I think that if (usually) the woman felt comfortable saying "no, sorry this isn't what I want right now" without potentially deadly consequences, then just reading the room would be a more realistic option. Men would have to be ok with rejection after making a play - some are I'm sure but we don't know which ones those are.
That's why I feel the issue is so nuanced. It would be nice if it were simpler, and if women didn't need to fear for their lives in these situations so much of the time.
Well, it's interesting when you have a chance to frame this in a larger context, that being a massive franchise stretching across decades. Because in the scene, he is physically crowding her, conquering her. He wants to subsume her.
And over the course of the movies, that's what he does, throughout a lifetime. She gets sick, becomes a plot device to inspire Rocky in part two. She's barely in three, and by the fourth film, she's lost confidence in her man, not sure if he can win. The movies credibly suggest that, as the doting wife, as Rocky's accessory, she's unhappy. Somehow she dies before him despite the varied headshots he's taken over the years.
So in the moment it's a clumsy seduction, sure. Except that it becomes a blueprint for how the series would treat her. And how many men would treat women, cowing them into taking a backseat role, first in their seduction, then in their domestication, followed by their irrelevance and death. I had a girlfriend too who didn't mind Rocky's come-ons in that scene, so I know the sentiment is common. But part of the allure comes from the seductiveness of the familiar -- the idea that a man would protect a woman as long as she fit within a certain prescribed gender role. Fine for some, not for all.
Maybe I'm a little ignorant to be addressing this without the context of the broader franchise. I admit I've still only seen the first and can't speak to a lot of your point here. It might make for some more interesting analysis to see how this dynamic progresses. I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.
Regarding the comfort in the familiarity, I think that's spot on. The familiarity/protectiveness aspect is so strong that a lot of female viewers miss the red flags entirely.
I think that if (usually) the woman felt comfortable saying "no, sorry this isn't what I want right now" without potentially deadly consequences, then just reading the room would be a more realistic option. Men would have to be ok with rejection after making a play - some are I'm sure but we don't know which ones those are.
That's why I feel the issue is so nuanced. It would be nice if it were simpler, and if women didn't need to fear for their lives in these situations so much of the time.
Well, it's interesting when you have a chance to frame this in a larger context, that being a massive franchise stretching across decades. Because in the scene, he is physically crowding her, conquering her. He wants to subsume her.
And over the course of the movies, that's what he does, throughout a lifetime. She gets sick, becomes a plot device to inspire Rocky in part two. She's barely in three, and by the fourth film, she's lost confidence in her man, not sure if he can win. The movies credibly suggest that, as the doting wife, as Rocky's accessory, she's unhappy. Somehow she dies before him despite the varied headshots he's taken over the years.
So in the moment it's a clumsy seduction, sure. Except that it becomes a blueprint for how the series would treat her. And how many men would treat women, cowing them into taking a backseat role, first in their seduction, then in their domestication, followed by their irrelevance and death. I had a girlfriend too who didn't mind Rocky's come-ons in that scene, so I know the sentiment is common. But part of the allure comes from the seductiveness of the familiar -- the idea that a man would protect a woman as long as she fit within a certain prescribed gender role. Fine for some, not for all.
Maybe I'm a little ignorant to be addressing this without the context of the broader franchise. I admit I've still only seen the first and can't speak to a lot of your point here. It might make for some more interesting analysis to see how this dynamic progresses. I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.
Regarding the comfort in the familiarity, I think that's spot on. The familiarity/protectiveness aspect is so strong that a lot of female viewers miss the red flags entirely.
Thanks so much for the comment!