How does sport reflect the tensions between tradition and modernity, or the masculine and the feminine.
Which character do you most identify with? Why?
I think the film, by portraying Jessie and her sister in such polarity, and aligning one with tradition and one with modernity, was very progressive in some ways, and not so progressive in other ways. In one way, the film was progressive in that both women "achieved their goal," and that the less traditional woman was glorified over the more stereoypically feminine sister. But on the other hand, it still portrayed sports as something outside of and in contradiction to femininity/tradition. The film upheld a lot of stereotypes about women and sports by placing the sporty women in such a strict category separate from the rest of the women.
Ultimately, I think the film still had an empowering message. But I also think that images of women, particularly non-stereotypical women, have to be extremely coded in mainstream cinema, and that perhaps the strong oppositions/antagonism built up in the film are a result of that coding.
Maybe it's because i'm a title 9 baby, but i don't think there's anything unfeminine about sports. Especially in that film. Whenever they'd score a goal they'd hug and scream and dance, just as you'd expect from women. I really appreciated that aspect of the film, because they never lost their femininity. I loved the part after the championship game when they were all dressing Jessie and playing with her clothes. It was really cute and showed how they were a TEAM and helped each other out. It's not like any other sports film where there are men and there's always this conflict about some guy getting a big head because he's better than everyone else. They never lost the sense of TEAM throughout the film, even when Jessie and Jules were fighting. (that, in and of itself, would NEVER happen on a men's team, by the way)
I didn't really identify with anyone in the movie except for the fact that Jessie's family looked at her as "unfeminine." I get that a lot, but that's mostly because all my friends growing up were boys and i like playing with my car. :)
I found the dynamic between Jess and her guy friends in the park to be very
interesting. They knew she was talented, and welcomed her playing with them,
but they still felt the need to poke fun at her gender and her ability to play
(as determined by her gender). Could it be a part of everyday ribbing (which
I think we can all agree is a very common male behavior)? Could it be in response
to the emasculation she represents by her presence and her ability?
-Which character do you most identify with? Why?
I'm not sure I identify on any personal level with any of them. The film _made_
me identify with Jess, but that was because Jess was the main character and
so was given the most air-time (and the most chances to create empathy with
the audience). But beyond that...
I don't think I really identified with any of the characters, because I've never had to do something that was totally and unquestionably against the values or traditions I was raised with, nor were my parents completely lacking in understanding about a choice I've made, nor have I ever experienced any ethnic prejudice, aside from being called a gringa in Mexico. I have as many issues as the next person, but I've never experienced anything relating to those in this movie.
I identify very strongly with Jules. First of all, my mother always wanted me to be girly whenj I was off the field. All of her criticism toward Jes I recognized as things I was told growing up. At the same time, I had a supportive father like hers. In addition, I had the "lesbian" stigma on my head with my parents. The amount of alienation experienced between her true self and her parents is all too well mirrored in my more sporty days.
Which character do you most identify with? Why?
I think that one of the palpable ways in which sport reflects the tensions between
tradition and modernity is regarding race. --especially in the United States,
which is where my orientation and frame of reference is largely based. Tradidionally
because of the US history of slavery, and objectification, most (and to a large
extent exclusively) the only place where black people historically could obtain
success or recognition was either as an entertainer or as an athelete. This
tradition of exclusion from professional sport is similar to the exclusion that
the father experienced in 'Bend It Like Beckham.' I have been trying to think
of the reason why I am still bothered by the black presence in professional
sports, when the players are making top dollar for their ability talent and
skill. What I have come to is that even though there have been major advancements
as far as segregation based on race and gender, that there are still 'major
hurdles' to overcome as far as the coaching, managing and ownership of sports
teams. Also, because this inclusion comes from a place of being intentionally
kept out (either by gender or by race), and from a history of oppression, there
can never be full equality from historical inequality. At least not in my mind.
As far as I'm concerned, if you are 'let in' after the formation of or inception
of something, then even though there might be access to similar or the same
resources, the fact that it was not formed for you will always be present in
the doing of the thing.
Anyway, my favorite characters were the older Indian women, and the people at the wedding party. As a visual artist, I think that the colors, costumes, and cinematography of the wedding scenes were the most beautiful to watch. I liked some of the scenes with the team practicing, but I think that they could have been orchestrated more interestingly, and there could have been more engaging camera work.
But I don't really feel like I truly identified with any of the characters. Not that I didn't empathize with them, but I didn't feel any real connection with one in particular. Actually, to tell you the truth, the character I identify the most with might be the Indian girls who were sitting by the side of the field and commenting on the hot bodies of the guys who were playing soccer without their shirts on. :)
Both Jess and Julie are passionate about playing soccer-and don't see their participation in gender terms yet their frinds and families relate to their participation through the lens of gender and in the case of Julie's mother, sexual orientation. Why does sport heighten the conversation re: gender and orientation for women and not for men? Are there other places in society this happens?
I think the gender/orientation question shows up for women in sports because sports are/were seen as a male pastime. It's like an equation: "If man does not equal woman; if man equals sports; if X equals sports; then X equals man."
man=sports
X=sports
X=man
If the X happens to be a diminuative blonde named Chloe, then by the equation, Chloe must be a guy.
But if X (our Chloe) has all the female parts attached, then there has to be some other male factor involved -- either she's not really female, or she's a lesbian, the more butch, the better. The equation doesn't hold up to real scrutiny, but I'd bet a box of doughnuts that it is (or at least, was) the first thing that ran through many people's minds.
The equation goes the other way, of course. Stick men into a traditionally female-oriented equation, and you get the same results. For instance: "If woman does not equal man; if woman does equal house decorating; if X equals house decorating; then X equals woman." But if you have a guy who decorates professionally, then I bet the first thought through many people's minds is going to be, "Is he gay?"
Which character do you most identify with? Why?
Sport reflects the tensions between tradition and modernity because of the tensions between masculinity and femininity. If women had played sports throughout history, there would not be the tensions between either of these things. They are very related. I think just getting a higher education is something that in some places (i.e. rural america) isn't very feminine, so I can identify with Jess in that respect. And I don't think that her and her sister were two different poles, Jess was still definitely interested in romance and things, she just was also concerned with other things instead of being so focused on just that.
Both Jess and Julie are passionate about playing soccer-and don't see their participation in gender terms yet their frinds and families relate to their participation through the lens of gender and in the case of Julie's mother, sexual orientation. Why does sport heighten the conversation re: gender and orientation for women and not for men? Are there other places in society this happens?
Sport creates this conversation for women because it's traditionally considered "masculine." A man would be evaluated in much the same way if he went into fashion or interior design because that's considered "feminine." I think the questions of sexual orientation are overlooked for men in sports because a male athlete cannot be admittedly gay, much like in the military. Just as questions of sexual orientation wouldn't be looked at if a woman went into a "feminine" job like fashion design or something.
I think Kat had a GREAT point. Even as I was reading her comment about a man being a decorator, I must admit that I was thinking "Well gay men are decorators..." But, I think that this is kind of obvious even in just the title of the film: Bend It Like Beckham, not Bend It Like Betty or Brittany... Jess's role model throughout the entire film wasn't even a woman, it was a man. I think that this is very significant. It shows the lack of really strong female role models in sports. Jess didn't even know that women COULD play professional football until her friend showed her the tapes of American women playing professionally.
You know, on this point, I remember this commercial for Gatorade, I think it was, where Mia Hamm was with Michael Jordan, and it was playing the song "Anything you can do, I can do better...I can do anything better than you...no you can't, yes I can, no you can't..." I think you guys know the song. And while I think that it's awesome that we ARE getting more female role models in athletics, I mean, Mia Hamm is just nowhere NEAR the level of Michael Jordan. That was a huge compliment to her, I feel like, but I think it was a reflection of society too. Because really, while Mia Hamm is a good athlete, Michael Jordan is a LEGEND. His legacy goes way beyond what ANY female athlete could claim to have at this point in time. And I think that it's very telling that while they DID run this commercial, I mean...they didn't even really HAVE a comparable female athlete. I feel like even though it was a good MESSAGE to send, they really didn't get the full force across because Mia Hamm is just not really even in the same league as Michael Jordan, I think. Feel free to disagree with me on this one, though! :)
Why the sexual orientation issue is so unbalanced, I do not know. I do know that there was a stigma for female athletes at my high school but the boys on the football team could smack each others' butts all day and all night and still be the biggest, baddest, straightest guy ever born. Did it have something to do with running into other boys? This always confused me because as a softball player I ran into a lot of girls. Did that make me straight in the eyes of my peers? Nope. The only boys to face stigma were the wrestlers, who wear spandex, get sweaty and grope each other(unintentionally). It is understandable, however, being that wresting is very Greek and Greece has a reputation about its boys. Is it just the football player stereotype that allows them to shower together and maintain masculinity? The world may never know.
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