By Cassidy Augstein
Drama, fitting in with a crowd, and rebellious teen culture circulate the hallways of Rydell High, the cinematic high school which is brought to life in the movie Grease. In fact, these characteristics pop up in many high schools across our nation today, which is why the movie remains a fan favorite almost 50 years later! The film follows Sandy, a sweet and proper girl who spends a romantic summer with Danny, a guy who seems just as sweet – until she transfers to his high school and discovers he’s the leader of the Thunderbirds, a rough-and-tough gang of leather-wearing boys. As in any film, clothing plays an essential role in telling the characters’ stories and expressing their vivid personalities through their fashion choices. The fashion in Grease gives us insight into the characters’ minds, revealing their identities and insecurities while also highlighting the gendered double standards regarding the pressure they face to fit in.
Before we go any further, why does this movie still matter anyways? While it is hard to ignore the obvious flaws we can now recognize in our modern lens, like the lack of racial diversity and varied sexual identities, and an abundance of jokes about sexual assault, Grease still offers something universal: trying to find yourself in high school and expressing that identity through your clothes.
When Danny and Sandy meet at the beginning of the movie, it is summertime on the beach. Bright blue waves crash against the white sand, and two young people with voluminous hair chase each other around, giggling and splashing in the water while the sun shines behind their bodies. Danny is wearing a crisp blue button-up shirt, paired with straight blue jeans, while Sandy is wearing matching khaki shorts and a blouse, with a white sweater overtop. These outfits both show soft, neutral tones, also reflecting the calm, romantic atmosphere of the beach. By complementing each other in their clothing as they become physically closer – flirting, laughing, and staring deeply into each other’s eyes – we can understand that they are beginning to fall in love.
Once their honeymoon phase is over and the lovebirds have to go their separate ways, their outfits suddenly contrast to show us the distance and differences between their personalities. They meet again at the beginning of the school year, and Danny’s entire look has changed – he’s now rocking all black with a leather jacket like the rest of the Thunderbirds. Still, Sandy goes right up to see him, only to be brushed off by a rude, demeaning man-child who cannot even believe that she is talking to him. When she calls him out, he snaps back with, “What’s a matter with me, baby…what’s the matter with you?” trying to shift the blame. This moment sets the stage for the rest of the movie – Danny is constantly torn between his feelings for Sandy and the need to keep up his bad-boy reputation, which conflicts with her good-girl personality.
Danny’s leather jacket is much more than a fashion choice – it’s a shield. It helps him perform the role of the carefree, confident leader of the Thunderbirds, even if it means also shielding himself from his feelings. Later on, Danny decides that he wants to exchange his leather jacket for a letterman jacket since Sandy is attracted to sporty guys. Despite his (weak) efforts, he is clearly uncomfortable with his new look. This conflict between his outer appearance and his inner feelings represents the pressure that guys face to look and act a certain way to gain societal acceptance.
While the guys must act tough, the girls face their own pressures. The Pink Ladies, the girl gang that mirrors the Thunderbirds, seem bold and free. Their signature look is made up of matching pink jackets, bold accessories such as cat-eye sunglasses and scarves, and playfully edgy clothing such as pencil skirts and fitted tops. The Ladies are far from clones—Rizzo sports a curly bob while Frenchy wears her hair in a self-dyed bubblegum pink pixie cut—but they are each skinny, sassy, and carefree in their own way. Despite their appearance, they still live within the social rules of the time. Rizzo, the leader, is confident and outspoken, but she’s judged harshly for her openness about sexuality, while the guys can brag about theirs. Meanwhile, Sandy deals with the Pink Ladies seeing her as “too good” according to their ideals because of her modest outfits and her commitment to a kind and thoughtful demeanor, contradicting the attitude and individuality that the Pink Ladies value.
Throughout the movie, Sandy’s struggle to stay true to her values of kindness, modesty, and emotional vulnerability while seeking outside approval is reflected in her fashion. Her outfits—modest pastel button-up shirts, skirts, and cardigans—set her apart from the Pink Ladies, who wear leather and bright colors to convey a sexy and sassy attitude. Sandy’s style reflects a proper image, which falls outside of the mold of a woman that Danny’s crowd expects. This is where Sandy’s struggles stem from, as she wants to be close to Danny, but her clothing creates a physical barrier between their love, contrary to the opening beach scene of the movie.
One of the most iconic scenes in Grease is Sandy’s final transformation. She shows up at the carnival in tight black pants, a fitted top, big curls, and red lipstick – a complete turnaround from her usual sweet look. The reactions around her are instant. The girls are shocked and impressed, while the boys can’t take their eyes off her. For the boys, she suddenly fits the mold of someone worth paying attention to.
Even though Sandy dresses like this to impress Danny, she also embraces her confidence. Before, her modest, loose-fitting, pastel clothes represented the high standards that she held herself to: being kind, upholding traditional values, and leading with her personality rather than her looks. But her new leather outfit has much more meaning than its surface-level sex appeal – it symbolizes shedding the pressure to be polite and buttoned up (both literally and figuratively). Above all, she is breaking free and claiming control of how she presents herself, while embracing her sexuality on her own terms – a power move that women of all ages love to see.
At its core, Grease is a fun and nostalgic movie that also calls out the unrealistic expectations placed on both men and women. Danny struggles with the idea that being emotional or kind makes him look weak, while Sandy’s transformation is about more than winning a guy. Dressing for anyone else but yourself is unnecessary because we shouldn’t need validation to have fun and live our lives.
While Grease has some elements that would need changing in today’s society, it definitely gets people thinking about the ways men and women are expected to act and how much pressure there is to fit into certain roles. These topics are why this film is still relevant to us, because figuring out who you are and how you want to be seen will never go out of style.
Works Cited
Grease. Directed by Robert Kleiser. Paramount Pictures, 1978.
Cassidy Augstein (she/her) is a senior at SUNY Cortland graduating in May 2025 with a degree in Early Childhood/Childhood Education. She is a co-founder of Emblaze! She currently lives in Albany, NY, and will be pursuing a Master’s degree this fall in a related field.