Bend It like Beckham Culture Essay
I believe we could all agree that parents think they are right all the time. But why are they always right? Well, they’re the parents and that’s just the way it is. Not true. Parents don’t always know what’s good for you. In the movie Bend It like Beckham, Jess’ parents wanted to keep their daughter from playing soccer and dating Joe, they didn’t realize that he made her really happy.
Jess’ parents won’t let her play soccer for a number of reasons. At the beginning of the movie, Jess’ mom catches Jess in her soccer uniform. This is a problem because showing legs in front of boys is disrespectful to her culture. Her mother thinks she should be spending her
time on more important things like her culture. Her mom told Jess that she needed to learn how to cook a traditional Indian dish. Also her mom mentioned that a girl playing sports isn’t traditional and she wouldn’t be able to find a husband doing that.
Jess’ parents also won’t allow her to date Joe. Joe isn’t Indian so that makes her parents not approve of their relationship. Jess mentioned that in her culture they are not allowed to date African-American, Caucasian, or Muslim boys. Just Indians. Joe coaches Jess’ soccer team. So Joe encourages Jess to pursue playing soccer. But Jess playing soccer is the exact opposite of what her parents want. Jess’ father was finally beginning to come around to the fact that soccer isn’t that bad, until he caught Jess and Joe kissing. This of course made her father very upset all over again.
Concluding, Jess’ parents raised her in the way that they knew. All they knew was they’re culture and because she was an English teenager, they conflicted. The resolution to all of this was simple. Jess’ father confronted her at the wedding and Jess expressed to him her love for soccer. Jess’ father had the opportunity to really see how passionate she was about the sport. Which reminded him of himself. So basically all she really had to do is tell the truth.