Some Like It Hot Analysis

Billy Wilder’s 1959 classic comedy called Some Like It Hot subverts the commonly accepted social norms regarding gender identity. It portrays two men dressed as women in order to escape a mob after witnessing the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. Shortly after, they join an all-girl jazz band. Moreover, the two male characters (in disguise) involve themselves in relationships with members of both a man and a woman, further challenging the gender norms. Some Like It Hot is one of the first movies to portray homosexuality and redefine masculinity. Undoubtedly, the premiere of the farce caused some confusion among the public (and was banned in certain places at the time), yet nowadays it is considered as one of the best comedies ever made.
The movie

Her dress would not create such a stir nowadays, as most celebrities wear sheer, extremely revealing clothing in public. If the script had been written in 1929, the women would most likely wear simpler more modest clothing and we would probably see more women in suits, yet the portrayal of the “flapper” look was quite accurate. Then again if the action was set later, we would probably notice changes not only in the clothing but also in the behaviour of women. The women in the jazz orchestra showed us a very unique perspective on modern femininity in that era. The act of drinking and smoking in the train was supposed to demonstrate the image of an independent woman opposing the traditional gender norms, which is associated with the suffrage movements that emerged in the 19th century. However, these actions are not so unconventional - throughout the century, cigarettes acquired a more meaningful overtone associated with the “Torches of Freedom” movement, which encouraged women to smoke as a symbol of emancipation and gender equality. According to the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association cigarettes represented “rebellious independence, glamour, seduction and sexual allure for both feminists and flappers.” Once again, by the 1930s everything became traditional and conservative, and such movie would never make it onto the big