More on 'My Fair Lady'

Our local graffiti commentator has once again attacked the mural of Sugar the dog on the railroad bridge near the West Hampstead Thameslink station. Not long after their previous vandalism was repaired, this thought bubble appeared. Someone thinks they're cleverer than they actually are.

After yesterday's post, in which I criticized the sexism of "My Fair Lady," I got to wondering whether I had completely missed the point of the movie. Obviously Henry Higgins is supposed to be a sexist buffoon, and his depiction is supposed to emphasize the ridiculousness of his sexist condescension. Apparently "Pygmalion," the George Bernard Shaw play upon which "My Fair Lady" is based, is actually very pro-women. For me, the problem with "My Fair Lady" was that Eliza, although resentful of Higgins' domination, returns to him in the end -- spurning both another young man who loves her and her own independence. It's assumed that she winds up with the much older Higgins romantically, something that apparently doesn't happen in "Pygmalion," although even in "My Fair Lady" they're never shown embracing or kissing so it's a bit ambiguous.

I did some reading, and it turns out there are several opinions. One says that "My Fair Lady" is a somewhat progressive movie with an admittedly problematic ending; another says it's misogynist even as it ham-handedly attempts to rebut misogyny; another speculates that Higgins -- a bachelor whose closest friend is another like-minded man, is gay. It's all pretty fascinating. A lot of people have given this a lot of thought!

I'm sticking with my sexist verdict.

Yesterday was pretty low-key. I cleaned the house thoroughly, wiping down the mantelpieces and the windowsills, cleaning the bathrooms and under the microwave, and vacuuming Dave's chair, which had accumulated an impressive quantity of snack food detritus in its crevices. Last week I took our blankets and bedding to the cleaners. So we're spic-and-span around here.

Olga went out with her dog-walker, Kim, and even though it was raining she came back suspiciously dry. I'm choosing to believe Kim (who is a man) dried her thoroughly before letting her back in the house, but Dave joked that she'd merely spent the time riding around in Kim's van.

Dave was planning to make a pie, so I pitched for pumpkin -- I thought he might even like to try it from scratch. He eagerly embraced the idea, but only if he could use pre-made pumpkin puree, and that's fine too. He wound up having to wait, though, because he forgot to buy sweetened condensed milk. So that will hopefully be coming later in the week.

Meanwhile, we're back to work today. Dave is ending his period of self-isolation and remote teaching (following a positive Covid-19 test from the sister of one of his students a few weeks ago) and returning to the classroom. Ah, routine!