Channing Tatum’s titular character, Magic Mike, is the epitome of the modern male sex symbol… so what’s the legacy and impact of the Magic Mike trilogy, as it finishes up with Magic Mike’s Last Dance? Where we’re so used to women’s bodies being front and center – we’re now seeing more men in their place. At the same time – the Magic Mike movies show us that there’s much more to being an exotic dancer than sex appeal alone. Magic Mike humanizes the male sex symbol – and by celebrating the work of exotic dancers instead of just objectifying them – can have a positive impact on their industry as a whole.
TRANSCRIPT
Seductive, sensual and scintillating, Channing Tatum’s titular character, Magic Mike, is the epitome of the modern male sex symbol… so what’s the legacy and impact of the Magic Mike trilogy, as it finishes up with Magic Mike’s Last Dance? The franchise has added to our culture slowly flipping the script when it comes to objectification. Where we’re so used to women’s bodies being front and center – we’re now seeing more men in their place. As Vogue wrote back in 2015, Magic Mike’s popularity signaled that ‘the rise of the female gaze’ was upon us.
At the same time – the Magic Mike movies show us that there’s much more to being an exotic dancer than sex appeal alone. Construction man by day, male stripper by night – Mike’s actually a sensitive, hardworking guy who’s just trying to make a living as he pursues his dream to someday own his own furniture business. While his larger-than-life performances are a treat for the eyes, there’s a finesse to the art of exotic dance that these movies so skillfully explore.
Dallas: “On the stage, thousands of women. Eyes on you. You are their vision.” – Magic Mike
Here’s our take on how Magic Mike humanizes the male sex symbol – and how by celebrating the work of exotic dancers instead of just objectifying them – can have a positive impact on their industry as a whole.
Exotic dancing has long been portrayed onscreen as a degrading job that one does when they’ve reached a low point in their life and have no choice but to use their bodies to get by. But the thing for many of these professional dancers is that it’s just that: a profession. And they’re just like every other person working a job to pay the bills.
Mike’s character was actually inspired by Channing Tatum’s real-life experience of performing as an exotic dancer before he got his big break as an actor – which is playfully mirrored in the films. Mike sees exotic dance as a job that helps fund what he really wants to do – and it doesn’t define him. It’s a hustle and a performance, but it’s also an alter-ego. He’s both Magic Mike, male entertainer, and Mike Lane, aspiring furniture business owner.
Brooke: “Entrepreneur/stripper? Stripper/entrepreneur?”
Magic Mike: “Either one. lt’s fine.” – Magic Mike
The audience delves past his physical appearance to see that deep down, while he’s confident and sexy on stage, he’s also insecure – which humanizes him as so much more than a sex object. In Magic Mike XXL we see a number of the characters portrayed in this way – from Tarzan wishing he had a wife and family to Tito worrying about his frozen yogurt business – these details give them dimension and vulnerability. As author Janet C. Mendoza Stickmon writes in her essay on the movie franchise, “The male entertainer is no longer an object…but is a whole person with passions, ambitions, and challenges.”
The way that the Magic Mike franchise celebrates male friendship and camaraderie adds another layer to the characters’ multidimensionality. Not only is it still pretty rare to see men express genuine love and care for one another onscreen platonically – but we get to see it from a group of beefed up, hypermasculine men. They hype each other up – root for each other’s successes – and help one another when they’re down.We see this kind of kinship play out in Hustlers – another movie that centers exotic dancers and portrays them as more than punchlines or side characters. And what both films also accomplish is putting the power in the hands of the dancers.
Ramona: “We’re the untouchables. Like Kobe and Shaq.”
Destiny: “Who gets to be Kobe?”
Ramona: “I’m Kobe. You’re Shaq.” – Hustlers
Exotic dancers on screen and in real life are constantly objectified – and while, yes, they are an object of desire – there’s a way to portray this without demeaning them.That’s what makes the Magic Mike franchise so unique. These movies offer a look into the eyes and hearts of the otherwise objectified, seeing them from their own perspective in how they view their job and why they love doing it. The movies also provide a different perspective that we don’t typically get – through the female gaze. The series, Minx, delves into the seemingly forbidden power of the female gaze and what this kind of power can offer in the world of adult entertainment marketed towards women.
Joyce Prigger: “Whether they’re curious or turned on or just want to laugh at him, it’s the ability to look makes a woman feel powerful.” – Minx
And with Magic Mike – the dancers’ main objective is to entertain women – but instead of seeing this as an obligation, the movies capture the more rewarding aspects of their jobs – the adrenaline rush these male dancers get when they’re out there on stage performing. In doing this, it puts the power back into the hands of the people being looked at – so they don’t just feel like sex objects. The franchise really hones in on what it means to make an audience feel good. There’s a memorable scene in Magic Mike XXL in which Joe Manganiello’s character, Big Dick Richie, does an impromptu striptease to Backstreet Boys’ hit song, “I Want It That Way,” with the goal of getting the stoic female clerk behind the counter to crack a smile.
Magic Mike XXL also touches on the intimacy of dance – about forming a bond with your audience. Ken, played by Matt Bomer, shares a sweet dance with a woman who’s felt unloved throughout her life. Through dance, she gets to forget about all of that and enjoy being desired and feeling beautiful while he holds her and serenades her.
Ken: “Baby, you’re all that I want when you’re lying here in my arms.” – Magic Mike XXL
In this moment, the men are seen as so much more than dancers – in fact, they’re compared to healers. And so, Magic Mike pushes past the typical objectification of exotic dancers to instead celebrate the joys of performing. These male entertainers dance for a sea of screaming women who are all there to have a good time – but they bring a sense of deeper connection and a chance to explore one’s desires in a way that they may not have even considered before.
The third and final installment of the Magic Mike franchise, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, introduces Salma Hayek as a wealthy socialite who invites Mike to London for one last show. She, too, emphasizes the liberating power and expression of dance – how it can unlock something within us and allow us to discover new parts of ourselves. Her intent is to help other women find the goddess in themselves. It all starts with the appreciation for the art of erotic dance, allowing everyone to free themselves of inhibition and re-discover their passion.
When it comes down to it, exotic dance brings forth delight and amusement. Whether it’s performing for a raucous crowd or sharing an intimate moment with a partner, the truth of it is that anyone can have fun experimenting with dance.
But the Magic Mike trilogy even goes beyond dance as a form of entertainment to show that it’s also a feeling. It’s an experience. Dance can be an expression of a wide range of emotions. It can be sensual, playful, enticing, expressive…and it’s through this joyous art that the characters find true freedom. Mike Lane grows throughout each movie, finding his love and passion for dance again, all while encouraging his fellow male entertainers to do the same, reinforcing that it’s something to take pride in.
Magic Mike: “You’re not a fireman, what are you?”
Big Dick Richie: “I’m a male entertainer.” – Magic Mike XXL
And the franchise has hammered this point home by experimenting with other kinds of dance. In Magic Mike XXL – Mike and his friends go to a drag bar and try their hand at voguing – a dance slash subculture that’s been integral to the self-expression of queer communities. The scene was very well-received, with Jezebel’s Julianne Escobedo Shepherd saying, “In a culture that is frequently appropriated, misrepresented and straight-up jacked by those not within it, the scene was astounding to see—especially considering that recognizable members of the real-life community had been included, and that for their parts, voguing had not been diluted.”
By juxtaposing Magic Mike’s male strippers with the voguers – we’re asked to see the beauty and joy in both art forms – and how they’ve been able to uplift the communities that take part in them.
Magic Mike shows us the many joys that can be found through exotic dancing – and how it has the ability to make someone feel wanted, empowered and, above all, confident.
Exotic dance on screen still has a long way to go – but it’s certainly come a long way. And with movies like ‘Magic Mike’ – we see how it can be celebrated and appreciated as a fun and expressive art form that brings people together. Magic Mike, both the character and the movie franchise, show us how these performers can go beyond being a sex symbol by providing a deeper look at what it means to be an entertainer. And though the series is focused on what it is to be a male stripper – hopefully through its success – the same multidimensionality will start being afforded to their female counterparts.
Dallas: “Our feature presentation, the one and only, the star of the show, Mr. Magic Mike.” – Magic Mike