#theyre the best example of the sisterhood ive ever seen

[the-racer]

the scene in west side story where the jets try to gang rape anita is so hard to watch for multiple reasons.

1) its so real. like women go through that for real. and anita screaming and trying to defend herself is so real. it just hurts, as a woman, to watch that and watch them make fun of her and rip her dress and everything.

2) the jets literally rip her dress and force her to the ground and they're like laughing and excited meanwhile one of their own- their leader- just died. in the place of a woman who hates them buy is sheltering them from the cops out of respect for tony and riff. like the jets just seem so evil in that scene. it makes my skin crawl.

3) grazie. i could write a full essay on grazie on that scene. but like. fuck she makes it so much more emotional. the jets men are taunting her and making fun of anita and grazie just wants her to leave them to grieve. she just tells her to leave. and then the men start taunting anita and grazie literally grabs balkan and forces him away from anita. she tells them to let her go, to leave her alone, to stop it. and then they all start making anita dance with them and they pull off her shawl and grazie starts yelling. she fights with them to the point that the men pick her up and have to force her out. and even then she tries to grab onto anita and stay with her and pull her away from the jets. because she's a woman and gets it and gets the fear. because she like does not care about the whole racist feud, she cares about the sisterhood and making sure other women are safe. and then they lock her out and she screams and cries and pounds on the door and begs them to not hurt anita. she stays there, doesn't run or hide so she doesn't have to watch. she stays and screams at them. and waits, even when valentina saves anita. she stands out there, waits for anita. only after anita is out and already heading home does grazie move. and even then she stands on the steps and watches anita's back. i wish they'd shown grazie try and like check on anita once she finally escapes the store. grazie is just the best example of women protecting women.

like the scene just hurts to watch. all of it. like it actually hurts. but anita and grazie grabbing each other's wrists to hold on to each other and anita screaming at grazie to help her will always be the saddest and most painful part for me.