While I was there I spent some time with my old friend & founder of my sometimes burlesque troupe, Miss Danger Sunshine of The Jezebel Rebels Cabaret.
Myself, with Danger Sunshine, & Betty Aurora of the Jezebel Rebels. Photo by RJB Photo.
Naturally, we decided the only proper thing to do as professionals in the industry was to load up our purses with Jameson and go see Magic Mike. Overall, it was an entertaining, well-done movie. It did exactly what it set out to do. It was definitely visually pleasing, a lack of Ryan Gossling was perhaps the only problem there. And there are already so many reviews picking it apart. What I'd like to do is point out some of the sometimes painfully realistic bits of real stripper life in this flick. Realities for most on-stage sex workers in America, that I really enjoyed seeing on the big screen. I want to point out the accuracies.
Photo by Glen Wilson via flickr.
Dallas (Mathew McConaughey) has a wonderfully cheesy quote at the beginning of the movie while addressing the audience. "Fact is, the law says you cannot touch! [smiles] But I think I see a lotta lawbreakers up in this house tonight..." It is a fact that in most cities, in most states, the law says you cannot touch us & we cannot touch you. It's also a fact that almost every dancer, male or female, is expected to & does break this rule every time we go to work and some of us have or will encounter legal consequences for this. In many areas any touch, at all, no matter how innocent, opens us up to legal risk. Remember this the next time you are shocked by the price of a lapdance. We never know when a dance might cost us a lot more than they ever cost you.
I love that "the Kid" just gets thrown off the deep end. His first stage show is his first attempt at stripping. This is the reality for most strippers. We didn't take a class. No one coached us on what to do. Chances are someone called our name out over the mic and shoved us on stage with a smile, looking to see if we sank or could swim. And most of us looked nervous and ridiculous, but the audience didn't care. We walked away with a fistful of dollars, and never looked back.
One of my favorite shots of the whole movie? Straightening out bills. Seriously. Hours of my life.
At one point, one of the dancers throws his back out on stage while dancing with a customer and has to hobble backstage. Injuries are an all too common reality of dancing. Though I'd like to point out that most of the time, we just keep dancing & you have no idea. I've dislocated my knee mid-lapdance & kept going for two songs. True story bro.
I really liked that they included Mike trying to get a bank loan and getting declined even with his large cash payment. Because we deal exclusively in cash, dancers encounter these problems all the time. While there are obviously benefits to having all your money off the radar, anything requiring proof of income becomes a real challenge. It can be really, really hard to ever transition to another profitable job or business, or to rent or buy property, and the like.
Another thing I'd like to point out? The dancers weren't tragic figures with daddy or abuse issues, pariahs for selling themselves, or any of that. They were just dancers providing sexually charged entertainment, making money. And that's exactly what dancers are. What I wouldn't give to see female strippers portrayed this way, to not be seen as just a desperate mess with no self-respect. They, and we, just have fun and make money.
Also, notice that while the Kid can't seem to handle the attention and the money with grace and moderation, Magic Mike has his shit together. He works other jobs, he takes care of his house, he saves lots of his money, he has plans for his future when dancing no longer works for him, and while he indulges in drugs and alcohol he's not out of control. For every dancer who is a hot mess, there is another who is just doing their job and enjoying their life. In fact, there's two or three. The hot mess is the minority.
Danger & I, being hot messes via Jameson & ginger ale.
There was one thing about this movie, that made me unbearably angry. I almost teared up, being halfway through our whiskey. Throughout the movie, the 100% female audiece was vocally supportive of our scantily clad protagonists. Until one scene where Mike (Channing Tatum), frustrated & emotional is pleading with his love interest, "Am I 'Magic Mike' right now, talking to you? I am not my lifestyle."
The audience laughed.
SO much fury. For me, yes, I love my job. I *choose* to be so wrapped up in it. For the majority of dancers, it's just another job. It just pays the bills. It has as much to do with who they are as a person as being a customer service rep, or an insurance broker, or a travel agent. Just like most of you in other professions, who we are at work is not who we are when we get home, when we're with our friends, when we are with our significant others. It's a job. Mathew McConaughey is not Dallas off set, or the god's hand killer, or any other of his characters. And Channing Tatum is not Magic Mike off camera. Grow up, people.
Anyway, that's what I thought about the film. Did you see it? What did you think?
Interested in learning more about The Jezebel Rebels Cabaret? Check out their Facebook page here.
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