Dirty Dancing with Ellen Steele
Jennifer Grey’s character of Baby in the 80s iconic film Dirty Dancing was a revelation writes the Guardian’s Melissa McEwan and in re-watching this classic movie for this episode I whole heartedly agree. I remembered this movie for the swoon worthy Patrick Swayze, the corny but brilliant soundtrack and that lift at the end. In the re-watch I discovered frank, feminist and funny dialogue that while unfolding on a cheesy back drop of the Catskills in the 60s was absolutely ahead of it’s time. During lockdown in Melbourne I rang up my wonderful pal Ellen Steele who is a teacher and educator, a mum and an avid reader of all things pop culture to dissect Dirty Dancing and talk about our approach to raising girls. A chat with El is one of my favourite things to do because she is always across everything I want to be reading and finds equal joy in discussions of parenting dilemmas to politics to the Gwyneth Paltrow’s vulva scented candles. I called her up one night in the depths of the pandemic back in August 2021 when we were experiencing so much uncertainty. Trying to work and parent and frankly survive with no real light at the end of the tunnel yet. As of Friday the 22nd of October Melbourne came out of hibernation and for the first time in a months I was allowed to venture out of my house for whatever reason I damn well pleased. So with this in mind I reckon what a fun time to do a deep dive into one of my favourite feminist movies with my good pal and now yours too, the smart, funny woman that is Ellen Steele.
