Diablo Cody's Oscar Win Inspires Strippers

Feb. 28, 2008 — -- From now on "Oscar winner" will be the adjective most used to describe "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody, but before Sunday's Hollywood award ceremony her name was always preceded by the words "former stripper."

Soon after "Juno" became a critical and commercial success, the media latched on to Cody's G-string-to-riches story, highlighting her career on the pole and glossing over her career with the pen — she published her first book four years before the film came out.

Strippers are a diverse group of people who dance for a variety of reasons, although almost all of them boil down to money.

Since Cody took home the Academy Award for best original screenplay Sunday night, dancers in clubs and cabarets, bars and brothels across the country have looked to Cody, some hopefully and others less so.

Strippers, strippers will tell you, are not all boobs. They have brains too. And while some see Cody's win as a validation, others are less hopeful that the stripper stereotype will remain unshaken.

At FlashDancers in New York City, a recent conversation sparked by Cody's triumph turned into a lecture on the aspirations of exotic dancers and the power — even in a strip club's dark, booze-stained corners — of the American Dream.

"Just because a girl is a dancer does not mean she can't do anything else," said Morena, a 21-year-old Russian immigrant studying business, who delighted in watching Cody win the Oscar.

"I watched the Oscars and was excited when [Cody] won. There are many talented girls who want to do something else other than dance. I know many girls who need to dance just to afford school. I think it is good for dancers with dreams to see her win this," she said.

Cody — who's real name is Brook Busey-Hunt — isn't the first stripper to transition her skills into the broader entertainment industry. But many dancers with day jobs say that they routinely face prejudices and that Cody's success won't tear down those walls.

"Diablo's win is irrelevant," said Holly, 35, a stand-up comedian and stripper who once danced at New Jersey's Satin Dolls, the inspiration for the Bada Bing club in "The Sopranos."