“Blue Jean” talks about the unspoken feelings of those who suffer from the overpowering pressures of heterosexual society. The story revolves around Jean, a PE teacher at Tyneside school who goes out of her way to hide her sexual orientation, but things take a different turn when one of her students, Lois, finds out. Jean leads a very lonely life; she’s separated from her family and doesn’t talk to anyone about her problems. Every Friday night, Jean goes to a secret club where she allows herself to be free with her girlfriend, Viv. Although Viv doesn’t reveal her true feelings, she’s very sad about Jean’s half-heartedness in their relationship. Jean didn’t know how to react to other people judging her based on her looks or relationships. Throughout the film, viewers can see that she has major self-esteem issues. Jean dyes her hair blonde and keeps it short to look different, but she doesn’t look very happy about it. Still, she manages to live with the bare minimum. Jean takes out all her anger and restlessness while washing dishes in the sink, which is quite understandable since she is not able to confide in anyone.
Like Viv, Jean doesn’t talk openly about her personal life, and she doesn’t want anyone to know because her job is on the line. So, the duo struggles to understand each other, to the point where they can’t spend time together like other couples. There is a big communication gap between them, but the couple never argues, though every now and then, there is a fight.
Spoilers Ahead
Did Jean Manage To Hide Her Secret?
There have also been several protests because people haven’t accepted a change in the law. There is a lot of disagreement because Jean and many others are waiting for the abolition of Section 28, which prohibits the promotion of homosexuality. It was passed in 1988 by Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of UK. In the meantime, Lois encounters similar problems as Jean. She hasn’t expressed her true feelings to anyone yet, but people at school are constantly making fun of her, especially Siobhan. Also, Jean spends her time watching shows that promote homophobia, and although this confuses her, she continues to watch them anyway. Society believes that same-sex attracted people corrupt children and their minds away from society’s traditional norms and values, which makes absolutely no sense. In addition, Jean has a strained relationship with her sister, who claims to be supportive of Jean’s choices, but her behavior shows none of this. Jean has separated from her husband and doesn’t want to deal with the past anymore. Jean’s sister is angry about her choices as she tries to escape her past.
She’s still hanging on to Jean’s old photos from their wedding reception, which Jean doesn’t like and whenever Jean tells her sister to discard the photos, they end up arguing. Back at school, Lois’ presence at the club begins to threaten Jean. She advises Lois to leave the club, but this leads to an argument between Jean and Viv. Viv feels that Jean is setting a bad example for her, but Jean just wants to stay out of trouble. Their arguments eventually led to them breaking up with each other. Jean leads a double life; part of her wants to be free, but part of her is still attached to the traditional views of society. Things became even more problematic when the other teachers started talking about Jean’s failed marriage. But Jean didn’t care about the rumors and tried to keep quiet until Siobhan started causing problems for Lois.
What Happened Between Siobhan And Lois?
Siobhan and Lois hated each other from the beginning. It seems that Siobhan is attracted to Jean, and Lois’ interference annoys her. Siobhan and Lois argue constantly, but Jean would always stop the argument. Siobhan assumes that Jean and Lois are in love, so Siobhan tries to make Lois believe that she’s interested in Lois. The two eventually become intimate, and Jean witnesses it. When Siobhan realizes that someone has entered the locker room, she screams for help and fabricates the whole story. Siobhan reports the whole incident to the school principal and claims that Lois tried to physically abuse her. Although Jean witnessed the whole incident, she didn’t intervene on Lois’ behalf and agreed to support Siobhan. Lois couldn’t believe that Jean was supporting Siobhan instead of her. It’s sad that the school staff didn’t trust Lois and didn’t listen to her side of the story. Instead, they believed Siobhan and declared Lois to be the perpetrator. She left the principal’s office, and Jean could do nothing.
Throughout the day, Jean couldn’t understand why she couldn’t bring herself to support Lois. Jean tries to talk to Lois because she feels guilty for not standing up to her. The next day, Jean and Viv meet, and Jean apologizes for her behavior. Now, Viv had intended to side with Lois because she felt that Lois and Jean are very similar, but Jean reveals that she wants to quit her job because Lois was suspended because of her. Jean panics and can’t wrap her head around the whole situation. But Viv tried to calm her down and persuade her to keep working. Jean has always loved her job, and she’s really good at it; becoming a teacher was always her dream, but now she knew she was failing badly. Jean wanted to move out of town and live with Viv, but Viv decided to stay away from her because Jean was still afraid to talk about her sexuality.
‘Blue Jean’ Ending Explained – Did Jean Cope With The Societal Pressure?
Jean attends her nephew’s birthday party and this time she decides to open up about her sexuality to those who passed regressive comments on the Queer community. For the first time, Jean feels happy and smiles the whole time. In this particular scene, horses can be seen running around in the meadow. It is clear that this symbolizes the freedom that Jean has just experienced. The next night, Jean decides to meet with Lois and apologize for hurting her. Jean started to hide everything because no one ever supported her, and even her own family gave up on her. All along, Jean just wanted Lois to know that she could not take the pressure anymore. But eventually, the two reconcile, and Jean decides to stick to her old lifestyle. But this time, Jean is much more confident. Jean knows that no matter what happens, nothing can change her identity or take it away from her. Even though Viv and Jean have broken up, they are still in love with each other, but they continue to be friends. There is no certainty about what happens in the end because the ending is quite ambiguous. Blue Jean helps us understand that women like Jean fought for their independence and identity. Jean works hard to raise money for people who have been kicked out by their parents.
People often classify Viv and others as outliers in society, even though they are just like everyone else. The day Jean talked about her sexuality; she was not afraid to open up because of who she was. Jean understood that society doesn’t determine her self-worth and self-image, but she does because Jean will always be the master of her own destiny. Jean knew that she didn’t have to adjust according to the world because it was okay to be the person that her heart wanted her to be.
