Hormones are nuts.
Hitting puberty is often compared to a roller coaster…but people pay money to ride on roller coasters, while no one in their right mind would pay to go through the pimples-and-crying-and-anger-and-restlessness-and-growing-pains of puberty.
In Grease, our main characters have been taken over by raging hormones. To make matters worse, they live in the 1950s, when changing bodies, safe sex, and consent are never talked about.
Questions about Sexuality and Sexual Identity
- Is Sandy's sexy makeover at the end of the movie only skin deep? Or has she changed her wholesome ways? What about Danny? Has his boasting attitude changed, or is he only being quiet about his sexual exploits for Sandy's sake? Does it even matter?
- How are the similar attitudes of the characters similar to sexual attitudes of teens today? How are they different?
- Why do all the T-Birds talk about sex, then criticize Danny for "pick[ing] a chick over his buddies"?
Chew on This
Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?
Sandy's wholesomeness doesn't directly affect Rizzo in any way, yet Rizzo still dislikes it and tries to change Sandy.
Rizzo dislikes Sandy's wholesome demeanor because Sandy conforms to the gender norms of the 1950s—norms which Rizzo is trying to challenge.