Taming of the Clueless
As the “Taming of the Shrew” proves, the idea of women changing themselves to earn male approval has been around for centuries. In “Shrew”, the unorthodox and bold Katherine is eventually “domesticated” by her demanding husband , Petruchio. Similarly, in the 1995 romcom, “Clueless”, Tai Fraiserc, a carefree, archetypal “ugly duckling” teenager, undergoes a makeover to fit society’s standard for beauty and win over the popular boys at her school.
Though Katherine and Tai both change something central about themselves for love, the context behind their transformations differ greatly. Katherine, for one, does not willingly change to fit the mold for an “acceptable” wife, but is instead “trained” by Petruchio to do so. By contrast, Tai is influenced to change her aesthetic by her glamourous friend, Cher, who thought she had her best interest at heart.These two situations differ in many aspects, but encompass the notion of women changing in respect to the men they desire. These works reflect that the pressure society puts on women to obtain male validation has stood the test of time, and in someway, has grown more powerful as even women reinforce this sexist belief that their worth is inextricably linked to their relationship with men.
Shallow and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pyramid. She decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about her being misguided-and falls for him.
In Taming of the Shrew, Baptista, a rich kind, is determined to get his oldest, often undesirable, daughter Katherine married before his youngest, most desired daughter, Bianca, is married. The "no one wanting to marry Katherine" problem is solved when Petruchio, a brash young man from Verona, arrives in Padua to find a wife. He intends to marry a rich woman, and does not care for how she acts as long as she makes him affluent. He then goes on a mission to tame Katherine, the shrew.
In this excerpt from “Shrew”, Petruchio extrapolates on his multi-tiered plan to tame Katherine, which includes matching her wit. For most of her life, Katherine was the most daring person in the room, so Petruchio proves to her that he can match her verbal acuity. Consequently, Katherine's bold personality is dimmed when she realizes that she is no match for Petruchio’s quicker wit. This is one of several techniques he uses to make her subservient and docile. This shows how Katherine changes to please her husband, who prefers a submissive wife.
The moment when Kate's outward transformation becomes clear is when she, Petruchio and Hortensio are on their way back to Baptista's house for Bianca's wedding celebration. Petruchio tests Kate by saying, "Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!" (IV.v.2). Katherine obviously sees the sun, and engages in short banter about whether or not it is the moon or the sun shining. When Petruchio threatens to miss the feast, Kate realizes that she must aquise. Although this may seem solely comedic, it belies a significant revelation: Katharine is becoming more passive for Petruchio. The old Katherine would have called Petruchio out on his bluff, but instead Petruchio was able to coax the new Katherine into blindly believing what he wanted by reinforcing his control in their relationship.
Unlike Kate who ditches her sassy attitude, Tai Frasier of "Clueless" ditches her converses and flannel shirts to garner the appreciation of the boys who were socially acceptable to date at her school.
In this scene, Cher( far left) and Dionne( far right) help Tai change her appearance to a chic sleek look after Tai attracts a "loser" ,Travis. Travis is from the long-haired, drug-smoking, lower-class skateboarder group, which Cher explains, "No respectable girl actually dates.". Cher and Dionne thought a makeover was necessary in order to attract wanted male attention. Tai, who usually sports comfortable jeans and t-shirts, is pressured to lose weight, wear makeup, and stylish clothes in order to assimilate to higher status.
In this Scene, Elton, the richest, most eligible bachelor at school, puts his hand around Tai because he is suddenly attracted to her after her makeover. Tai seems content with all the attention she gets from guys who had never even looked her way before. Like Katherine, she had to change something fundamental (her sense of style), in order to be appreciated by men. Not only does she change her appearance, she is encouraged to do so by Cher and Dionne, who have succumbed to society's unrealistic expectations for girls themselves. They try to change themselves for men, while the male characters in the movie stay true to who they are the entire time, whether that be a weed-smoking skater or a jock with a murky understanding of consent. The men felt no pressure whatsoever to change for the women, which is emblematic of a discrepancy in society.
In conclusion, "Shrew" and "Clueless" reflect the idea that society pressures women to change themselves for men. Specifically in Clueless, the protagonist is indoctrinated to believe that her new friend needed a new makeover in order to attract the most popular boy at school. This goes to show that not only does patriarchal society reinforce this notion, but women also reinforce it in themselves.
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