Is "The Sound Of Music" Sexist?

Hi everyone! I hope that you are having a great day!

As a theater kid, I'm always watching shows and listening to soundtracks.

And because of the pandemic, I have been doing that a lot more.

So, I decided to watch "The Sound Of Music" again, and I was really surprised by one of the songs.

I remember watching a bit of the movie when I was younger, but I didn't remember that much.

So barely remembered any of the songs.

And while watching I noticed that one is incredibly sexist.

The song is "Sixteen Going On Seventeen".

For those who have never watched the show, in this scene, Liesel is in the woods with her "boyfriend". Then he starts talking about how she needs someone to protect and take care of her, and that's why she should be with him.

Just that itself is incredibly messed up. A girl doesn't need anyone, she can take care of herself.

Then, when she tries to get away from him, he follows her and blocks her way, not letting her leave.

This may seem like a harmless act that is shown in a lot of movies, but it's incredibly sexist.

As a feminist, I always try to teach girls that they own anything to boys and that if they feel uncomfortable they should leave. It's not romantic, it's abusive.

After a bit of hesitation, Liesel proceeds to say that she indeed needs and will depend on him.

The message that this scene is passing is horrible.

However, it could be interpreted in another way.

Spoiler alert! This next part of the post will contain spoilers!

At the end of the musical, Liesel's boyfriend almost kills her family, showing that he isn't more mature.

I think that if the show showed that in a more obvious way, showing that that song and scene intend to show how boys think they are a lot better when they aren't, then it would be fine.

But it's not that obvious, in my opinion.

Another way the song could be okay was if Liesel was singing making fun of him in a sarcastic way.

Like pretending, in a very obvious way, that she needs him.

Basically, I don't think that we should stop reenacting the show or forget about this song, but rather turning it into something feminist.

And, I understand that this musical is really old and that this scene/song made sense at the time, but it's 2020 and it's unacceptable to keep normalizing sexism.

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