How Does Billy Elliot Create Gender Stereotypes

Billy Elliot Topic: “Societies often create gender stereotypes that set impossible standards for men and women, leading to unhappiness, loneliness and possibly violence.” How apparent is this problem in English society of 1984, as seen in the film, Billy Elliot?

Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions, which people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image about what people in that group are like. For example, in the Billy Elliot, Jackie Elliot had to work in the coal mining to make his son’s dream a reality. His social ranking diminished in importance and son’s dream increased in importance and priority for him. Therefore, stereotypes are defined as fixed impressions, exaggerated or predetermined
This refects back to the movie, Billy Elliot. The father of Billy is regarded as a conventional man with anti feminist views. He believes that boys should be tough whereas girls should be more docile. Throughout this film, Jackie Elliot is characterized as a widowed father, grieving over the recent loss of his wife. This movie has an underlying theme of grief which plays a huge role in Jackie’s view of the world, including gender-based perceptions and how these beliefs support his behaviour and projection as a father towards his son. The movie set in the early 80s projects people who do not follow the social norms. They are therefore taunted against, whereas, in today’s society, people are much more independent and tend to value each other’s opinions and beliefs. Billy Elliot had a dream which was ballet; it is how he persevered towards his dream. Billy was not afraid to fight all obstacles, which he encountered on his way, and was victorious in the end. It was not easy for him to do what he wanted and not to follow the social “norm” and to do the opposite of people in his neighbourhood, who had different customs, and to even defy your own family. Billy never gave up attaining his dream, because this was the only