Boys don´t cry

Hello everyone, today I want to talk about movie called “Boys don´t cry“. First of all, I should tell you that I am sociologist, so that´s why I chose this kind of movie, where you can see the reality of society... 

This movie is about girl who was behaving as a man, in this movie people can see how society accept homosexuals, transvestites, etc., (or not accept). So on the one hand, according to the thoughts in this movie we can talk about gender sociology. And also how people “doing genders”.  On the other hand, we can talk about feelings like love, horror or hatred.

Doing gender has analytically distinct products: the formation of a gender identity, by which people view themselves as masculine or feminine. It is also includes learning and doing gendered rules that apply to most roles we will perform or encounter, as we talk, manage our appearance, and otherwise signal to others that we are feminine or masculine.

So people do genders all the time, while they are working, studying, in public places – everywhere, but also doing gender does not mean that person has to be a boy to behave as a boy, or does not have to be a girl to behave as a girl. In society there are other kind of people group, who are homosexuals, transvestites, etc., it means they  are also doing genders in other way, for example, girl behaving as a man (like in a mentioned movie).

When watching this movie I was trying to imagine how I would behave if one morning I would wake up as a boy. So it would be totally different: I would not spend such a long time in front of mirror to get ready, I would not need to walk elegancy and behave as a lady anymore and also I was thinking that on the one hand

(I am not talking about man better work opportunities or woman being oppressed by man) it would be really hard, because man has to fight all the time with others because of women’s’ attention or trying to show themselves as stronger, cooler or more powerful. And this exactly happened in the movie when Teena’s friend cut her hair, she dressed up as a boy and then she “woke up” in a different shoes, in a different gender, in a different life.

Teena not even changed her name to Brendan, she also changed all her life style. She became different person – she became man, who has to fight for himself or take care of girls, unfortunately Brendan was not able  to take care even of himself, he always get himself in to troubles  and this continues all movie. He is really unsuccessful person.  There is a question why? Why he is so unsuccessful? In my opinion it is because of the way how his mind works and how he build his life: steeling, always problems with police officers, alcohol, being really keen on night life and also – unsuccessful people around him. Also society does not like traitors and on the one hand, he was traitor to them people (he was lying about who he is), also people do not like different people and Brendan is definitely different. To make it more obvious I can use such a good example: ugly duckling story. No one accepted him, because he was different. It happen exactly the same to Brendan, unfortunately in the end he did not exchange as a beautiful “swan” he was killed by his friends. 

Therefore, love is really important thing in this movie as well. Despite the fact that Brendan was lying even to his lover about being different person after that when she found out that he is not, she still stayed with him, she did not turn her back to him or did not start to hate him, she accepted him the way he is. Despite the fact that everyone around him were trying to stop him, she did not, she was trying to do everything to help him and safe their relationship. So I think it is really important to mention how much feelings can change the world. Love can make people blind. Because of this feeling called love people can change everything in their lives.

I strongly believe, that the main idea of this movie is love, but not usual love, it is a complicated love. It is also about being different than others, about sexuality, and about society being intolerant. About society who has no clue what means to be open minded, and also about less incomes peoples’ lifestyles. This movie shows dirty world, dangerous world, all in all –  the real world.