There's no doubt that Grease is still one of the best and most iconic musical movies of all time - everyone can hum along to the tune of 'You're The One That I Want'!
The 1950s throwback story of greasers, diner girls, and a school prom captivated audiences back in 1978, turned its stars into household names, and still finds new fans nowadays.
However, a debate has reignited on social media over whether or not the movie is sexist.
The debate over the movie's misogyny was kickstarted when actress Olivia Newton-John spoke about allegations of sexism hurled at the film by its detractors in a recent interview with The Guardian. In it, the Australian star stated:
"It's a story from the 50s where things were different. Everyone forgets that, at the end, he changes for her, too. There’s nothing deep in there about the #MeToo movement.
"It's just a girl who loves a guy, and she thinks if she does that, he’ll like her. And he thinks if he does that, she’ll like him. I think that’s pretty real. People do that for each other. It was a fun love story."
Per The Manchester Evening News, things only heated up more when the breakfast talk show Good Morning Britain aired an interview with fellow cast member Didi Conn (Frenchie), who echoed Newton-John's sentiments.
As a result of this, a large number of fans of Grease have since taken to Twitter to defend the movie's feminist credentials and bemoan the attitude of its critics:
For instance, one Twitter user wrote: "Not entirely sure how the 'Grease is sexist' debate began but I've always found the transformation to be one of the least sexist things about it. He changes too! She discovers the power in sexuality! Sandy basically has a dom awakening! I never felt like she was undermined here. [sic]"
But despite the movie's supportive fanbase, there will always be people who believe the movie is, indeed, sexist:
This debate comes almost a year after Travolta and Newton-John reprised the characters of Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson in honor of the "Meet 'N Grease" movie sing-along event.
Taking to her official Instagram account, Newton-John even shared a picture of herself alongside Travolta with her 424,000 followers.
Captioning the post: "First time in costume since we made the movie! So excited!! [sic]", the image in question shows both actors in their old costumes at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach.
