It’s the middle of summer, my home is sweltering and we’re swimming in a sea of highly anticipated movies. Now and in the next couple months we’ve got Brave, Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, Total Recall and … a male stripper movie? Yeah, this does not compute to me. Magic Mike is a movie based on Channing Tatum’s experiences as a male stripper before he made it big in movies like GI Joe and whatever Nicholas Sparks movies he’s been in. It stars him and Matthew McConaughey and I’m guessing some other men in g-strings. The trailers have all been women whooping and the strippers loving every minute of it … oh and one of the reviewer quotes says it’s “The Citizen Kane of stripper movies!” I’m thinking that’s a joke or else I might lose faith in humanity.

I’ve heard a lot of women (both online and in my actual non-internet life) say they’re stoked to see this movie. I am fully aware that attractiveness is relative and everyone has their own definition of eye candy and that’s perfectly alright, but am I the only one who finds male strippers to be really gross? I didn’t realize male strippers were even popular anymore with the ladies. The way I see it, I do my best to avoid strangers’ genitalia as much as possible, so I don’t see the logic in paying someone to oil down and shove their junk near my face. It could also be this is not my definition of eye candy. Body builders do not make me swoon and greasy body builders doubly so. And on top of that, there’s always something so fake about the strippers … they’re putting on a show and you’re paying them for it and I just don’t get it.

And the truth is that it always seems like when critics of feminism are disputing objectification of women in the wide variety of media and entertainment, they go to “Women objectify men, too,” and they’re talking about something like this – but 1). I know I don’t find this appealing and I’d bet that many women don’t either and 2). the men still have dignity and some control. It’s not nearly the same thing and it’s not nearly as prevalent as female objectification. I wonder if this movie will just be perpetuating that false equivalency?

Again, it’s not necessarily that I’m against Magic Mike as a movie – it could very well be funny and not just a meat fest or maybe just a clever meat fest. I just don’t see the appeal of the topic in general. I’d love for someone who wants to go see it to explain it to me because I’m just lost. What about male strippers or Magic Mike appeals to you?