Sssh.com Contributing Author and Blogger Chandie Foster from RudeVirtual.com went on an outing with some friends to go see Magic Mike and relates this delightful and entertaining commentary!
“You’ve really got a taste for this, haven’t you, Miss Steele? You’re becoming quite insatiable”, he murmurs. – Christian Grey, “Fifty Shades of Grey”
Insatiable. That single word so simply summarizes the frenzy that I have encountered recently amongst my female friends. As a woman who has worked within the adult industry for nearly fifteen years, I have become accustomed to conversations and discussions surrounding sexuality, pornography and the like. What I haven’t been exposed to are my girlfriends, most working in the mainstream world, openly talking about their sexual adventures, likes and dislikes. I mainly keep my professional talk confined to my professional circles. That all changed a few months ago when I began to hear whispers about E.L. James series of books, beginning with “Fifty Shades of Grey”. I admittedly paid little attention, assuming it was just another romance novel written about a wealthy man sweeping a poor, helpless young woman off her feet and taking care of her for the rest of her life. “Happily Ever After”, right? Wrong.
When the buzz really began to pick up, I was hearing about Christian Grey everywhere, from my gym to the coffee shop. Women, old and young alike, were whispering and giggling and even including it in their book club selections. Imagine my surprise when a girlfriend shared with me her desire to be restrained and deprived over our morning latte. What had taken root here? I had to find out. Over our weekly girls’ night out dinner, the conversations slowly began to shift. Small admissions came to light amongst slight chuckles and the clinking of our wine glasses. The stories became more and more bold over the course of the next few weeks, as we traded the book back and forth, each week anticipating the fun to be had and the the experiences to be shared over the evening. And our group slowly began to grow, as we all brought new friends along who brought with them their own stories and fun to share. It was unlike any “girl power” sessions I had seen before.
During these weeks, transitions were occurring. New relationships were forming, while at the very same time, some were ending. New boyfriends, cheating spouses, engagements, divorces…they all interlaced with this new open communication among us all. It seemed as if one fed the other and yet Christian Grey remained a central topic of conversation. Would we want a man like that? Could we give ourselves over sexually to someone like that? He served as a great distraction and also as someone who provided us with plenty of deep conversation as well as humorous moments during that time.
And then it happened: Magic Mike.
The trailer for the film debuted just a few days before our weekly night out. The girls’ were passing the links back like crazy. My in-box was a nightmare, filled with the latest, longest, bawdiest version of the trailer. When I arrived to our dinner on Thursday, I was running a little late. I entered the restaurant to the rowdiest group I had ever encountered on girls’ night. We had even picked up a couple of gay men along the way. Where had my hush-hush “Fifty Shades” group gone? And who were these perverted women that couldn’t stop talking about Matthew McConaughey making them a “law breaker”. The group was the same but the dynamic had shifted. We had transitioned from the constraints of Christian Grey to the guilty pleasure of simply wanting to watch nearly naked men gyrate on stage. In any case, this group that was comprised of a few teachers, a nurse, a clothing designer, a speech pathologist, and even a rocket scientist (aka aerospace engineer) were all more than excited when I proposed a “Magic Mike” Sunday outing. And so the plans were made, tickets were pre-purchased and the anticipation of our event became all anyone could talk about.
As the day grew closer, we grew from a group of ten to an eventual gathering of fifteen, 12 women and 3 of our gay male friends. We began the day with a great Mexican “all-you-can-drink” mimosa brunch.
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As soon as the drinks were flowing, so was the conversation! We all had different expectations for the movie, but, if I recall correctly, there wasn’t a single discussion surrounding the plot. I don’t think anyone even knew what the movie was about. Instead, everyone argued over which of the men belonged to them, who had the best body, and whether charisma and charm were more important than looks (consensus: yes!). When the talk turned to short versus tall, it took a naughty turn to the “does size matter” debate. I won’t share that consensus, but suffice it to say that I have now heard stories of legends! Whether they were embellished, who knows? But it made for a very colorful brunch conversation and gave me insight into some of my friends that I never thought I would have. It was the perfect lead in to the movie.
After patiently waiting in a very long line, we were finally ushered into the theater. The crowd was a mix, mainly women and gay men, but I also spotted quite a few couples in the crowd. Our group split into two rows, one just above the other which turned out to be an excellent plan as we were all poking each other and giggling throughout the entire film. I have not enjoyed people watching inside a theater so much in my entire life.
The movie, as it turns out, is less than great, plot-wise. The dialogue sequences are extended and drag on far too long. The boy meets girl, boy loses girl element has been told time and again and to much better effect than in “Magic Mike”. The story also jumps around into some unnecessary dark places that I felt were the directors way of trying a little too hard to make the movie more serious than it needed to be. But what the movie accomplished very well was it’s pacing, at least from my observation of the crowd. Just when the plot would begin to drag and the crowd would grow a little restless, it would shift to a dance sequence and the crowd would go wild. It lies somewhere between “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Boogie Nights”; a little strange, a little dirty, and completely engaging for the audience. The collective sighing and expressions of “oh MY God!”, combined with the embarrassed giggles and silent lip biting moments told me that this film had accomplished exactly what it was that my group had set out to do and that was to simply be entertained. And we were most definitely entertained.
What I have discovered is that whether it is spending an intimate night with Christian Grey, alone in your bedroom, experiencing the characters intimately or whether in a crowded theater, sharing the raw, sexiness of the Xquisite Club men of “Magic Mike, this recent movement towards a more open female sexuality seems to be here to stay.
~ Chandie Foster
Chandie Foster is a 14 year adult industry veteran who is currently the sales director for both Rude.com and their partner site, RudeVirtual.com.
Follow Chandie On Twitter: @Chandiegirl
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