In the world of Striptease all the women, except one, are strippers. As such they are for sale. Don't misunderstand, these girls are NOT prostitutes, as Demi Moore is quick to explain a number of times in the movie. Just because they are strippers does not naturally mean they are selling their bodies for sex. Ah huh, thanks for pointing that out, Demi.
In Striptease men buy the pleasure of ogling women and they can purchase an extra gyration or pelvic thrust in their face by tucking money into a skimpy g-string. Plus the audience is forced into the same position as the johns in the strip club. I felt physically cheapened because I was forced to endure too many tedious stripping scenes that encouraged me to understand that this movie is not about plot, but about Demi Moore's body.
Further, through the world of Striptease we understand other things about women - they are stupid. Also, in the search of beauty women's bodies become alarmingly unnatural.
The thin strip' of a story around which Demi was able to show us her 12 million dollar breasts was apparently once a fine novel by Karl Hiaacen. In this movie, however, any semblance of a feasible story has been lost, probably in all the glue that holds Burt Reynolds teeth and hair in place.
In a nutshell, we have a mother who is trying to get custody of her child. Thus to the eternal struggle of women, the Ave / Eva dichotomy. I've often wondered about the "oldest profession in the world". Is that motherhood or prostitution? Demi Moore's character is such a good mother in this film, she becomes a stripper to win her child in a custody battle. As such, the child learns through example that it is okay to strip, and even comments that her mother's dancing "is real purdy".
Herein lies another problem. Demi is no dancer. Her gyrations are contorted and rely more on her exotic facial expressions than physical skill. This is a role Madonna could have done so much better, but Madonna hasn't given birth to her child yet, so she didn't have an exploitable six year old, as Demi Moore did. The child in the movie is the real life daughter of Demi and Bruce Willis. I struggle to understand why any mother would allow her child to be in a soft porn movie. Is this something she can take to show and tell' at school, and let her friends enjoy her talent?
So, overall, I hated this movie. The women's movement has struggled since the mid 19th century to prove that women are the equals of men and deserve respect as such. Demi's ridiculous expose puts us way back into the dark ages. I'm sorry, but all women owe it to themselves and humanity to be the best they can be, and this movie isn't it.