Stripping For Success Poem by gershon hepner

Girls who pay their bills by stripping
deserve, say puritans, a whipping,
by which I mean the males who’re voyeurs
but claim say their don’t enjoy it––liars,
each one of them. Show me the man or boy
who truly never does enjoy
the sight of girls who’ll take of all
their clothes for them and do not fall
straight into lust, and I will prove
the reason that he doesn’t move
to front row, centre, is because
he’s dead. There is no menopause
that changes this grim fact of life,
though he may claim this to his wife.

Delightful always, and dynamic
is the dancing called exotic,
and the view, when panoramic,
is arousingly erotic;
that’s why in movies being bare
may win an Oscar for girl
prepared to take all off and dare
to give her nakedness a whirl.
Greta Garbo, Shirley Jones,
Nicole Kidman and Jane Fonda
all have stripped down to their bones.
Of none of them have I been fonder
than Charlize Theron, who once won
an Oscar as a killer tart,
reward for acting with great fun,
and showing tarts can guard their heart.

For Melisa let me hustle,
she deserves one too, I think,
stripping for the men who wrestle,
while the client buy a drink.
She’s forty-four, and does not hide
the fact she’s got a body like
all healthy men would like to ride
in bed or on a motorbike.
Please do not now think bad o’ me
if I now push as hard for her
as I hope the Academy
will push, if members do not err.
A body like that when you’re forty
deserves an Oscar, that’s a fact,
yes, even just for being naughty,
even if you cannot act.

This poem doesn’t have a moral,
it isn’t about morals, it’s
about this simple thought: don’t quarrel
with girls who’re paid to flash their tits.

Inspired by an article by Lauren A.E. Schuker in the WSJ, February 20,2009, discussing the prospects of an Oscar for Melisa Tomei for her part in “The Wrestler” (“Stripping Your Way to Success: Marisa Tomei hopes to join the host of actresses honored for playing strippers and prostitutes”) :

On Sunday night, actress Marisa Tomei could take home an Academy Award for her portrayal of a kind-hearted stripper in the critically acclaimed film 'The Wrestler.' In a tradition that dates as far back as the Oscar show itself, Ms. Tomei is the latest actress to win Hollywood acclaim for playing a character with a job in the sex industry, such as a striptease artist or streetwalker. Four years ago, Natalie Portman was nominated for playing a young stripper in Mike Nichols's steamy drama 'Closer, ' and just a year earlier Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her role as a real-life prostitute-turned-serial killer (in 'Monster') . In the decade before that, Elisabeth Shue, Mira Sorvino and Julia Roberts all became Oscar nominees (or winners) for playing women who sell their bodies but guard their hearts––one of Hollywood's longtime fascinations. Taking the job was a no-brainer for Ms. Tomei, who hopes her performance will help her land leading roles in future films. 'When I was offered the part, I was told it was going to be emotionally taxing––but those things to an actor are sweet sounds. I've always felt that there was such strong creative expression in [pole] dancing, even if it's deemed low-brow entertainment, ' says Ms. Tomei, who wore little more than a G-string in several scenes in the movie. Why so many big screen strippers and hookers? Sex sells, and Hollywood has built an industry marketing actors' appeal. Historically, there have been fewer edgy roles for women, and the world's oldest profession––prostitution––offers a natural corollary to another time-tested role, the male criminal. Another reason: Inherently flawed characters, who possess what some might see as mental, moral or physical imperfections, make for more courageous acting performances. Voyeurism certainly plays a starring role in why moviegoers love to watch women bare it all on screen, but there's also redemptive power in many of the women's performances. Seeing ladies of the evening make good represents the universal rags-to-riches story. 'You can't help but root for the girl - it's about wish fulfillment, ' says Garry Marshall, who directed 'Pretty Woman, ' the hit film about one harlot's attempt at upward mobility which landed Ms. Roberts an Oscar nod. '[Best-picture nominee] 'Slumdog Millionaire' has a lot of the same things

© 2009 Gershon Hepner 2/20/09