They don’t have morals. They should get a real job.
Many people hold these negative, close-minded views of sex workers, but the truth is sex workers do what they do to survive and live the best life they can — just as anyone sitting behind a desk, working for small and big businesses or even working at a fast food restaurant.
But in reality the same people who harp on sex workers have no issue using their services in private, which is how a group of workers pulled off a scam for the books, portrayed in the film “Hustlers.”
The film is an adaptation of a well-respected news article “The Hustlers at Score” written by Jessica Pressler for New York Magazine. In fact the film is the making of the story with an all star cast that had a range of fans filling seats. Jenifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Julia Stiles along with singers and songwriters Lizzo and Cardi B.
The story starts in 2007, right before the Wall Street crash. Both film and article described how work in strip clubs was flourishing in New York City. After the crash, everyone was affected because if customers lose their money then workers can’t get paid.
Two women along with a group of other workers, decide to scam wealthy men who are well known to splurge at strip clubs — or on sex workers in general. To guarantee money they set up an elaborate scheme by drugging the men via spiking their drinks to the point that they cannot remember the events of the night.
The plan was very successful — until they became greedy and lost some of their best customers and had to start scamming complete strangers. Eventually it became riskier, to the point of them getting caught.
As the story progresses it explains why they felt what they need to do and most of them just wanted a better life than what they had.
“Hustlers” isn’t a story about thieving strippers. It’s about what some people will do to achieve their own American dream. How they did it wasn’t the brightest — but everyone has a hustle.