STUDY GUIDE – BILLY ELLIOT
LANGUAGE AND GENDER
This movie takes place during a miner strike in 80’s Britain, during Thatcher’s government.
Billy lives with his father, Jackie Elliot, his brother, Tony Elliot, both striking coal miners, and
his senile grandma, Nan. Billy’s mother, Jenny, died in 1983.
1. In this movie, there are four main male characters which contribute to an interrogation of
masculinities. Pay attention to these characters, what characteristics of hegemonic
masculinity do they try to represent? Fill in the chart.
CHARACTER FEATURES OF HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY
He showed rejection of men who dance ballet
(because it is a women’s dance), he forced Billy to
practice boxing (because it is a men’s sport),
Jackie Elliot (Billy’s father)
indifference towards women, he treated Billy as a
sissy or queer when he discovered that he danced
ballet.
He showed haughty traits when it comes to impulses
of implicit superiority, he despised Billy for being a
dancer, he was also detached from his brother
Tony Elliot (Billy’s brother) because “men do not relate to other men”, he was
estranged from his grandmother also indifferent to
her and he tried to humiliate his brother by dancing
ballet.
He forced himself to practice boxing to appear to be
something he is not, he prevented others from
realizing that he practiced ballet to avoid teasing and
Billy Elliot (Main character) abuse from his father and friends, perhaps possibly
hiding his feelings for a friend, he sneered at the
sight of his friend dressed as a woman and also acted
strangely when a partner tried to hug him.
On a few occasions he displayed male stereotypical
Michael Caffrey (Billy’s best friend) behaviors, at one point he teased Billy when he
realized that he was dancing ballet.
The film challenges masculine stereotypes. Which are the masculine stereotypes shown and
how are they challenged?
The main challenge is that in the middle of the atmosphere of the film, a boy
manages to be a ballet dancer and even more with a family with such deep-rooted
male stereotypes. Two boys are presented giving each other a kiss on the check, there
is also a boy who dresses as a woman, and Billy’s conviction towards his father
when dancing ballet. Billy’s father manages to break his prejudices and supports his
son and at the end of the film, the acceptance by the older brother and his father is
shown together while they see Billy performed as a dancer.
2. Billy, Jackie, Michael and even Tony undergo a masculinity crisis in the movie. What are
the problems these men face that show a masculinity crisis? What does the view of
masculinity in the film match the view of masculinity in society today?
Jackie sees his son dancing in the gym with Michael, he feels that his feelings for his
son are larger than his stereotypes of masculinity. Billy's dad begins to strive to make
his son can fulfill his dream in London, Tony replaces in the household chores to his
brother, which is difficult to conceive at the beginning because he was very male.
Michael shows her affection to Billy, breaks the stereotype that children can only be
affectionate with girls, at his adult stage Michael is shown as he is. Billy also showed
his affection to Michael, at a time when another child who danced ballet tried to hug
Billy he tried him as sissy and did not let him go, which totally changes to the end.
3. To understand gender roles, it is necessary to place them into perspective with the opposite
one (men vs. women/women vs. men). What role do women (Mrs. Wilkinson, Debbie,
Jenny’s ghost and Nan the grandma) play in this movie in comparison to the roles of men?
Billy's mother is presented to him in the home environment, this happens from the
conception of the woman with the role of housewife. Mss. Wilkinson who is the
teacher is a rough woman with little sensitivity to children, she does not show
rejection of Billy dances but has no tact with him either, and she is a woman of
strong character. Finally Debbie is a woman who presents herself as "easy," offered,
she likes Billy but she decides to opt for the role of the one she is looking for, since
she wants to be close to Billy.
4. Why are Billy’s brother and father prejudice against his learning ballet? Which other
examples of prejudice do you find in the movie?
Mainly because ballet was considered a dance for women, therefore whoever
practiced it would be a woman too or considered a fag, when the boy who also
danced ballet tried to hug Billy, he accused him of a fag because men do not hug
each other among them. But, later Billy would hug his father euphorically when they
arrive to visit his mother in the cemetery. Billy's brother cooking, is a role that would
be given exclusively to women. Dressing as a woman is not acceptable, who dresses
as a woman is not a man. When Billy tried to take a ballet book from the library, the
librarian prevented him from taking it because it was not normal for a child to take
such a book, clearly a macho role.
5. What is the role of Michael – Billy’s best friend in the movie? What could Billy’s kissing
Michael on the cheek before he leaves for London signify?
Michael breaks male chauvinist schemes, he is outside the stereotype of masculine
boy, and he is everything what a boy is not expected to be in a hegemonic masculine
society. When Billy kisses Michael on the cheek, he does it out of gratitude and
showing his sincere friendship because Michael was always with him, he was his
support.
6. Pay attention to Tony, Billy and Jackie’s physicality at the beginning and at the end? Does it
change? How? Why?
At first, Billy was hiding and hesitated to dance ballet, he tried to reject the dance,
but after he started dancing he felt more secure, when his dad started supporting
Billy, Tony felt that influence and at some point when Billy left Tony yells at him
almost crying that he misses him a lot, he also decided to give in, they were
compassionate and changed. They ended up realizing that ballet was not only for
women, they accepted the three that judging because of social prejudice was wrong
and began to see the world different, in the end it is reiterated with the presence of
Tony and Jackie at Billy's dance.
