Old Hollywood on Gender Expression

In Susan Sontag’s endearing but haphazardly written Notes on “Camp”, she states; “The most refined form of sexual attractiveness… consists in going against the grain of one's sex. What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine.” Sontag made a case for androgyny and non-conformist gender expression, which is evident in many old Hollywood stars, who were the embodiment of Sontag’s writings. Specific leading men and women of the Old Hollywood era rejected gender roles and gave the world a peek into a more sexually liberated future.

Katharine Hepburn is a prime example of embracing the masculine. She often challenged what it meant to be a woman, even stating in a 1981 interview; “I have not lived as a woman. I have lived as a man.” She was determined to cast herself in a masculine light, which she expressed through her loose-fitting suits and the attitude she put forward. Hepburn took full control of her career when most women were deprived of such power, which is seen in her success single-handedly bringing George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story - her comeback film - to the screen. She was a strong advocate for the tomboy in a time when women could be arrested for wearing pants or ‘masquerading as a man.’ This exploration of masculinity in women is both rousing and charming, teaching women that they don’t have to adhere to the restricting and oppressive societal expectations.

James Dean is hailed, to this day, for being so effortlessly in tune with femininity. In both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, Dean gave deeply emotional performances; he screamed, he cried, and his line delivery bordered on melodramatic. When he rose to stardom, it was one of the first times that a man was allowed to explore the full range and depth of emotions without it being played for laughs. Dean’s persona is still imitated today by the men who turn to him for inspiration. What made him so intriguing for women, specifically, was how he redefined masculinity by embracing the feminine, challenging 1950s America’s beliefs of what it meant to be a strong man. In his own words, “Only the gentle are ever really strong.” He showed, through his layered characters, that to be a well-rounded man, one must be willing to explore femininity.

Greta Garbo, unlike either Hepburn or Dean, leaned towards the androgynous, bridging the gap between masculine and feminine. This was seen as more alluring than Hepburn’s almost mannish way of carrying herself by audiences of that time. She effortlessly straddled between male and female, captivating men and women alike. Garbo appealed to women, especially lesbians, due to the fact that she intentionally didn’t try to appeal strictly to men; her beauty was universal and not solely for male consumption. She was mysterious, with her deep voice and hooded eyes, due to her lack of conformity and refusal to fit in a box. The mystery, stemming from her enigmatic gender expression, was fascinating and turned her into an icon for men and women who did not want to toe the line.

Funnily enough, Jane Russell and Rock Hudson - two actors that personified what it meant to be a woman and man of the 1950s and 1960s - fit into the category of unconventional and unorthodox gender expression. Russell leaned so heavily into the feminine, through her sensuality and sultry charm, that her well-crafted persona bordered on flamboyant and performative. Hudson,  the ideal American man of the 1950s and 1960s, did the same but with his masculinity. With his square jaw, broad shoulders, and captivating screen presence, he was able to so effortlessly mold himself into the unattainable status of perfection. Russell and Hudson were a perfectly manicured fantasy that the public could aspire to, which made them all the more liked and fawned over.

Old Hollywood actors taught viewers many lessons about gender expression. Actors like Hepburn, Garbo, and Dean rejected traditional gender roles to the point that they forced traditional audiences to look at the world through a new set of eyes. Russell and Hudson on the other hand, embraced gender roles so extremely that they were able to achieve a godly status in the eyes of movie theatergoers, proving that perfection is nearly impossible. There is a distinct beauty in all of these forms of gender performance and non-conformity - which all these figures participated in by taking gender expression to such extremes. They served as chief examples of the liberation and pure bliss that comes with exploring one’s self.