source: IMDB
I sensed it was a rite of passage.
Like my special viewing of The Breakfast Club before it and getting to stay up for It's a Wonderful Life on the Christmas Eve of my fifth grade year (the year I knew for sure that Santa wasn't real), my introduction to Dirty Dancing was one of those moments when I knew my parents were ready to let me grow up.
I remember my mom asking if I wanted to watch it. I remember feeling special. I remember the couch we sat on. I remember where the TV set was. I remember feeling uncomfortable watching a sex scene (albeit, a very TAME one by today's standards) with my mom in the room. I remember loving the movie ... and that I'd been given the opportunity to watch it.
Mind you, I came from a household in which The Fresh Prince of Bel-air was off-limits for being too risqué. I had to sneak my soap opera watching. The most exposure to sensuality I'd experienced prior to watching Dirty Dancing was a sixth grade read (and re-read) of Judy Blume's Forever. Even with Dirty Dancing under my belt (pun!), I was still legitimately shocked during my senior year of high school when half my friends revealed they'd slept with their boyfriends on Valentine's Day ...
Still, it's a sexy movie isn't it? Despite being a story of a somewhat illegal love affair (Johnny's got to be 20-something, right?!), it's mesmerizing. Timeless. Why? Because it's the archetypal story of a girl awakened to more. It's the story of a guy enchanted and confused and made sensitive and strong as a result. It's a story about courage and change.
Jennifer Grey's smile makes you believe in the delight Baby's experiencing.
Plus, Patrick Swayze. I mean, COME ON.
And that soundtrack? #knowthewordsbyheart
Then there's Detective Lenny Briscoe ... #justsayin
And lastly ... CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE! That junk is my kryptonite.
The point: Ladies, Dirty Dancing is on Netflix. Grab a glass of wine and get on that.