12 Classic Movies That Got Away With Problematic Scenes
1. "Did She Put Up A Fight?" - Grease
There’s actually quite a bit wrong with Grease.
The obvious scene is the ending, where Sandy changes everything about herself to appeal to Danny. There would be some salvation if there was a tone of empowerment to the scene, but instead it’s a very basic ‘I’m a bad girl now so please be my boyfriend’ vibe.
It’s difficult to argue Grease ‘got away’ with this though; it’s frequently brought up to criticise the movie.
Fans have even constructed a theory that Sandy in fact dies in the ocean during her first scene, and the whole thing is a coma fantasy as she slips away, hence why the car flies off at the end.
This aside though, there’s a much worse scene that even now passes most audiences by. During ‘Summer Nights’, one of Danny’s friends asks of Sandy ‘Did she put up a fight?’ while getting info on the girl.
Basically, ‘Did you rape her Danny? We’d all be okay with it because you’re so cool’. While the line doesn’t necessarily need to mean rape in the most violent sense, it’s clearly indicative of the ‘70s no means yes culture.