Gender Stereotypes In Some Like It Hot

The 1959 romantic comedy Some Like It Hot seems at first glance like a film ahead of its time. The male leads spend a majority of the film in drag, the female lead can hardly stop drinking, and it’s strongly implied that two men get married after the credits. Those plot elements seem progressive, but the movie underneath it all is actually pretty conservative. First, consider the core message: Being a man means a life of danger and hardship, while a woman can expect ease and security. As men, Joe and Jerry can’t seem to catch a break. They’re constantly poor, they cannot get a good gig, and they even get on the bad side of the mafia, just for trying to borrow a car from the wrong place at the wrong time. The mafia is so intent on killing them, Joe and Jerry have to reinvent themselves as Josephine and Daphne just to get out of Chicago safely. But then, as soon as they become women, everything is fantastic. The protagonists are welcomed to the plush traincar of the Society Sisters with open arms. They instantly get a good salary, a place to sleep, and the trust of all of the other band members. The biggest problems around are emotional ones, like Sugar’s alcoholism and her inability to resist saxophone players. Compared to the

So despite the cross-dressing, and the occasional alcoholism displayed, the film’s morals are firmly conservative. There’s no endorsement of drag-queening to be found here, just a steadfast belief in doing whatever is necessary for good old capitalistic gain; all that is peppered with men in lipstick for jarring comedic effect on the intended 50’s mainstream audience. This film is many things, but modernist it is not. The director may have tried to make some new twists on old themes, but in the end the studio produced a movie based on tried and true values that sell tickets. Like Osgood declares with only a hint of disappointment: “Nobody’s