Film Review 5: Live Nude Girls Unite

Film Review 5: Live Nude Girls Unite 3 Apr. 2012

In class on Tuesday April 3rd, we watched the film “Live Nude Girls Unite.”
The main thesis of the film is life through the eyes of an exotic dancer, and centers on a specific strip club, where all the dancers come together to stand up for their rights as human beings; as many people who are sex workers have their rights violated because of the stigma society has put on them: that they are deviant to society and those who do choose to work in the sex industry don’t deserve the same rights as others.

The main argument that supports the thesis is the dancers themselves stating what their lives are like. They discuss how they are dehumanized by society and that just because they make their living as a stripper, they are human just like the rest of us. Many dancers don’t necessarily always choose this lifestyle; a lot of the time this is the only way of life they know to support themselves and their families.

The thesis of the film relates to our class because being “deviant” is something exotic dancers are known for. Society doesn’t approve of sex workers; these women are treated like objects and just because they don’t have a way of life that is considered “moral” by the standards of society, it doesn’t mean they don’t work hard to make their money. They punch a clock before and after a shift just like the rest of us.

The argument I found most convincing was when it was pointed out that one of the main things that all strippers have in common is that they are in this industry for the money, and money only. Not only do they have that in common with each other, they have this in common with everyone else who is working a job they might not necessarily like just to put food on the table. You need money to live, and although many others may not approve, sometimes we all have to do things we don’t want to just to get by. I know that I have had to do things I never thought I would have to just to survive; many people have, although not everyone would admit this. Dancers will always be considered deviant by society, no matter what, even if they were entitled to the same rights as everyone else, as they should be. As discussed in “Why I Don’t Want Equality”, why would they even want to be considered equal when it is so well known how unequal dancers are?

I didn’t find any arguments unconvincing; I know several people who have worked as dancers, and many times, more than I can count, they don’t get treated like people, merely playthings. I thought that having the dancers explain from their point of view really makes a person see what it’s like to live as they do.

The point that stood out the most for me was the misconception that society has of these women just having it so easy and don’t know what it’s like to make a real living and work hard. That is definitely not the case in my opinion. Dancers work just as hard as anyone else, and once they are in this lifestyle it is hard for them to get out of it. As explained in “Exotic Dancers: Where Am I Going to Stop”, the dancers get used to making more money than you would at a typical nine to five job, so it is difficult to go from making hundreds an hour to minimum wage, even when it is a lifestyle that will take its toll on you eventually. In order to study this point more, I would like to be a fly on the wall to see what its like for them, how they are treated, and how, even though the money is good, these women can still keep their heads held high knowing what society thinks of their lifestyle. To do what an exotic dancer does takes a lot of courage, in my opinion. I have never walked a day in one of these women’s shoes, so I feel it is not my place to judge them for how they make a living; nor is it anyone else’s.

Works Cited

Wesely, Jennifer K. “Exotic Dancers: Where Am I Going To Stop?” Readings In Deviant Behavior. Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, Addrain Conyers. Boston: Pearson, 2010.

“Why I Don’t Want Equality.” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120403020654AASXwOQ