My Real-Life Footloose Story

Did you know that the 1984 movie “Footloose” (starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer) is based on a true story?

Many people may find it hard to believe, but I’m not one of them.

You see, back in the early 80’s I was going to a church much like the one in Footloose.

It was an “independent Baptist” church (not to be confused with the regular Baptist type) – some might say, like the southern Baptist churches from the United States. In fact our pastor and his family came from the Deep South – also known as the bible belt – to the savages on the mission field in suburban Brisbane, Australia.

I say this in jest; in actual fact they were lovely people, if somewhat misguided.

Rock Music Forbidden

The independent Baptist church was extremely legalistic – that means, there were rules, and plenty of them.

Girls were not permitted to wear jeans, trousers, shorts, or skirts above the knee; boys were expected to have a short-back-n-sides.

Rock music, dancing and movies were all forbidden; I even went to a bonfire where youth group members were encouraged to burn their old records and cassettes of sinful, worldly music.

I used to love going roller skating – you’d think that would be a nice, wholesome, family activity (especially as I usually went with my Dad and siblings on access visits)?! But this had to remain my guilty secret. I knew the church would not approve – because there was rock music played (shock, horror) at the skating rink!

We were constantly lectured on the evils of modern music, dancing, and movies, and how they all sparked dangerous desires. As young women, we were urged to dress modestly so that we wouldn’t cause the boys to look lustfully upon us  (although I have often thought a pair of jeans is much more modest than a full skirt, especially on a windy day!).

My boyfriend and I were not even supposed to hold hands!

Why All the Rules?

And all this, because the church was paranoid about sex outside of marriage –  as if that was the worst possible sin in the whole entire world (personally I can think of plenty worse).

It was so impossibly strict, it was almost like they were setting us up for failure …

So I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the news broke that the pastor’s son had gotten his 16 year old girlfriend pregnant, hastily followed up with a shotgun wedding.

Not long after I left that particularly church, and its legalistic teachings behind. However I still remember feeling terribly risque, when I dared to dance at my senior formal later that year! Such a rebel I was 😉 .

So here we are, nearly thirty-five years later – and last week I saw an ad on TV for the original Footloose, which reminded me, I’ve never actually seen the movie.

Not sure that I need to, seeing as I have actually lived it …

Did you ever wonder, Is Footloose a true story? – or did you just assume it was 100% Hollywood?