Diablo Cody Points Out the Ol' Channing Tatum Stripping Double Standard

Some people really get off on that [mentality], and if you argue with them, you’re only feeding the trolls, indulging them, giving them that negative attention. But the fact that even some women would say women aren’t funny is what’s really frustrating. It’s part of the problem. I feel like one of the reasons we’re not hired more to write and direct is that some women are complacent and want to be part of the boys club, and part of savoring that acceptance is following the rules. And that’s dangerous, to be scared to offend anyone.

While one-time exotic dancer Cody puts some emphasis on the “loophole women” who undermine others in order to be part of the boys’ club, she does address the radically different response that former Tampa stripper Channing Tatum has received in Hollywood and in the public:

I find it very interesting that a man can be a stripper, talk about it openly, go on SNL and parody it in several sketches, and nobody accuses him of leveraging his sexuality to get ahead. They applaud it. And he did make a quality film, and it obviously did really well, and it had a certain pedigree – it wasn’t trashy – but I do not think a woman would be treated the same way. I’m living proof of that. A woman’s sexuality is dangerous and threatening and dirty, and for Channing, it’s a charming tool in his arsenal. And I love Magic Mike. I love Channing. This is in no way a diss on him.

‘Diablo Cody on the Athena Film Festival and Male Versus Female Strippers’ [Vulture]