Greece Lightning

When I was younger (and by younger I mean much younger), I remember somebody asking me if I had ever heard of the musical, Grease. Hearing that word, I became excited, and replied with: "Of course I've heard of that, I am Greek after all!"

Obviously I had not yet learned the concept of homophones.

Now I am not only fully aware of the distinction between grease and the country, but also quite familiar with the plot of the show. Almost everyone has heard of or seen the musical, Grease, yet an astonishing number of people regard the musical as sexist and inappropriate. (But what do you expect? It takes place in the 1950's.) I will say, I love the musical, but it has its faults just like any other show. Yes, the girl tries to change herself for the guy and vice versa, but I think there's a more important underlying message that may not be as obvious: peer pressure is real, and it is insuperable.

We've all succumbed to peer pressure once or twice in our lives. Sometimes it can be a very positive influence on our behaviors. For example, if all my friends start going to the gym and persuade me to join the bandwagon, I may just turn off my Netflix show and get out of my bed for once in my life. That's healthy.

But unfortunately, peer pressure is often times not so inspiring. Underage drinking, drug usage, cigarette smoking, and more can all result from the the impact of victims' surroundings. In Grease, this negative peer pressure is seen when the girls go to Marty's house for a sleep over.

Sandy is new to the area and just wants friends to make her life more comfortable and familiar. When she is invited to the girls' slumber party, Sandy is unknowingly very vulnerable to peer pressure; she is willing, though reluctant at first, to do whatever her new friends do so that they like her. Sandy, once an innocent and naive girl, then tries a cigarette and is even convinced to get her ears pierced (though she gets sick at the sight of her blood). The girls also drink some wine. While these are normal behaviors for her friends, the activities are new and terrifying to Sandy; her demeanor changes as a result of her choice to partake in these actions.

This scene from Grease Live shows how Sandy's friends made fun of her for being reluctant and even refusing to do some of the activities normal to them:





Of course, this scene isn't the only one in the musical that deals with peer pressure. Danny must act a certain way to be a "cool" member of the T-Birds, and the Pink Ladies have their standards, as well. Basically, no movie or musical character known to mankind can escape high school cliches and societal norms. While slightly exaggerated sometimes, peer pressure does exist and is the cause of many problem behaviors in teens and adults alike.

So we can encourage people not to give in to peer pressure as much as we please, but the reality is this: societal pressures are not going to disappear for a long time. There is no real way to stop this from happening because humans are naturally attracted to activities in which their friends participate. People are wired to try to fit in and be accepted by their peers; whether this pressure is good or bad, we are drawn to the comfort of conformity.