The 1980s were a time of change for many women around the world. The fight against sexual stereotypes imposed by the media, art and advertising of previous decades is starting to become stronger. People are starting to realize that beyond the basic rights of women, such as voting and education, achieved by early feminists, there still exists a deeply entrenched patriarchy. This social structure still generates inequalities and hierarchies that benefit men. For this reason, women's sexuality and their right to their own bodies, as well as abortion and contraception, enter the debate. In this essay, two of the most iconic dance films of the 1980s will be analyzed and compared. Both Dirty Dancing and Flashdance address the theme of gender, which encompasses the ideas of feminism, femininity and female sexual liberation. The idea of ​​the hypersexualization of the female body by the “male gaze” will also be explored. To support the arguments of this essay, I will use sources from dance and film studies, such as Laura Mulvey's “Film and Visual Pleasure” In Film Theory and Criticism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Flashdance tells the story of Alexandra Owens, a beautiful young girl who works in a steel mill by day and gives exotic dance performances at a local bar by night. She does this to finance her dream of becoming a professional dancer. One night, Alex's boss at the steel mill, Nick Hurley, sees her dancing at the bar and is attracted by her sensual performance. He tries to approach her, even following her in the car, to seduce her. However, she continues to reject his advances. Eventually, after much persuasion, Alex and Nick begin dating. However, they soon start having problems. Alex realizes that Nick, behind his back, has written a letter of recommendation to the dance academy he aspires to enroll in. Alex doesn't like this, as he wants to achieve his goals through his own diligent work. For this reason Alex spends a week at home, without going to work either in the steel mill or in the bar. However, she is shocked when her best friend Jeannie resigns from her job as a bar dancer to go work at a competing strip club, having abandoned her dreams of becoming a professional figure skater. Additionally, his mentor Hanna, an old woman who was once a dancer, sadly dies. After fighting with her pride, she decides to go to the dance academy audition. She fights the fear of failure and proves that she won't abandon her dream of becoming a dancer. Flashdance was an instant hit when it was released in 1983. Alex's unconventional personality, sense of style and electrifying dance sequences attracted millions of people. of the girls. They aspired to be like her. On the other hand, Flashdance also attracted young boys and men. Not because of Alex's personality, but because of his athletic body in the highly sexualized dance sequences. They aspired to have it. Flashdance, although based on a true story, was written and directed by men. This ultimately influenced how he portrayed his characters. The female characters are looked at from a predominantly male gaze. The “bad look” is a feminist theory discussed by Laura Mulvey in her essay "Film and Visual Pleasure". This theory invokes the sexual politics of the gaze and suggests a sexualized way of looking that empowers men and objectifies women. In the "male gaze", the woman is visually positioned as the "object" of heterosexual male desire. The feelings, iWomen's sexual thoughts and impulses are less important than their "framing" for satisfying men's desires. As Mulvey herself wrote: “The concept of the male gaze holds that Hollywood defines the female body as a form of erotic spectacle that plays on and signifies male desire” (809). This theory can easily be applied to many aspects of Flashdance, especially dance scenes. The first choreography of FlashdanceThe scene in which Alex performs at Mawby's Bar illustrates the theory of the “male gaze”. In this scene, the camera lingers on her sweaty, athletic body as she dances energetically, while the predominantly male audience watches her. It can be argued that this scene was made not only to attract teenage girls with the exciting performance, but also to excite men. These scenes may be problematic for viewers, as they may promote unhealthy standards of beauty for women and objectification of the female body for men. Chris Jordan, in his essay “Gender and Class Mobility in Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance.” makes an interesting point about the “male gaze” in Flashdance. She argues that Alex's character may support the myth that women's only purpose is to be looked at by men. This myth could be harmful, as it “encourages women to view their appearance as a source of power and to base their self-worth on their ability to attract the male gaze.” (9). Flashdance was widely marketed as a teen movie. It was designed to appeal to teenage girls, but the sexualized visual subtext was created to seduce men. Dirty Dancing, like Flashdance, is also considered one of the most iconic dance films. However, its narrative and characters differ greatly from those of Flashdance. Dirty Dancing tells the story of idealistic teenager Francs "Baby" Hausman and her wealthy family as they spend the summer at a lakeside resort. Here, Baby is immediately attracted to the charming dance teacher Johnny Castle, who comes from a drastically different background than hers. The boy discovers that Johnny's dance partner, Penny, has an unwanted pregnancy. Baby then lies to his father to lend Penny money to have an illegal abortion. Because of this, she must take her place as Johnny's dance partner. While practicing for the dance routine, Baby and Johnny fall in love. Problems begin when Penny becomes seriously ill after the unsanitary abortion procedure. Because of this, Baby calls his father, a doctor, for help. After saving Penny, he finds out what Baby has been up to and with whom. He promptly forbids her from associating with “those people”. Baby rebels against his father's commands and goes to Johnny's cabin to apologize for his rude attitude. In her cabin, Baby confesses her feelings for Johnny and decides to initiate their first sexual encounter. After someone accuses Johnny of theft, he is promptly fired from the resort. However, he returns to the resort's annual talent show and gives a speech about Baby. He tells her how much he respects and admires her and that she should never be backed into a corner. The film ends happily, and as the summer is over, Baby continues with her life plans to change the world, without being held back by anyone. In her essay on 1980s cinema, The Time of My Life, Hadley Freeman, describes Dirty Dancing as “one of the greatest feminist films of all time” (Freeman 2). The Guardian columnist talks about what he felt, as a pre-teen, while watching Eleanor Bergstein's classic. She, like many others, was so excited by the choreography, by Patrick Swayze and by the "dirtiness" of the film, that she didn't pay attention..