In key moments when she confronts a problem, her first instinct is to go to her dad for help. In the first dance class, when Penny says, “When I say stop you’re gonna find the man of your dreams!” Baby is about to move toward her dad -and looks disappointed when Penny cuts in. Coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, the Electra complex posits that a girl’s initial love object is her father.īaby: “And I thought I’d never find a guy as great as my dad.”īaby shows obvious girlish affection for her dad, gushing about him and striving to impress him. In the film’s opening scene, Baby also identifies herself as a girl with an Electra complex, the female equivalent of an Oedipus complex.
Her voiceover in the opening scene frames her as an innocent living in an innocent time.īaby: “That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came…” Here’s our take on Dirty Dancing’s timeless insights into the young female experience.įrances Houseman’s childlike state at the beginning of Dirty Dancing is allegorized through her nickname: Baby. Jennifer Gray: “My character really becomes a woman and becomes aware of her sensuality.” As Baby takes ownership of her desires and physicality, she achieves confidence, maturity, and purpose. It’s a coming-of-age expressed as coming into one’s own body. Frances’ progression from Baby to woman is a symbolic telling of the heterosexual young woman’s awakening into her femininity and sexuality. What makes Dirty Dancing so irresistible? As much as we keep coming back to Emile Ardolino’s 1987 film for the iconic romance, Patrick Swayze, and, of course, the dancing, there’s a deeper meaning in protagonist Baby’s character arc that explains why this story has struck a chord for so many viewers ever since its release. Here’s our Take on Dirty Dancing’s timeless insights into the young female experience.
Frances’ progression from “Baby” to woman is a symbolic awakening into her femininity and sexuality-a coming-of-age expressed as coming into one’s own body.
What makes Dirty Dancing so irresistible? As much as we keep coming back to Emile Ardolino’s 1987 film for the iconic romance, Patrick Swayze, and of course, the dancing, there’s a deeper meaning in Frances “Baby” Houseman’s character arc that explains why this story has struck a chord for so many viewers ever since its release.
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