# Live Nude Girls Unite! (2000)

### reviewed by
Steve Rhodes

    LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE!
    A film review by Steve Rhodes
    Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes
    RATING (0 TO ****):  ***

Some people spend time thinking about unions. A lot of people spend time thinking about sex. Very few of us combine these thoughts, but directors Vicky Funari (PAULINA) and Julia Query do in their fascinating peek into the labor struggles of a group of sex workers, a.k.a. strippers, at by-the-quarter peep shows. LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE! tells the inside story of the well publicized organizing effort by the sex workers at the Lusty Lady in San Francisco, which, we are told, has mainly female owners and managers.

Julia Query, a stripper as well as the co-director, is one of the documentary's central characters. A writer and stand-up comic, she was a "professional dominatrix" prior to becoming a stripper. As the story opens, a girl, representing the younger Julia, draws in a coloring book about Dr. Martin Luther King. Julia fancies herself as a major activist for justice like her mother, a doctor who has dedicated her career to the betterment of the lives of prostitutes through proper health care. (Her mother hates the idea of her daughter being a sex worker, and the scene in which she first tells her mother about her job is quite dramatic.)

The documentary features lots of full frontal nudity, as would be expected. This could be criticized in that it does raise the titillation factor, but, without it, it would be hard to imagine exactly what goes on behind the glass curtain. Basically, the women work in a large tank, dancing and cavorting while men on the other side of the glass perform solo sex in little booths. Yes, it is as sleazy as it sounds. The women, however, are frequently mothers and college graduates who look upon their time dancing together as something between a girl's slumber party and a grueling day of hard physical labor.

What motivated the workers to be the first in their industry to organize were the working conditions. At the top of their complaint list was the treatment of sickness. Most companies allow sick workers to stay at home, but not the Lusty Lady, which is typical according to the film. If sick, a woman could have her salary cut and even be fired. To avoid such penalties, a woman was required to find a replacement who had breasts at least as large as hers and skin at least as white. A secondary issue for them was scheduling based on race, since management believed that the men preferred blonde Caucasians. Their reasoning was that blonde Caucasians were by far and away the most popular choice for porn video sales.

Once the workers go on strike, they think up some of the funniest slogans and chants you can imagine to popularize their cause. Most, however, are unprintable. One that is printable appeared on a button: "Bad Girls Like Good Contracts." They also had one of the more unusual job actions in the history of labor fights. They tried keeping their legs closed while dancing in order to discourage the patrons.

The last third of the movie concerns the offers and counteroffers during the negotiations between union and management. It is intriguing but covers more traditional material. The only questionable choice the documentarians made was to include some simple cartoon figures to illustrate some of their points. They are funny and cute, but the women themselves are more interesting.

When asked to summarize her job as a stripper, one of them says simply, "boring!" This is something that could never be said of LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE!, a mesmerizing examination of a world that most of us have never seen and never will. The film also provides your one opportunity to say to someone, the ticket seller in this case, "I'd like Live Nude Girls, please."

LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE! runs a fast 1:20. It is not rated by the MPAA but would be rated NC-17 for graphic nudity and strong language. It would be acceptable for college students.

Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com

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