Although I’ve tried to keep if fairly under wraps I must admit my taste in films and music runs to the cheesy. There are few things that make me happier than watching Lover Come Back or The Girl Can’t Help It for the umpteenth time, and so it is with great joy I am sharing one of my favourite movies of all time with you: Gidget.
Not to be confused with the books, tv series, Taco Bell promoting dog, or Marilyn Manson bassist, Gidget is a summery, sunny story of diminutive girl surfer Frances aka Gidget and her love of surfing and surfer boy Moondoggie . I hope some of you are still reading after the word ‘Moondoggie’ because, honestly, this film is a real gem. The plot is pretty simple: tomboy Gidget goes to the beach with her bikini clad friends and becomes interested in surfing much to the chagrin of an all-male surfer gang; but the hi-jinks, appalingly bad special effects, and Sandra Dee’s effervescent performance elevate it above some of the contemporary more braindead beach films.
For one Gidget is no eyelash batting jitterbug despite being played by the squarer than square Sandra Dee. She is a fearless teen stuck between the being a carefree child and a boy crazy adolescent, prim but feisty, innocent but smart, and most of all utterly adorable.
One of the refreshing things about this film is how there is no great ‘make-over scene’ and that Gidget’s character and look remain unchanged at the end of the film and yet she snags the boy! It’s almost unbelieveable to think that a character that is over and over again pointed out to be immature, dorky, and ‘too cute’ could be nevertheless be attractive and come out on top at the end of the film but that’s just what happens. Admittedly this film has a whole slew of cringe inducing moments including when Gidget’s mum tells her that a woman’s greatest job is to bring out the best in her man, as well as a fair deal of subtle slut shaming, but well, you get everything from a 1959 surf movie can you?
Flaws aside it was with Gidget’s one-pieces in mind that I decided to feature it in Make It a Date. Looking over her sometimes bizarre swimwear choices it made me realise that we neither need to wear a revealing bikini, nor a filmy sarong on the beach to look nice and that sometimes beachwear can be just that. Gidget’s flattering conservative swimsuits were generally paired with sandals and a simple hooded jacket thrown over the top, and feel like the perfect antidote to the leopard print super 70s retro glam that is being pushed upon swimwear buyers from all angles lately.
When out of the water Gidget stays true to her WASP roots and dresses in a feminine, if slightly saccarine manner. When I saw her repeatedly throw a chunky boxy cardigan over a pretty evening dress I am not ashamed to say I squealed with delight. It is something I do all the time and I’m glad to see that it looks as good as I thought it did, althought admittedly I’m no Sandra Dee.
Even if you don’t watch Gidget and I’m sure most of you won’t, I think the most important thing to take away from the film style-wise is that we are at our most attractive when we are being ourselves, even if that is a tantrum prone prissy surfer.
