Why ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is Basically My Favourite Movie Ever | #ThisGirlEats

Have you seen ’70s cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show? If not, do it. Like, right now. Why? Because it’s basically the best movie ever.

Okay, so technically, technically, Grease is actually my absolute favourite movie of all time. I watched it as a kid and completely fell in love with Danny Zuko and ’50s poodle skirts and have known every word of dialogue ever since.

It’ll always be my favourite at heart but, since growing up a little, I’ve realised that a movie about how the girl has to change herself appear sexier, more promiscuous and pretend to smoke like a chimney just to get the guy to like her while, in the meantime, the only effort he’s put in is wearing a cardigan – well, it’s hardly a feminist statement, is it? 🙄

 

But an incredibly close second, and probably my favourite movie as an adult, is Richard O’Brien’s 1975 B-movie parody horror rock ‘n’ roll musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Why, you ask, has this wacky, nonsensical, corset-and-suspender flick taken up such a beloved space in my heart? Well, because hidden somewhere in between Tim Curry’s unbelievable legs is a message that never fails to resonate with me.

The movie, at its core, is all about embracing who you are. Accepting every part of yourself, be it your appearance, sexuality, desires, ambitions, and welcoming them all with open arms, sometimes with reckless abandon but mostly with an open mind and big dreams.

You see it when the fabulous Frank N. Furter bursts out in the most exceptional sparkly corset and smashes down barriers – let’s not forget this masterpiece came out over 40 years ago, a very different time! You see it when conservative couple Brad and Janet have their sexual experiences broadened and, after maybe ten seconds of hesitation, happily go along with it. You see it in the whole idea that “freaks” and “weirdos” are out there living their best lives and not caring what the world outside thinks about them.

 

“Don’t dream it, be it.” Of all the great Rocky Horror lines, that’s my favourite. I’ve even had it scrawled in a tattoo across my collarbone, I love it that much! It’s simple but to the point – whatever you want, whatever your hopes and ambitions may be, whoever you want to be, don’t just sit around waiting for the right moment, don’t just dream it. Be it.

Now, that’s a better message than sewing yourself into leather pants and getting a perm just to impress a guy, am I right? 

 

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