I'm just gonna go ahead and spew my Company!-related thoughts at you so sorry in advance for any lack of like. narrative cohesion. okay
When I first started to reflect on Company, it really struck me how quickly the story departed from a traditional heteronormative narrative despite what you might think hearing "dude in his 30s is a perpetual bachelor and all his friends ask him when he's gonna get married" - in the very first song, it's established that there's no lack of love in his life! He has so many people who love him and care about him and whom he loves and cares about in return. It was really nice to see that established upfront because the idea of "men only have their girlfriends and wives as sources of emotional support and can't handle being single because it means they have absolutely nobody they can open up to about anything", and he's not just looking to fill a very ambiguous desire for someone to talk to - it's specifically romantic companionship that he's craving and is scared of.
I find the idea of a genderswapped Bobby super interesting actually like how did "Have I Got A Girl For You" go, was everything the exact same? I was talking to pinya about this and like, societal attitudes towards a 35 year old single man dating lots and having tons of sex versus a woman in the exact same position - for men the whole young&wild&free-to-be-adventurous-in-bed thing maybe tracks a bit better whereas from what I've seen, women would probably just get the whole "you're wasting your fertile years sleeping with men who don't wanna give you a baby" spiel (actually wait in the production you mentioned, was Bobbi lesbian? I assumed that when I first read your post but now I'm not so sure?)
I also loved that Bobby was the one to answer his own question about what you get out of being in a relationship in the end. After seeing the details and nuances of his friends' love lives he finally realizes it's not a question you can really answer by just copying other people's answers - he has to figure it out himself if he wants to start earnestly opening up to others in a romantic specifically.
also just a sidenote Sorry-Grateful like, took a potato peeler to me personally. Especially "You hold her, thinking, "I'm not alone/You're still alone". like omg
I think we've already had a conversation about like, mentally shooting yourself in the foot regarding opening yourself up to.. romance.. love... relationships HAH so this was a fun watch and it was fun reading your thoughts on it too!! Some stuff you just can't half-ass if you want it to be fulfilling!! you gotta put your whole ass into it!! and keep putting your whole ass into it, no matter how scary and hard it is!!!
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timeasmymeasure
hi shrimps fancy seein' u here!!
Date: 2022-11-19 05:59 pm (UTC)When I first started to reflect on Company, it really struck me how quickly the story departed from a traditional heteronormative narrative despite what you might think hearing "dude in his 30s is a perpetual bachelor and all his friends ask him when he's gonna get married" - in the very first song, it's established that there's no lack of love in his life! He has so many people who love him and care about him and whom he loves and cares about in return. It was really nice to see that established upfront because the idea of "men only have their girlfriends and wives as sources of emotional support and can't handle being single because it means they have absolutely nobody they can open up to about anything", and he's not just looking to fill a very ambiguous desire for someone to talk to - it's specifically romantic companionship that he's craving and is scared of.
I find the idea of a genderswapped Bobby super interesting actually like how did "Have I Got A Girl For You" go, was everything the exact same? I was talking to pinya about this and like, societal attitudes towards a 35 year old single man dating lots and having tons of sex versus a woman in the exact same position - for men the whole young&wild&free-to-be-adventurous-in-bed thing maybe tracks a bit better whereas from what I've seen, women would probably just get the whole "you're wasting your fertile years sleeping with men who don't wanna give you a baby" spiel (actually wait in the production you mentioned, was Bobbi lesbian? I assumed that when I first read your post but now I'm not so sure?)
I also loved that Bobby was the one to answer his own question about what you get out of being in a relationship in the end. After seeing the details and nuances of his friends' love lives he finally realizes it's not a question you can really answer by just copying other people's answers - he has to figure it out himself if he wants to start earnestly opening up to others in a romantic specifically.
also just a sidenote Sorry-Grateful like, took a potato peeler to me personally. Especially "You hold her, thinking, "I'm not alone/You're still alone". like omg
I think we've already had a conversation about like, mentally shooting yourself in the foot regarding opening yourself up to.. romance.. love... relationships HAH so this was a fun watch and it was fun reading your thoughts on it too!! Some stuff you just can't half-ass if you want it to be fulfilling!! you gotta put your whole ass into it!! and keep putting your whole ass into it, no matter how scary and hard it is!!!