Good Hookers vs. Bad Hookers
In a fight for which movie to watch on a sea of channels last night I stumbled upon two films that portray hookers. Pretty Woman and American Psycho. And I realized something a little shocking about myself. Apparently I can watch a lovable hooker, but not the straight up getting screwed kind.
Pretty Woman is the classic 1990 romantic comedy - a cold executive, a hooker with a heart of gold. Just add a fun soundtrack, a Beverly Hills backdrop and a shopping montage and you have yourself a movie almost all women universally love. I know I do. Everyone had a copy of it on VHS growing up. I even had a friend who’s grandma made her outfits that Julia Roberts wore (the polka dot dress from the polo match and the peach short suit when Jason Alexander slaps her). It made Julia Roberts a star and is obviously still appealing 20 years later.
During a commercial, we flipped again and landed on American Psycho. The 2000 Christian Bale dark comedy/psychological thriller about a sadist serial killer, Wall Street investment banker. Now my boyfriend wanted to watch American Psycho while I was hearing the first notes of Roy Orbison’s classic song in my head and was NOT missing the “You work on commission, right? Big mistake. Big. Huge!” scene.
We watched a few minutes of American Psycho where Patrick Bateman (Bale’s sadistic character) has hired two hookers. The street-walking kind and a high paid call girl. It’s weird, but as they have a threesome, Patrick is more interested in filming himself and posing for the camera. The scene is weird and degrading, and I told my boyfriend I didn’t feel comfortable watching this movie. And then I flipped back to Pretty Woman. I sat there happily for a few minutes before I realized not only my hypocrisy but my idiocy.
I was perfectly happy to watch the happy-go-lucky, spunky Julia Roberts hooker, but it was the hookers getting violently banged that upset me? Was the reality of prostitution too much for me, but the Disneyfied version was just fine? All three women were hired to perform sex, on command, however the guy wanted it. I just felt better about watching the one where the girl got shopping excursions and made friends with the hotel staff? I was disappointed, but couldn’t help still liking Pretty Woman. I realize I’ve loved some happy hookers before. From Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Jodi Foster in Raging Bull, Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas, even Terence Howard’s hookers in Hustle and Flow. And I’m not saying hookers don’t deserve love. 
The reality of prostitution is pretty grim. I feel for whatever person feels compelled to choose this for themselves. I’m just amazed how gullible I am to choosing palatable versions of hookers over the harsher, actually doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing type of hookers.
Maybe I’ll just choose to blame Disney. They’ve been feeding me ridiculous images of women for as long as I can remember. I aspired to be Snow White at one point. A woman roofied by her stepmother and happy cooking and cleaning for 7 sloppy, drunk old men. And I call myself a feminist?
