The nature of writing a story is conflict — this is why the good guys and the good girls are never together. Or if they are together, they aren’t very happy together. Without conflict, there’s nothing. Unfortunately the narrative structure doesn’t work as effectively the other way round — you neglected to mention the 1982 sequel in which geeky Maxwell Caulfield completely changes his personality to fit Michelle Pfiefer’s seductive ‘it girl’. This film was moderately successful — and in my opinion some of the songs are better. But it just didn’t resonate with audiences

The question of why this second film failed where the first succeeded so spectacularly is tied up with the concepts you’re exploring, but I think there’s something deeper at play here. Whether or not you agree, there’s something about the story of a girl-next-door female character taming a ‘bad boy’ that appeals on a deeply psychological level. The success of Grease and the failure of Grease II stands as a testament to the way that the world is experienced by the predominantly female audience.

This may be problematic, and that’s the argument that you’re making… but it doesn’t make it less true. I’d also argue that the ‘romantificaton’ of western culture is also problematic too. I’ve met many women who argue vehemently for the emancipation of women from the patriarchy, but conversely hold an ideological torch for marriage. A system of historical oppression (and not just historical depending on where you are in the world) that has done very little for the rights of women over the last 1000 years. Yes… it might be a different kind of marriage that you/she/they have, but it’s still basically a continuation of the status quo.

So yes, the girl next door trope is problematic, it’s also utterly appealing for some reason and thus memetically successful. It’s been around since the Innamorati in Commedia and is still going strong today. That fact belies a more complex psychology underpinning it than you’re suggesting. If it was bad, it would’ve died out — as many tropes have over the years. I think it has more to do with our evolutionary biology than any system of ideological oppression on behalf of writers working for the patriarchy.

Creativity reflects the world it sees, holds a mirror up to society using the Psychology it finds. The girl-next-door will always be here, because on some level, she’s appealing. Perhaps not consciously, but certainly in the collective subconscious. The question should be ‘why?’ and how do we implement the answer into our thinking about how society should be rebalanced.