Disney May Be PG13 but Its Fans Don't Always Seem to Be
I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
So, she explained to me: Apparently when the movie came out some people were very disturbed by the shape of one of the palace's towers. It had the shape of a penis. When I heard that I couldn't help thinking "They only see it because they want to find something wrong with it. Children who just want to enjoy the movie won't see such a thing".
Now it has happened again with the very popular movie High School Musical 2. Fanfiction sites all over the internet are swarming with Chyan fics. (Chyan fanfics are stories created by fans of the couple using the characters of Chad and Ryan from the movie). This rise in this type of stories,unprecedented in fanfics for the first High School Musical movie, is due to fans twisting around the meaning of the dance number "I don't dance" featured in the movie. In this scene Ryan confronts Chad about dancing requiring as much skill as playing baseball.
Suddenly this nice scene is processed by certain older fans of the show to have more meaning than the movie features. The lyrics "I know you can", "swing it out of the park", "start swinging" suddenly have sexual double entendres that do not belong in such a movie. Of course, the twisting does not stop there. Two scenes later you see Chad and Ryan sitting next to each other and, for some unexplained reason, their clothes are switched and you can just imagine the joyful squealing coming from Chad and Ryan fangirls (and fanboys) everywhere as they try to come up with a reason. This begins the Chyan fanfic revolution as most reasons are of a dirty adult nature and feature the boys exchanging clothes as a result of lust for one another (usually upon taking a shower after the game and then coming back with the other guy's clothes as a sign of public affection)
Nowhere in the movie is it ever mentioned that Chad and Ryan could be a couple. Chad is actually supposed to be dating Taylor (the black skinned geek girl). However Chyan fans have figured out a reason for this couple: He was dating her to hide his homosexuality. It is quite easy to see how a clean children's movie is turned to something more adult by older fans of the movie. It can only be said that when people want to find double meanings, they can and will.
Published by Cloudine
I don't like to reveal too much about myself. In short though, I'm a 21 year old woman who grew up in a gaming family. I am a math major and have so far received my Associates degree. Currently I'm pursui... View profile
High School Musical is Broadway Bound!I recently attended a wonderful rendition of Broadway Bound Youth Musical Theatre Company's version of the Disney Channel High School Musical, the Emmy award winning American ma...- The High School Musical PhenomenonWhat is it about the Disney High School musical movies that absolutely has my 10 year old daughter losing her mind? I think I get it!
- What Does the Success of "High School Musical" Mean About Our Kids?If Disney's High School Musical franchise is an indication of a more positive generation to come, what types of products and services could capitalize on this phenomenon?
The Hottest High School Musical Clothing Designs by DisneyHigh School Musical is one of the hottest shows on the Disney Channel today and has an captivating combination of high school drama and musical genre the will get you hooked and...
Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Nude Photos Surface of the High School Musical StarVanessa Anne Hudgens' role in High School Musical propelled her music career and her romantic relationship with Zac Efron.
- High School Musical Gifts: What They Really Want This Christmas
- You've Seen High School Musical 2: Now What?
- High School Musical 2: Why Parents are as Crazy About it as Their Kids
- Five Gift Ideas for the High School Musical Fan in Your Life
- High School Musical and Grease: You're the One That I Want
- Disney's High School Musical: ill it Be the One that Finally Brings Back the Class...
- High School Musical 2 Party Ideas
8 Comments
Post a CommentGotta agree with Mary and Eggo on this one. That song is just loaded with homoerotic lyrics, gestures and dance moves. Which, in my opinion was a real treat. It's my favorite scene in the HSM 2 movie, and I watch it over and over again on YouTube. Wonderful dancing by both 'teams', not to mention, the song is rather catchy and makes for great listening.
I think the question is how can you NOT see the subtext there? I'm going to have to agree with the eloquent points Mary made. The first time I saw the number in question, I was nearly squealing with glee. I mean, they're practically having eyesex.
People will always read things into lyrics/dialogue/prose that may or may not have been intended to be there. I always questioned my teacher in high school when she stated, "Now, the author meant THIS when he/she wrote this book," or "This character symbolizes..." How do YOU know that? Did YOU talk to the author that has been dead for 50 years? In this case, and with any other fan-fiction, people will always develop stories that take various characters down paths that they want them to go...whether or not the original writers intended for their characters to follow those paths.
Lol, you're fun.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm just wondering if sometimes we don't imagine things that really aren't supposed to be there.
So I guess what I'm saying is: Someone go ask the choreographer/song writer if this was meant to be a "gay" song or if it's just our overactive imagination.
(BTW, the last two lines were sarcastic.)
So, I really do believe that "I don't dance" was meant to show the growing attraction between Chad and Ryan. And I appluad Disney, or whoever it was, for having the courage to put that in, that message that two guys together is perfectly okay.
ready to bat, is "I'll show you how I swing." He sings this while doing a rather flamboyent hip swinging motion. See number Two for the translation of that line.
Four, They are wearing each other's clothes after their little dance! I still don't know what Disney was thinking, or how they thought they'd explain it.
Now, as for you saying "Nowhere in the movie is it ever mentioned that Chad and Ryan could be a couple." I have the explanation. It is a DISNEY movie! DUH! They aren't going to come out and say that Chad and Ryan are a couple, or that they are even gay. Somehow, somebody was able to sneak Ryan in, but there was no way they could get away with having an out gay couple in a kid's movie!
They couldn't because e live in a time being gay is still considered unacceptable and abnormal. And, my god, what would the parents say if their kids saw gays being shown in a good light!
Or even worse, thousands of kids could be corrupted if they saw two guys kissing! The horror!
Okay, let me start out by saying that I am an older HSM fan, and that the very first time I saw "I Don't Dance" I immediately thought: "That was thw gayest thing I have ever seen!" And I did not mean "gay" as in "bad" (I cyually NEVER use the word "gay to mean anythingf negative); I meant "gay" as in "homosexual". There is no way you could NOT take the song to mean anything BUT that Chad and Ryan are both gay...for each other!
One, Ryan is obviously gay. He is the stereotypical gay guy. And whenever a guy in a movie looks and acts like a stereotypical flamboyent gay guy, he is meant to be taken as a GAY GUY, but they can't just come out and say it so they make it so completely obvious.
Two, Baseball is often used in gay innuendo. Such as "Which way do you swing?" meaning "Are you gay or straight?" Or "What team do you bat for?" meaning "Are you gay or straight?" Or even "He bats for the other team." meaning "He is gay."
Three, One of Chad's lyrics in the song, as he is getting
Very interesting. I am an older fan of High School Musical and I never thought about that with "I Don't Dance."