Dahling,
Since movies began, there has always been this fun play of masculinity and femininity, and the interaction—or dance—of the two. I think that’s at least one reason why Flashdance deserves a serious view.
(That rhymed—
Whew!)
When I was a young girl, Flashdance quickly became iconic for me. It was a woman growing into her power and following her dreams. The main character Alex, played by Jennifer Beals, was tough and pretty, sweet and sensual, feisty and focused. All the things I wanted to be and saw inside myself.
On paper, in a script, I can imagine that the character of Alex could have seemed somewhat flimsy, somewhat cliche. Perhaps, with a quick read, Alex appeared to be simply a man’s daydream of a woman. In the 80’s, during a changing political climate and new attitudes about women, this movie that captures and pursues a loving gaze of the female form may have appeared tricky and hard to pull off, just as it would be tricky to make today. We’re all so politicized about what is acceptable, how people are going to respond, who we’re offending or not offending.
Yet Flashdance works so well—for me at least—because Jennifer Beals fills all the gaps. She embodies the character deeply, and becomes a full range of feminine energy. Sweet. Sensual. Angry. Sticking up for friends. Living in art and movement. Always finding where the line is between unique and cliche, hopeful and cocky.
Because Alex isn’t going to date the boss until Alex finally decides to date the boss. Alex has a standard that dancing can be sexy and feminine, but she’s never going to do it nude, for cash. And if Alex loses her temper because you haven’t given her the right level of respect, or because she’s young and reactive—well, she’ll get right back to her welding job wearing a hard-hat and heavy boots. She lives in Pittsburgh. Things need to get done, and winter is cold.
This year the film Flashdance is 40 years old. In the 21st century, we are once again in a changing political climate with questions about gender and sexuality. What is masculinity? What is femininity? And while so many people are exploring gender on the outside, we don’t know yet as a culture how to talk about gender in healthy, un-politicized ways, on the inside. What is sexy? Can a person’s body—especially a woman’s—be filmed with dignity and allure in a mainstream movie, without being anti-feminist?
Phooey to all the political correctness. This movie is just sensual and fun.
Flashdance, for me, is a story of a girl who doesn’t have privileges, and has to fend for herself. Her strength is her grit and knowing her body.
And let’s just recognize Jennifer Beals is beautiful. She plays the character in the manner of classic Hollywood cinema, where women were always speaking up in ways that both shocked and attracted men. Alex’s lover never seems repelled—only intrigued. The character of Nick forgives Alex her fiery temper—takes the slaps and the broken windows, and still buys her flowers without seeming like a chump. (How did the actor Michael Nouri pull that off so well? I’d call it gentlemanly class—whether Alex deserves it or not.)
Aside from the love story of Flashdance, dancing in movies is important, and it is a place more movies need to go these days. We are all becoming more conscious beings, and while we have been taught that it is our intellect and brain that determines our worth in society, our bodies are the structures that hold our energy field. Regardless of what we think or believe, whatever stories and narratives we create, our energy body is the one that attracts and repels experiences to us.
So many ills in our society could be avoided if we knew our bodies without shame or fear—as networks of wisdom sensors—rather than shutting down our emotions to play a game of the mind, to achieve things. This is why dancing is such a healthy thing to do. It wakes up our fried nerves. It helps us sense again. It releases the toxins. It embraces the feminine shakti nature inside us all. And both the dancer and the watchers enjoy authentic human expression without language.
Alex, in Flashdance, has not learned to dance with another just yet. She is a solo journeyer. She has a story to tell, messages to send with the music and the lyrics of other women like her: tough girls with heart.
But 5, 10 years later? I wonder what Alex would be doing. I wonder who she would meet. And regardless of whether she has found the right partner on stage or off, I’d still like to watch her dance in cool clothes.
Cha cha cha,
Ms. Wonderful
You can rent or buy the movie Flashdance on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube and Redbox. But some streaming service should be making the film free for the 40-year-anniversary. Can someone call a person and share what Ms. Wonderful thinks?