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Molly & Me

Last night, I was hesitant to read Molly Ringwald's article in her current day form, a feminist, mother and former child-star. I was worried about how she'd change my view of John Hughes. Someone who I always felt "got me," much more than my parents. Death, crimes and sordid behavior have stripped many of the icons of my youth away, but it dawned on me, the thing that has taken the most away is myself. I'd like to call it growth, age, experience, but then I'd have to ask myself the question I'm asking myself now, having read Miss Ringwald's piece.

If I can still love these movies while appreciating the fact that Mr. Hughes sometimes painted familiar pictures that were part of the problem, why can't we all? The major flaw in The Breakfast Club is that Bender gets the girl. It's not a flaw because it's not realistic, it's a flaw because, in the fairytale ending, Bender is the bad guy. Even The Geek's letter explains they'll go back to who they are, or even worse, who adults view them as. So maybe that lesson is lost, Miss Ringwald is right and these aren't movies to be hailed as being perfect, because of their perfect representations of our flawed society. A culture of demeaning women isn't only taught at home, but in those pieces of art, we cherish, even teach in schools. Most outsiders related to Bender. The final shot, his fist pumped in the air, triumphant in his conquest, despite never treating Miss Ringwald's character with an ounce of respect, even possibly assaulting her in one scene, is the point of the article.

Do we owe it to our next generation to point out the flawed system or allow them to recognize it? Hughes, for all his magic, his ability to present realism, fell into the "boys will boys" excuse for everything from sexual harassment to rape, with the female characters often taking responsibility. I'd be lying if I were to tell you that Miss Ringwald's article changed my views because while reading it, I realized there had been aspects of each movie that adult me felt uncomfortable with. It made me more uncomfortable to realize who I once was.

I grew up in the "Would you say that to your mother?" generation and I'm realizing today, decades later, that very line of questioning is indeed the problem. Why should one's mother be treated with any more or less respect than the woman on the bus, walking down the street or the one you're lucky enough to have a relationship with? John Hughes masterfully pointed out who we were and humanized our quirks, flaws, and failures, but he failed in one sense because he normalized the behaviors that caused them.

Miss Ringwald's viewpoint is different from mine, for obvious reasons, but I respect her, #MeToo and all women who can accept truths, but demand change. Who can be comfortable with our flaws, but demand we change them. The next time I watch Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club or any of the countless John Hughes classics, it will be from a different perspective and my only fear is how I'll feel about younger me, someone I'm already having a hard time remembering.

Below is a link to Miss Ringwald's wonderful article

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink

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