The portrayal of strippers in the media

26 comments

• shadowcat

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  11 years ago

  It's called writer's license. I doubt that many of us have seen a movie where our jobs were portrayed the way they really are.
• Alucard

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  11 years ago

  " most of the humor I found in it was thinking that the writers must have read the TUSCL discussion board" I'm NOT surprised considering how the majority of posters here FEEL about dancers. Their views of them are pretty LOW and often misogynistic.
• Club_Goer_Seattle

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  11 years ago

  Duo, Your observations are likely that the common stereotype is being portrayed. There have been TUSCL discussions before about movies dealing with strippers. One such film that I can recall, "Showgirls," from the mid-1990's portrays a Las Vegas stripper, who works her way up the entertainment ladder and becomes a Las Vegas showgirl. At least there's some job and life progression being portrayed there. For more, see: [view link] After I see "The Millers," I'll be happy to give you a further opinion.
• minnow

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  11 years ago

  Duo, if it makes you feel better, I liked Jennifer Anniston better as the maneater dentist in "Horrible Bosses". The eating the banana by her bedroom window scene is classic.
• motorhead

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  11 years ago

  Before I joined TUSCL, I used to laugh how shows like Law & Order SVU always portrayed strippers to be nothing more than whores. Afterall, the strippers I met in the type of clubs I went to in the 90's (mostly Deja Vu) were not at all like that. TUSCL opened my eyes.
• mikeya02

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  11 years ago

  You guys notice that although not innocent, Duo talks like a lady? She doesn't pander to the strippers are drug ridden loser whores mentality around here.
• looneylarry

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  11 years ago

  Yes, it is a cartoonish, ham-handed portrayal of dancers and strip clubs. Similar to how Anniston dance in front of the Mexican drug lord was a rip-off of Flashdance. I used to think that all clubs were above-board and the sure way to get your ass tossed out of the club was to suggest to a dancer that she could make some extra money with some additional activities. And I used to try and tell my wife that strip clubs were smeared in popular culture and that they didn't employ prostitutes that danced on the side. But there are enough exceptions to the rule to beat that notion down. There are just enough clubs around (and we are all trying to find them) where just the right play will get you whatever you need from a hot beauty fro a reasonable price. In many parts of the country that is basically chasing a unicorn. In other parts there is action to be had but the women are over the hill, lacking in aesthetics, or the club is pretty loose and so they have to compete by providing those services. But the vast majority of the time, there are no extras to be had by beautiful women at bargain prices. Just not going to happen. It is that fringe activity, however, that provides enough of a nugget to keep all those misconceptions afloat. And there will other movies with broad brushes of the stripper leads. Sorry, Duo; wish it weren't so.
• duomaxwell

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  11 years ago

  @club_goer "Showgirls" is my roommate's favorite movie. He loves it so, so much. I love it so, so much.
• zipman68

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  11 years ago

  Alas, sex is both stigmatized and it sells. At least Aniston's character is shown as quitting when the edict to have sex with customers is conveyed to her. I assume "Boner Garage" is anther stripper... Of course, that raises the question of what her parents expected when the named her Boner, given that their surname was Garage ;-)
• zipman68

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  11 years ago

  another stripper...not anther stripper (which would be really strange)
• deogol

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  11 years ago

  Independence Day with Will Smith portrayed a stripper in a positive way.
• georgmicrodong

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  11 years ago

  @mikey: You seemed surprised by that observation. Why?
• gawker

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  11 years ago

  I saw We Are The Millers and thought it was a waste of time and money. Jennifer Aniston is a comely woman but the role she played is not realistic in my experience which runs the full gamut from my 2 favorite dancers - the first is a drug addicted, money grubbing prostitute and the other is a well educated single parent who has never had sex for money, does not use drugs, and has a 401k and a Roth IRA.. They both are good people who I like as individuals as well as sex objects. I'm a customer of the first, so I'm no better on that perspective and I think we should judge people by what they do, rather than whatever they may be. Does the addict piss me off with her erratic behavior and unpredictable behavior? Sure. But I don't think she's ever intentionally hurt anyone. I'd still jump on Jennifer's bones given 1/2 a chance.
• SlickSpic

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  11 years ago

  The strippers in "From Dusk Till Dawn" weren't you're a enrage strippers, that's for sure.
• SlickSpic

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  11 years ago

  Hey Tittyfag-Did "Magic Mike" do it for you?
• SlickSpic

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  11 years ago

  I meant average. In "Players Club", Lisa Raye goes on to become a reporter. Jaime Foxx doesn't play the typical douchebag DJ. "Porky's" had happy strippers.
• canny

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  11 years ago

  In my experience fewer than half of the strippers in the US are prostitutes. There are a lot who are and I've only met one stripper who isn't one who doesn't look down on the ones who are. But, the only strippers who I know or know about who aren't constantly broke aren't broke because they're doing extras. I don't live in Las Vegas or New York, I live outside of Pittsburgh, and there isn't that much money floating around. And every stripper who I know who is over 30 is worried about where she's going to be and how she's going to pay the rent and put food on her table in 10 years. Every stripper who I know who is younger talks about what they're going to do to quit stripping. Go to school, get a job as a waitress, etc. I've only known strippers personally outside of the club for a couple of years, but I don't know any who have successfully moved on from working as strippers. One has, kind of, but she has a sugar daddy supporting her.
• jackslash

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  11 years ago

  Duo, it's interesting to hear your perspective on the portrayal of strippers.
• mjx01

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  11 years ago

  I tend to think the deadbeat bf and out of money are statistically accurate. I think every dancer I've known has had issues hanging on to any about of money for various reasons. As for bfs, I'm confident less than half are decent IMO... although I could probably say that about civies as well. I'd agree with Canny that most don't do extras. But there are plenty of stripper who I know are making bank without doing extras and manage to piss it away and lack an exit plan.
• duomaxwell

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  11 years ago

  Maybe it's because I've grown up under the nurturing, protective (lol) umbrella of the industry but I know a lot of ex-strippers that have used stripping as a stepping stone to an amazing life. I mean, my mom was a stripper, a lot of my parents' friends were strippers ... Hell, even my boyfriend's GRANDMOTHER (RIP) was a stripper.
• sharkhunter

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  11 years ago

  Everyone's a stripper in their own bedroom, lol. Of course it takes more nerve and Hopefully good looks to do it in a club.
• sharkhunter

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  11 years ago

  Lol, Now I'm wondering what are the odds of a poster here being Duo's father? Might be like Darth Vader speaking telling Luke Sky walker, "I am your father!". Then you hear, Noooooooo. No offense intended Duo.
• Dougster

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  11 years ago

  ^^^ could be the RickyBoyDugan? His BBFS adventures are legend and he does scower the East Coast, no? If so, she'll be in for quite a large inheritance.
• ilbbaicnl

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  11 years ago

  In "Trading Places" a sex worker is portrayed as a very together person (who also happens to have history's most perfect boobs). Nice change from the done-to-death stereotype of the lost whore with the deep-down heart of gold who just needs the right guy to rescue her. One of my favorite movies.
• Experimental

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  11 years ago

  Hollywood doesn't portray much of anything accurately, particularly in big name big budget flicks. I grew up watching all the bruce lee, chuck norris, jean claude van damme movies I could get my hands on thinking that was the real deal, then entered a tae kwon do tournament and well, them thar movies aren't accurate AT ALL!!! You want to see real martial arts in action, peep this footage from the tournament [view link]
• Pundi

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  11 years ago

  ^ So true that Hollywood doesn't portray much of anything accurately. I do find it stupid that a drug dealer is portrayed as being superior morally to a stripper.