What is the main thesis of the film?
What I saw as the main thesis of this film was
to show that women employed as sex workers are seen and treated far worse than
the vast majority would assume. It addresses both prostitutes and strippers,
but largely focuses on the dancers of the Lusty Lady, a peep show in San
Francisco, California.
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| Taken From http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264802/ |
What are the main arguments in support of the
thesis?
The main arguments in support of the thesis
would have to be the way the women were being treated. Many of the women in the
film needed their job at the Lusty Lady, but the managers of the club were not
keen to allowing their employee’s to reach the top pay scale. They would find
ways to suspend them, or bump them down the pay scale. The women were also
rated on their skin and hair color, as well as their breast size. When looking
at the issue as a whole, they found many ways that dancers working in the sex
industry were commonly being treat in a similar fashion, and many did not have
a union to protect the workers.
How does the thesis of the film relate to the
course?
This film relates to the course by identifying
a group that is objectified and marginalized, as well as thought of as deviant
among society; similar to what is described in “The H-Word”. On top of this, it
also examined how normal these women were. Very similar to Margo DeMello’s Huminizing Sex Workers? in how there
were adds in Canada to try to show that sex workers had normal lives too. They were not sex crazed women that felt the
need to expose their body’s to men, but were mothers that needed money to keep
a roof over their heads and food on their tables.
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| Taken From http://homebrewedtheology.com/he-called-her-a-slt-a-prostitute-a-whre.php |
Which arguments/points did you find the most
convincing?
What I found most convincing in the film was
some of the conditions the women would have to work in. What really stuck with
me is how working in a strip club has changed from doing a strip tease to
having to do lap dances to make more money. Also strippers started to have to
pay for stage fees. (I wonder if this could be a result of fewer patrons due to
the access to Internet pornography).
Which arguments/points did you find the least
convincing?
What I found least convincing was that they
were trying to set it up for long term employment. I know people should be
respected but unfortunately I think the people going into this type of work
should almost expect to be treated somewhat poorly. They should know going into
it that they are going to be objects for other people’s pleasure. I am not
saying that this is right, but simply the way it is widely accepted as being. I
also think that many people see it as a temporary job when things may not be lining
up where they wanted them. I found it very difficult to look past these points
and personal beliefs.
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| Taken From http://teachpoledancing.info/ |
Research Study:
If I were to conduct a study on this subject I
would want to interview strippers. I would want to know why they decided to get
a job in the sex industry. I would also want to know if they were planning on
staying long term, if their club was unionized, and if they felt they were not
being treated well by their employers. This would be in an attempt to see how
other clubs compare to the Lusty Lady.
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