Bend It Like Beckham Multiculturalism

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Jess' capability to attend her sisters wedding then play a soccer game for the Harriers and then attend her sister's wedding again. Throughout history, sports have been considered an aspect of masculinity. However, Bend it Like Beckham takes this thought and refuses to acknowledge it. In actuality, it proposes that women are consummately equipped for contending in sport and that it is entirely acceptable for them to be apart of it. All through the film, viewers watch the Harriers play impressively. Early in the film, three of the boys Jess is playing with in the park ridicule of her after she has fouled. One of them asks, “Who does she think she is,, Beckham or what?” Another looks to Jess and speaks to her in a sexual manner while fondling …show more content…

First, it is safe to say that the film sends a message of assimilation to the English norm, which is what saves Jess. The other area where Bend it Like Beckham limits multiculturalism is in the depiction of “Indian culture” by reducing it to food, music, and marriage, causing it to seem as if they are only occupied with issues surrounding food and weddings. This can be seen as a stereotype since it does not offer a deeper sense of the culture. Bend it Like Beckham also supports a third limitation for multiculturalism, which is that it is often seen to be a cure for racial imbalances. The film also backs up culture clash theorists saying that difficulties immigrants face when assimilating, the issue comes from the immigrant’s ability to adapt, and not from racial inequalities that comes from the culture’s view of outsiders. Jess does this towards the end of the film at the final soccer match when she left her sister’s wedding to play in the match. She becomes fully English by leaving her sister’s Indian wedding without trying to mesh the two into one, as well as when she accepts her scholarship to the United States instead of going to India or even trying to live both identities

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