Dancers and Hustlers
Flashdance vs. Working Girl
Dear Ariana Grande Fans (and other people at this party),
How much does politics get in the way of truth?
A lot. So, so much.
What remains beneath politics, ploys, gimmicks, schemes, and assumptions are human beings and the story. The true story. Being a human being, and having a story, is one of the most powerful things you’ve got.
While Ms. Cool and I started our spring hoping to focus on Joan Cusack, we have found ourselves skipping around to talk about women in general, and what it means to be a main actor or actress in a movie vs. a supporting actor or actress. Joan Cusack tends to play supporting roles, and yet she always provides much-needed comic relief or joy that adds extra flavor to a movie.
In this week’s videocast, Ms. Cool and I compared two popular 80s films that examine women and career—and the intersection of romance, sisterhood, and women’s relationship to money. While the 1980s was presenting films and female heroines (mainly white, ugh) that were more unique and “out loud” than women from previous decades, we’re curious about the ways women are succeeding and meeting their goals in these films—and if things are better now than they were.
While movies are not reality, they can at least point to healthy conversation about the realities we all face—the ways in which our stories intersect with the stories of the characters on screen.
One topic that comes to the forefront of both Flashdance and Working Girl is the dynamic of sex and romantic relationships in or related to the workplace. In the 1980s, it may have been less common for a woman to bring forth concerns about treatment from a man she felt was unwarranted or sexually suggestive. Many workplaces did not provide legal protections for doing so—or if they did, women may have been unaware of their rights. Neither of the protagonists in these films suggests she feels uncomfortable with the relationship dynamics or the imbalance of power with the men in their lives and in the workplace, but do movies sometimes lay groundwork that gives subtle suggestions about what’s acceptable and not acceptable?
How do people know what is acceptable regarding consent and boundaries, unless we have healthy models of fostering and mentoring such conversations? Film is a great place to do this, but many issues of consent are rarely addressed in environments that can guide young people toward making healthy decisions. We also see a double standard related to women and sexuality, which can result in punitive measures for women who are more outspoken, and little-to-no consequences for men who overstep a woman’s stated boundary.
Hollywood is filled with this, which is why the #MeToo movement started, and films like She Said, about Harvey Weinstein of Miramax, hoped to break ground so that more women could be protected in the film industry going forward. The movie fell off the radar and didn’t make as much money as the producers had hoped.
Before tapping into our videocast, take a look at these films that provide touchstones for some of the issues Ms. Cool and Ms. Wonderful bring up about 80s cinematic heroines.
Saturday Night Fever (1977), a much beloved film where the protagonist is a man, shows a rape scene of a woman, where men who she considers friends do not speak up to protect her or help her. (Many people don’t remember this scene from the movie.)
Last Tango in Paris (1972) is considered an erotic movie, but it involves repeated rape of the main female character, even though it can be spun as “consensual sex.” (Just ask the actress Maria Schneider, who was horrified by the way this movie portrayed her character’s relationship with the main character, Paul, played by Marlon Brando. The violation on set and in the editing and production were interwoven to disregard her feelings.)
9-5 (1980) examines women in the workplace finally taking revenge on their sexist boss, and so the 80s did begin to explore the archetype of the Working Modern Woman.
Baby Boom (1987) shows J.C. (played by Diane Keaton) grappling with her domestic responsibilities and visions for her career at an advertising firm. Can she have both? (Nay? Yay?)
In 1991, we saw a brave real-life heroine, Anita Hill, step up to address what she saw to be sexual harassment in the workplace, in her dealings with Clarence Thomas. Clarence Thomas still got his placement on the supreme court, but many women could look to Anita Hill’s outspokenness as inspiration for concerns they faced in their own problematic workplace dynamics. It at least provided a platform to discuss an imbalance and abuse of power, and women having a right to say “no,” or “I am not comfortable with this conversation.”
In 2025, women still face restrictions on their reproductive freedom, and a new presidential administration that is encouraging women have more babies, at the same time as that administration attempts to pass bills that will limit women’s financial independence.
Gosh, when are we all just going to listen to Ariana Grande and dance on Capitol Hill and get the word “woman” in the constitution, once and for all?
It’s at least a good first step, huh?
On Rose Woods TV, watch us banter and chime in if you have any ideas, responses, or good food for thought.
Hugs,
Ms. Wonderful
*OH, I also wrote this book of guidance for young women to feel good about their souls, their bodies, their spirits, their psyches. Confidence can get you 80% of the way …I suspect! (Let’s try it and see.)
And, as always, remember, “What Would Joan Cusack Do?” whenever you are faced with a challenging situation.