Don’t you…forget about me…Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t!
In this reprise of episode 23, Tracie takes another look at the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. This classic Gen X teen movie passes the Bechdel test and explicitly names the prude-or-slut trap of female sexuality. It also treats Claire and Allison like prizes for the boys in the film and assures the audience that we’re not so different from each other–by featuring a cast that is entirely white, cishet, thin, and able-bodied. The romance between John Bender and Claire have the sisters unpacking the difference between being prickly to protect a soft underbelly and just being mean, and our current stage of life has us looking with greater sympathy at (some of) the parents in the film.
Sounds like your earbuds and my earbuds should get together and listen to this podcast.
CW: Discussion of on-screen sexual harassment, evidence of physical abuse, and suicidal ideation.
We are Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls.
We both have super-serious personas in our "day jobs." No, really. Emily is a Finance writer who used to be a classroom teacher. Tracie writes and consults on social justice and mindfulness and works as a copywriter and project manager for non-profits. If you really need to see the bona fides, please visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com
For our work together, what you need to know is that Tracie is older (3 years), Emily is funnier (by at least 3 percent), and we're both hella smart, often over-literal, and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love movies and tv, science fiction and murder mysteries, good storytelling with liberal amounts of dramatic irony, and analyzing pop culture for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, and whatever else we find there.
Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video version, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon.
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