Viewers rewatching Grease are shocked as they brand it 'sexist', 'homophobic' and 'misogynistic'
Viewers rewatching Grease have been left shocked and branded it as 'sexist', 'homophobic' and 'misogynistic'.
We all know the cult-classic musical that has pretty much never left pop culture since it first hit our screens way back when in 1978.
While many of us first watched the movie as kids, teens or even young adults - it appears that people are only now just realizing the many problematic elements of it.
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In case you need your memory jogged or just fancy a bit of cinema nostalgia, the romance flick centers around the likes of Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) who indulge in a passionate love affair with each other.
They part ways over the summer vacation believing they will not see each other again but fate has other plans as they are brought back together at Rydell High School where the drama begins.
Featuring a smash-hit soundtrack featuring tracks like 'Summer Nights', 'You're The One That I Want', and 'Greased Lightnin' - the movie went on to take home a whopping $396.3 million.
But now, some 45 years later, people are highlighting some pretty major issues with the script, plot, characters, and general themes.
People are flocking to social media to share their gripes with the film, with one X user hitting out: "I use to watch this movie so much growing up and it's been a while since I've seen it and it's all I remember it to be and more [...] and by that I mean misogynistic, homophobic, and just a gross culture of toxic masculinity, rape culture, and pedophilia."
"Rewatching Grease for the first time in years and realizing how problematic it is," a second shared.
A third echoed: "Sorry I loved Grease when I was a kid, however, it's just too problematic these days."
A fourth mapped out their own 'breakdown of how Grease is sexist af'.
They went on to reference a handful of examples including: "The drive-in movie scene where Johnny pretty much forces himself on Sandy [and] how Sandy is bullied into changing herself for a guy."
The lyric 'did she put up a fight?' during 'Summer Nights' was also referenced alongside the fact 'everyone lowkey hates on Rizzo because [sic] she might be pregnant'.
A final user echoed: "I loved Grease as a teenager, now I see it as a pile of misogynistic c**p."
Newton-John has previously addressed such claims that the movie was misogynistic back in 2020 during an interview with The Guardian.
When asked about whether her character, Sandy, becoming more 'stereotypically sexy' was a 'celebration of sexism', she referenced the context with which the film was set in.
Newton-John explained: "It's a movie. It's a story from the 50s where things were different. Everyone forgets that, at the end, he changes for her, too. There’s nothing deep in there about the #MeToo movement.
"It's just a girl who loves a guy, and she thinks if she does that, he’ll like her. And he thinks if he does that, she’ll like him. I think that’s pretty real.
"People do that for each other. It was a fun love story."
Topics: Film and TV, Social Media, Twitter
Rhiannon Ingle