Analysis Of Sexual And Gender Culture In 1970 America On The Basis Of Rocky Horror Picture Show

Abstract

Sex is the rare thing of human's common lust, which is as important as eating or sleeping. We cannot ignore it which is human nature. In 1970s, people would not talk about sex or gender identity too much in closed society. But The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) crash and refresh the society by its special subjects, such as science fiction, transvestite, transsexual. This essay examines the sexual and gender culture in 1970. In order to investigate the sexual and gender culture, the sexual revolution, female liberation and queer right will be considering. I will explore relationship between the America's sex politics and the sexual and gender problem at the time. The politics have protected the female or queer right? Analyzing RHPS as a classic cult movie how show the wide range sexual and gender element that breaking the boundaries of tradition and creating the sense of rebellion of audiences. What extent RHPS relates to the sexual and gender culture will be explored. With a view to explore the connection between the RHPS and the both sexual and gender culture, the present research will be on three part: the costume style that how to influent audience's dress, the characters of movie represent the role the sexuality or gender and story world of the film.

Introduction

Firstly, have you emulated the scene of movie acting or dress like the movie's star after watched a movie? The Rocky Horror Picture Show can make audience being crazy to follow like a religion. RHPS is the most well-known classic cult movies which is framed in the style of 1940s and 1950s science fiction B-movies which was directed by Jim Sharman, but it is a failure movie too. While the movie was released in 1975, it doesn’t get that successful as the British musical stage production: The Rocky Horror Show (RHS) which write by Richard O’Brien as well. Mainstream audience didn’t love it and take it seriously, they through it is the costume is so immoderate and the plots is ridiculous. RHPS move to last night theater to start mid-night movie's legend after one year. People have been watch the movie over and over again to make RHPS achieve a new high way in cultism. Why some people will love RHPS? That is might they were attacked by its unholy hodgepodge of bizarre characters, genre parody, and queer sexualities.

While I first time to watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the movie was stunning and attract me. I cannot image that the movie in 1975 can make it so fantastic. No doubt this is an avant-garde movie. However, I want to find out the background and the deep meaning of the RHPS.

My purpose of this essay explores did the Rocky Horror Picture Show influenced sexual and gender culture including sex revolution, female liberation and queer right during the 1970’s in America or British. To investigate the sexual and gender culture, the sexual revolution, female liberation and queer right will be considering.

Let's describe a short history of sex revolution. In 1960s, sexual revolution, women liberation and queer right was beginning, it's a social movement that challenge the traditional ideology of the sexual and changing the attitude of the female and moral to sex. Also, the invention of the birth control pill in the 1960s helps women enjoy the experience of sex and freedom all the time when they take the pill. In 1970s, the first Women's Liberation Conference was hold in United Kingdom. They can loyal to their sexual need and sex drive, wife swapping parties were going be common, people were more open their mind of casually sleeping around.

As the historian Steven Seidman stated, the 1960s and 1970s experienced a shift in intimate culture in which public discourse and representation advocated the separation of gender from romance and love and attempted to legalize gender. For happiness and play, self-fulfillment and expression do not take place in a monogamous, loving relationship. In order to explore the problem of sexual culture, America' sex politics will be considered. America is a democracies country but also is the male hegemonies. Female cannot get the same right in USA.

The relationship between RHPS and sexual revolution, female liberation and queer right are so important. RHPS explore the sexual repression, sexual liberation and sexual revolution, also including homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexuality, etc. In the RHPS world, it blurs the limit line of the gender, all of the LGBT people is normal, on the other hand, being heterosexual is abnormal. All of that concept of the RHPS is upside down world which is opposite of the real world. Peary said that “assert that Rocky Horror is 'a movie that cannot be discussed without mentioning fans' and describes the film as 'the ultimate audience to participate in the movie’ and characterizes the movie as the ‘ultimate audience participation film’”. Audience is the one the important impact of the essay. RHPS offers a place that audience can express themselves. The present research will be exploring the RHPS's costume style that how to influent audience's dress.

The characters of movie represent the role the sexuality or gender will be investigate. In RHPS, everyone represents the role of sexuality, such as Frank-N-Furter is a transsexual which represent that sexual revolution, Brad Majors is a heterosexual which represent that sexual repression, Janet Weiss is a woman represent that sexual liberation. The theory of the film is the most thing we should be consider, one commentator, Simon Fanshawe, wrote of the film, “The mantra of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was 'Don't dream it, be it, ' and it hit the G-spot of the sexually omnivorous and opportunistic 1970s. "Don't dream it, be it" is the most meaning of the movie that they want bring out. Everyone can be the person you want, but don't just think about it, you have to be it. Tim Curry who act Frank-N-Furter can do it, he created a strong muscle man be his sex monkey, he have sex with everyone he want, he is a self-serving, sexual deviant hedonist, who lives only for pleasure and excitement.