When I was eight, I'd watch the seminal 1978 musical Grease every morning before school. While the iconic soundtrack, replicable choreography and wise-cracking teens (who I thought were the coolest people ever) enamoured me, admittedly, most of the raunchier parts went over my head.
When I rewatched it as an adult, although I was just as captured by the coming-of-age tale, I did pick up on a few things (beyond actually understanding the dirty innuendos). The film is a powerful look into the misogyny, gender inequality and taboo-ridden views on sex that ruled 1950s suburban America.
In older media, it can sometimes feel like the intent is to 'laugh with' the bullies and perpetrators of these ideals — laugh alongside the Queen B, who makes fun of a less-popular girl for her size, or jeer alongside the popular guy for publically rejecting a girl because she's 'uptight'.
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It's a tired and played-out trope that doesn't really fly anymore (and for a good reason) — which is why it's so interesting to see Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies flipping this idea on its head. The series prequel puts a distinctly 2023 spin on the themes that were introduced in the original and purposefully has the audience rooting for the underdog the whole time.
The story dives into how the OG girl squad came to be, founded by Jane (who you'll pick up is Frenchie from the original film's older sister), Olivia, Cynthia and Nancy. The Pink Ladies were, in many ways, ahead of their time. They were rebellious, sex-positive, and undeniably, effortlessly cool. It's insinuated in the original film but never touched on why the group seems to be outsiders from their cookie-cutter peers.
In Rise Of The Pink Ladies, we glimpse how slut-shaming, sexism and shame bind them together — and how they turn their grief and trauma into a superpower to change how things are at Rydell High.
The show touches on intersectionality. The girls take down an assembly to make a public stance that they want to make the school "Fun for everyone". It's implied in the scene that students of colour, the LGBQTIA+ community and basically any outsiders who aren't white and conventionally attractive aren't given the best go at the school — an unfortunate reality that still hits nowadays.
It wrestles with gender dynamics amongst the T-Birds, touching on the 'boys club' mentality within the club as they reject Cynthia for wanting to join. In addition, the show touches on how a woman's sexual history can be inextricably tied to her reputation — which the school's principal proclaims "is all a girl has" and the racial dynamics that render the Latino kids outsiders.
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In 2023, audiences expect more. From the recent Heartbreak High reboot to the fantastic Swarm, we crave content that reflects and embellishes on the progression and change we're aiming for — whether that's gender and racial equality, consent and even socio-economic privileges and how they play out in environments like schools.
On top of the new original soundtrack helmed by Grammy Award-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter (that is choreographed sublimely), incredible costuming and warm nostalgia, Rise Of The Pink Ladies manages to capture where we're at with these issues today while still feeling true to the 50s setting.
Most of all, it's a celebration of the power of female friendship and how girl-on-girl hate doesn't fly anymore in an age of 'pick me' discourse. Unfortunately, we've still got a long way to go before these themes are a thing of the past — but Rise Of The Pink Ladies is a reminder of how the fight doesn't stop, even when things get hard.
Grease: Rise of The Pink Ladies streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
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