He even tells her, "If you're in trouble, you come talk to me. I'm here for you." We don't see too many people having that much dedication towards others in the higher class. They all care more about themselves it seems. Johnny's sensitive side opens up when him and Baby sleep together. He talks about women throwing themselves at him, how they smell so good and it happens 2-3 times a day different women slipping their room keys into his hand. He's scoring big but he thinks, 'they wouldn't be doing this if they didn't are about me right?' Johnny started to feel used so when Baby came along he could tell things were different with her. He started to realize how love felt and what it meant to really feel appreciated and accepted. When he was with Baby he felt like a somebody instead of a nobody. The difference in class didn't matter that summer at Kellerman's.
Coming of Age:
Baby has sex with Johnny which is part of coming of age. She talks about waiting for someone special, just like our class discussion of young girls pledging themselves to their fathers and wearing purity rings. It's not quite that strict in this case but it's along the same lines of waiting for someone you have strong feelings for. Baby tries to talk Lisa out of wanting to have sex with Robbie because she knows how bad of a guy he is after he slept around with Penny and then didn't want anything to do with her. Baby was looking out for Lisa trying to keep her safe from getting hurt by a man who just sleeps around.
Stereotype:
Robbie is an example of a stereotypical man who sleeps around with women and does whatever it takes to get them to fall for him and want to sleep with him then when they are done he ditches them all together and doesn't want anything to do with them. He doesn't take any responsibility for his actions
Gender equality:
The women in this movie could be considered to have less value compared to the men. I noticed how there aren't any women employed in the summer staff at Kellerman's besides Penny as a dancer. And when women are in the picture they get much say in things. The men usually do the talking. The men have more power over the women. Jake offering Baby to help Neil. Neil bragging about being a laddies man. Robbie telling Lisa she can keep dreaming, that she won't get an apology. We talked about power and equality in the book "My Year of Meats", John and Akiko have a relationship where John devalues Akiko and talks down to her like he is so much better.