DUU’s sing-a-long brought the musical stylings of the 1950s to the big screen at Griffith Theater. Belting out the words to Summer Nights and Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee were a calming balm to my otherwise weathered soul. However, the smooth dulcet baritone of Frankie Avalon had an alternative reaction to my soul. Singing Beauty School Dropout did not have its usual schadenfreude (pleasure at the misfortune of others) inducing mood. In fact, Beauty School Dropout had always been my favorite song on the Grease soundtrack for the very reason that I got to be better than Frenchy.
So, why the change?
The realization came with the sinking feeling of doom and depression: there’s a new dropout in town! And sadly, that dropout is me. Yes world, I’m a beauty school dropout. Well not beauty school but I’ve recently become very used to the crushing rejection and loserdom that Frenchy represents during this scene, from my not so subtle denunciation of pre-med to the continual nonexistence of my summer internship.
We all know that for most juniors the school year is spent preparing for the summer. More importantly, it is spent looking for The Summer Internship, the Holy Grail of your college experience. Why is one summer internship so important? The Summer Internship is usually your ticket to post-graduation success, I’m talking about being able to graduate and NOT go back home to live with your parents (even though that’s a viable/cost-saving choice). I’ve tasted freedom; I shan’t ever lose it, especially when it’s in the form of Happy Hour!!
Frankie Avalon’s smooth baritone voice had lost its sex appeal. While I sat there, I realized that I was the most mixed up non-delinquent on the block. I tried to keep it together but when Frankie hit that “What are you provin/ you’ve got the dream but not the drive,” I knew then that I had failed.
I started to sink into my own bubble of depression until some idiot’s phone decided to go off and the lyrics to Beyoncé’s Grown Woman began to echo throughout the theater. The lyrics were a beacon of light during my dark age. Screw Frankie Avalon, I had Queen Bey! Being the baddest had never felt so great. I felt like a blonde eybrowed Miley Cyrus. I may look like a Tilda Swinton meets Alien vs. Predator hybrid but AT LEAST I’M STILL HOT! I could feel the power of Queen Bey filling my every cell. As Beauty School Dropout ended I told Frankie where he could stick his teasing comb.
Life is hard and every day we are met with failure at least six out of ten times. That doesn’t mean we give up. Us Frenchys of the world need to stick together and remind each other of what truly matters: being hot and big ol’ bottle of red wine. So whether you’ve been denied from every internship you’ve applied for or you flunked beauty school, always remember success is but a mirror and glass away. All hail the red!