Sexuality In The Dressmaker

Myrtle Dunnage was exiled from the town of Dungartar when Steward Pettyman mysteriously died. She only returned twenty-five years later to assume caregiver of her ailing mother, eventually making dresses to please the towns people so they would stop the accusations that she killed Steward Pettyman (Moorhouse, Jocelyn). NEED SOMETHING ELSE HERE. The film The Dressmaker is progressive in many ways in which, the representation of strong female lead character and the denunciation of toxic masculinity. However, it also did not move away from traditional ideals of femininity and masculinity. Throughout the film, femininity has made some small advances towards modern day culture in a progressive manner. Sexuality as defined by the Oxford Living

The movie can be considered progressive in the sense of masculinity because it brought to light to the issue of cross-dressing. Sergeant Farrat grew fond of Tilly and her work with extravagant fabrics. His flamboyance tended to enhance the progressive nature of the character. Farrat’s experience cross-dressing was beneficial as it showed that he was ahead of his time and allowed others around him to be exposed to something they may have believed was wrong. The example of sergeant Farrat is progressive in masculinity because a man in a position of power doing something that is not considered to be masculine such as loving exquisite fabrics and dressing like a woman is considered bold (Inness, Sherrie). At the beginning of the movie he is timid about his cross-dressing but by the end he is unapologetic and walks out to be arrested in a glamorous matador outfit. Another example of how the film portrayed progressive masculinity is that the film situates the viewer’s moral judgment of Mr. Almanac and Mr. Pettyman to be critical of their actions and how they used their masculinity as power to abuse their wives. Ultimately the oppressed killing their oppressors, all they needed was a little push from Tilly to take charge of their