Not How It Seems: ‘My Fair Lady’

There are some films that just can’t be defended, and one can only wag a finger at them in all the right ways. In this case, I am referring to a film which oozes misogyny from start to finish, and doesn’t seem squeamish about it. It might be attempting to make fun of sexist values, but ends up supporting them.

My Fair Lady (1964)

First, let’s rewind to the Greek myth of Pygmalion, in which a sculptor comes to fall in love with his statue. This idea was adopted by George Bernard Shaw for his play Pygmalion in 1913. In 1956, songs were added for the musical adaptation, My Fair Lady, which was turned into a film in 1964. Despite the canvas of suffrage-era England, the story painted upon it is somewhat depressing, particularly the film version.

My Fair Lady is the story of a poor cockney girl and the systematic male oppression into which she continuously falls victim. Eliza Doolittle is born the bastard child of two impoverished souls, one of whom is the manipulative con artist Alfred Doolittle. It’s unclear what happened to her mother, but we learn from the fore that her father continues to use Eliza into her adulthood. He shows no affection to speak of and has never been there for her, but comes around to collect money from Eliza, notably when he heard she’d just come into a good sum. Alfred has no respect for women, not the woman he refers to as Eliza’s stepmother, and not for anyone else. And that’s what Eliza has gotten used to, that’s what she’s grown up with. As a poor flower girl, young Freddy Eynsford-Hill bumps into her, and is very polite, but she only acts offended. Yet soon, professor Henry Higgins is spotted copying down what she says behind a pillar, and when called out, he lets loose a barrage of insults about her voice, her status, etc. So from the very beginning, this man is insulting her.

Eliza, as we learn in “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?,” dreams of a better life. Her con-man father and social class of birth make it hard for her to rise above, but Higgins insists that it’s her dialect that’s keeping her where she is. He actually does nothing in the entire film to prove himself correct. Yes, she is able to pass herself off as wealthy, but without the help of money, she wouldn’t be able to do anything else, which should be clear when Higgins himself keeps saying he or his friend Colonel Pickering will pay for a flower shop etc. But, under this belief, Eliza goes to him. She offers to pay for enunciation lessons, but he waves away her money and encourages her to be taken on with some violent punishments as payments for not doing well enough. So immediately, Higgins is ensuring he shall control her housing, her food, and essentially her money. Eliza is ripped from the neighborhood of poor folks in which she danced and sang, and trapped in Higgins’ house, where she has no one to communicate with outside of Higgins and Pickering.

Eliza is stripped of her old clothes and forced into a bath by the servants in one scene, which is frighteningly rape-like. Higgins then proves himself to be quite the sociopath, as well as a misogynist, describing himself as gentle and even-tempered despite the fact that he’s been getting excited in the very same song, and he’s threatened physical violence on Eliza multiple times prior.

Alfred finds Higgins’ house and demands a payment for Eliza. That’s right, like she’s Alfred Doolittle’s property. And Higgins is taken with Alfred’s speech to the point that he gives him the money, offers him more money, and recommends him as a philosophical speaker.

The lessons drag on, and Eliza appears to be learning nothing, until one evening, when they’re all very tired, and Higgins shows Eliza a tiny bit of compassion, telling her he understands that she’s tired. Suddenly, she’s not only able to do the enunciation, but she’s also over the moon about the human interaction that she’s had (“I Could Have Danced All Night”). Soon, we are introduced to the only decent static character in the whole movie, Mrs. Higgins (Henry’s mother). She’s ashamed of Henry, even tells him he’s not supposed to be at Ascot with her, but she shows great compassion for Eliza.

Higgins does as promised earlier in the film, and manages to pass Eliza off as wealthy at a ball. More importantly, Eliza manages to pass herself off at the ball. Yet the celebration between Higgins and Pickering excludes her completely, and not so much as a “good job” is thrown her way.

So after an altercation with Higgins, Eliza leaves. Had the film ended there, it would have been a great show of feminine power. Had it ended after “Without You,” it would have been even better.

But it doesn’t. It goes two scenes further, first with Higgins singing of how he’s “Grown Accustomed” to her. Yeah, that’s it. He’s grown accustomed to her. He’s had no change as a character, he just misses having her around, like one might an old appliance or tablecloth. He doesn’t care for her emotionally, he doesn’t regret his treatment, he just is annoyed that she left after he’d gotten used to her. Then, she comes back. The pair playfully play out old lines they’ve said to one another and… the end.

What bothers me most isn’t just that this is bad resolution, but that Henry Higgins fits pretty much every sign of an abusive partner to a tee:

• He humiliates her in public and constantly puts her down.
• He disregards her needs (for rest, etc).
• He controls her and treats her like a child.
• He acts like women in general are too sensitive and she never should have left him (“A Hymn to Him”).
• He completely tries to change her and chastises her behavior when she doesn’t do as told.
• He controls her not only financially, but dangles chocolate in front of her to get her to do what he wants.
• He blames her for causing him to get violent when he throws the ring he bought her.
• He makes it seem as though he’s always absolutely right.
• He doesn’t apologize for anything. Ever.
• He’s emotionally unavailable (that’s kind of his thing).
• He fails to empathize with her.
• He doesn’t seem to notice or care about her feelings.
• He makes all kinds of threats of physical violence against her from the beginning.
• He shows extreme jealousy toward her suitor, Freddy in “I’ve Grown Accustomed”

That’s who she chooses to stay with. Not the guy who liked her for her, not herself now that she’s a self-sufficient woman, but the guy who’s grown accustomed to her face. Don’t get me wrong, I love My Fair Lady, but in terms of actual content, it is the worst.

“Not How It Seems” (usually) attempts to support the argument that favorite movie musicals aren’t really the dated anti-feminist films some people perceive them to be. 

Emma Sedam

Emma Sedam is a music enthusiast from Marion, Ohio with a knack for fashion, pop-culture, and storytelling. She runs a weekly local radio show and an all-eras music blog. You can find her on most social media outlets.