There are worse things I could do
Betty Rizzo is the best character in Grease
Before we get to our regularly scheduled programming, I wanted to give y’all a heads up that Worriers has a THING coming next week that I’m really excited about and that I think anyone who listened to ska/punk in the late 90s will get a kick out of. Stay tuned!🕴
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I’ve written before about how films that are either about music or are straight-up musicals had a big impact on me as a kid. There’s a lot that I look back on now and realize I picked up quite a bit, even as a young kid. One movie I haven’t mentioned yet, somehow, is the classic 1978 musical Grease. If you haven’t seen the movie, you probably won’t understand a lot of what I’m about to say. Sorry?
Let me get it out of the way now that yes, I know it’s a misogyny-ridden and 1000% white film. John Travolta plays a complete piece of shit, and everyone just needs to leave Sandy the fuck alone even if she does make an awesome greaser at the end of the day. I would not tell anyone to let children watch this movie, because on top of all that, they treat consent as a complete joke.
Despite all of that, I would argue that the one redeeming factor of this movie - aside from the killer songwriting - is the existence of Betty Rizzo, played by Stockard Channing. She was always my favorite. Let’s review:
She wears all black when all her girlfriends wear pink
She has short hair, but it’s not gigantic and permed
She drinks and it’s somehow not a problem
She smokes (it was cool then, I think it’s gross now, but you get it)
She has sex and not just with Kenicke
She is sorry for none of it!
She’s the only character with true depth and sings a whole ballad “There Are Worse Things (I Could Do)" about how she hears the rumors about her, but at the end of the day she isn’t about to act like her sexuality is a bad thing.
I do wish she’d lay off Sandy, but for a movie that’s full of slut-shaming, I can’t really blame her for swinging in the completely opposite direction.
In closing, this is what inspired my upcoming print of the Pink Ladies - I’ll let y’all know as soon as it’s available. I just wanted to draw another tough broad and show my total adoration for Stockard Channing. Let’s go get ‘em!
If Grease isn’t your thing, I have another print here where all proceeds go to Fair Fight, aka the badass org fighting voter supression, founded by Stacey Abrams.
This week’s fun stuff:
I’ve talked about my process with Bullet Journaling and more recently the app Notion, and through all of it no one told me about the Hobonichi Techo planners. I feel a bit betrayed. I’m currently trying to justify the purchase but it looks amazing.
Sister Wives just started another season! I don’t really watch reality TV at all, but if you’re fascinated with the alternative family style and don’t really want to hear about the religious part, this show is for you.
Speaking of religion, I just started watching It’s a Sin about the AIDS crisis in the UK from the perspective of a group of young friends, and I’m excited to see where it goes.