The book “Bend it like Beckham” written by Narinder Dhami deals with an Indian girl, Jesminder, who wants to play football but can not because of her parents who want her girl to learn their Indian culture. But Jess has her own head and she does what she likes. Fatherfor she changes in time and she’s at the end an other girl.
The change begins when Jess starts playing football in a girls-team. Before she gets in the team, she’s a girl which is not a typical girl. Jess isn’t interested in boys for example ( ‘I don’t want to get married. page 14 ll. 14-15′) and she likes it when no-one notice her ( ‘No-one was looking at me in my Addidas sweatpants and top. But that was the way I like it. page 8 ll.22-23). Her style shows that she doesn’t like to look girly because she likes her sporty style and her girly cousins who have only boys and clothes in their had she calls “bubble-headed bimbos”( p.9 l.1). Jess wants to be different from the others of her family and she wants to do something new ( ‘ I didn’t want what Pinky wanted. I was looking for something different’ page 14 ll.16-17).
But her oppinion and her attitude turns more and more when she goes to the training and spends time with the other girls. When she meets her coach Joe she fells in love with him. She really realizes it when she’s hurt at the training and Joe touchs her for looking what happend ( ‘ I felt hot all over.’ page 41 ll. 5-6 / ‘ The feel of his warm hand on my bare skin was doing weird things to my insides’ page 41ll.11-12). It’s the first time she’s interested in a boy and the feelings are really new for her. Of course Jess notices that Jules loves Joe, too , and Jess begings to be jealous ( ‘ I felt a bit jealous, although I tried not to be.’ page 42 ll. 6-7). She trys on their trip to Germany everything to make Joe looking at her and she starts flirting with him ( ’ Maybe it was about time I started to learn to flirt to.’ p.56 ll.35-36), when she notices that Jules wants Joe looking at her, too. At the end of their trip Jess trys to kiss Joe ( ‘ I leaned forwards, rising my face to him. Joe hesitated for a second, then he leaned towards me too.’ p.58 ll. 1-2) and she could be succesful if Jules wasn’t there. But not only the her oppinion of the boys turns but also her style. For the first time of her life she wears make-up to looking good for Joe ( ‘ I was wearing make-up for the first time in my life.’ p.55 l. 24) and she wears clothes which shows a lot of skin ( ‘ I was showing a lot of skin.’ p.55 l.29).
Finally Jess becomes girly. From the girl, who didn’t want to know anything about boys, make-up and girly styles she changes to a typical girl with her first love and the interest to look good for a boy.
