Watching My Fair Lady for the first time as an adult, I admit I’m impressed with this film on all accounts.
What stands out the most is the complicated relationship between Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins and how they both develop throughout the course of the film.
So, naturally, I went on to do some quick searching to see what others have to say about it. It is still a well-loved film, make no mistake, but I’m also struck by the number of viewers who share this one sentiment: Henry Higgins is misogynistic and this movie should be canceled because of that “awful, awful” ending where a strong, independent woman decides to come back to the man who apparently abuses and gaslights her.
Not overly surprising since almost everything is canceled nowadays, even things that haven’t come out yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day Mr. Darcy is also cancelled. In fact, I await that day with eagerness.
Back to My Fair Lady, let me be clear: Henry Higgins IS misogynistic. But the assumption that Eliza Doolittle returns to be in a toxic relationship with a misogynistic man is somewhat a misinterpretation – and perhaps a purposeful one – of the film writers’ intentions.
Because:
First of all, Henry Higgins is flawed. And the movie knows it.
Nobody in the movie agrees with the way Professor Higgins behaves. Nobody. From his housekeeper to his friend to his own mother, they all call him out at one point or another. Why, because Higgins is written this way on purpose. His elitism and arrogance are central to his character and they exist to be challenged, not to be swooned over. The movie itself has a satirical undertone aimed at the British upper class’ snobbery.
Then, there is Eliza Doolittle, whose journey is not only about becoming a better version of herself, but also about fighting Henry Higgins’ misogyny and prejudice head-on. If Higgins did not have these flaws, this would be an incredibly short musical with hardly any music.
“Romantic” doesn’t quite describe their relationship.
The error in the above conclusion about Eliza is it assumes that My Fair Lady is a romance and that Henry Higgins is meant to be seen as a dashing love interest.
First of all, Higgins’ one and only true love is the English language. There’s no doubt about that.
Throughout the film, whether Eliza has romantic feelings for Pro. Higgins is up for interpretations. Sure, he chugs a glass full of wine when he sees her in a beautiful dress and she looks completely smitten when he offers her his arm. But “romantic” is an oversimplification of what they have.
Higgins plucks Eliza out of her comfort zone and introduces her to a world of possibility. She challenges his ideas, opens his eyes to things that he would otherwise look down upon, refuses point blank the idea of a romantic connection, and calls him out on his behaviors. And most importantly? They both WANT to continue to learn from one another and they both want that enough to continue putting up with one another’s flaws. In their own words:
And you may throw me out tomorrow if I don’t do everything you want me to?
Yes; and you may walk out tomorrow if I don’t do everything you want me to.
A platonic-based foundation is what they both have in mind. I don’t have a clear label for this dynamic but it sure is more complicated than “romance”.
What Eliza wants should count.
Let’s take it from the beginning.
Eliza comes to Higgins to ask for lessons.
Eliza decides to stay and continue her lessons despite the hardship.
Eliza plans to get a job once she finishes her lessons.
Eliza reevaluates her life and realizes she doesn’t fit to be what she thought she wanted anymore.
Eliza tells Higgins exactly what she wants from him when confronted while being very clear on what she is willing to give him in return.
So and so. The point is: Eliza is already an independent woman with a fully functional brain before she meets Higgins. She is no naïve heroine in a romance who jumps at the first rude and mysterious man who shows some interest in her. Her confidence has always been present and has only multiplied after her six-month education; Eliza knows her worth.
Why, then, do we invalidate her choice to return to Higgins and reduce it to a poorly-guided action of an abused victim who can’t think for herself? To continue to associate with Higgins does not in any way imply that Eliza won’t open a flower shop, or get a job as a lady’s maid, or even date someone else in the future. After all, there are no strings attached.
No, he does not actually want her to fetch the slippers.
Henry Higgins ends the movie with his iconic line as Eliza stands at the doorstep of his library:
“Where the devil are my slippers?”
No doubt, many angry audiences would jump and seize this line to put the nail in the coffin about how Eliza has come back to be a servant to her abuser. And I empathize, I really do; that’s certainly one way of looking at it.
But if nuances are still allowed, this scene can be read in many different ways.
There’s no denying that by this point, Professor Higgins has learnt his lesson. He can’t change right away, and he will never change enough to be accepted in the eyes of the modern critic, but developed he has. An arrogant boy who thought he was the master of the universe realizes that his universe is the poor girl whose feelings he dismissed.
His mentioning the slippers is, first of all, a feeble attempt to save face – after all, do we really expect the proud Henry Higgins to stand up and say something like: I am sorry and I promise to treat you better? Absolutely not, this is Henry Higgins, not Rhysand. There’s character consistency to consider.
Secondly, remember how Eliza threw some slippers at Higgins the day before? Then those slippers are mentioned again during their conversation at the mother’s house. The slippers have become a running joke between them at this point, people.
Lastly, in all honesty, do we really believe that Eliza will actually go get the slippers for the man and put them at his feet when the curtains close? No. No, she will not. If she does, it will be because she considers him a friend, not because she considers herself a servant.
To draw a fair conclusion from this scene, perhaps it is fair to take into consideration their previous interactions – all of their interactions – and the actors’ delivery of their lines instead of focusing only on the surface meaning of one single line. Eliza’s return to Henry Higgins signifies the reconciliation of two people who have seen the best and worst of one another, and who are willing to work on their relationship to remain friends.
As for the idea of Eliza getting together with Freddy, I’m not sure. We might need more than a few charming giggles from Jeremy Brett to decide whether he is a good fit for Eliza.