I recently went to see Magic Mike Live. It was fantastic. I had a great time.
For anyone who might not be aware, this show consists of men, clothed and unclothed, sexy dancing for a very happy, majority female audience with a lot of audience interaction thrown in for good measure.
Feminism and men taking their clothes off, I hear you question? Is it bold that I’m attempting to put these two together?
Is this a prime example of male objectification that simultaneously reinforces messages to men that they must be super ripped to be attractive?
Or is it a celebration of female desire in a safe, fun, consensual and controlled environment?
How is Magic Mike Live feminist?
The Female Gaze
Without spoiling anything, the show introduces itself with a shift from an overbearing sense of the male gaze, to a more inclusive female gaze.
The atmosphere felt female focused (which makes sense seeing as 99% of the audience was female or femme presenting) and centred around women getting what they want rather than what men think women want.
Coming away from the evening, I loved imagining a boardroom full of women, notepads at the ready, curating the format and feel of the show with the incentive of having something to please every single member of the audience.
Empowerment
Towards the close of the performance, the fabulous host (a woman) said she hoped we would take from the experience; a greater understanding of what we liked and wanted, the confidence and assurance to be able to ask for these things and the feeling that we deserved it.
Could you think of a more feminist message to finish on?
It felt like a space for women to feel prioritised, pleasured and empowered.
Consent
Whenever the cast (actors, performers, half naked men?) interacted with audience members, they made an initial gesture that could easily be refused to establish consent.
I’ve talked before on this blog about how consent doesn’t have to be a long, potentially uncomfortable conversation with contracts drawn up and boundaries marked out (although that sort of consent can be fantastic too, if necessary). Consent can be established through eye contact, a simple gesture or a word. If the involved parties are responsive to whatever this might be, the communication can be clear.
Of course, with a show like Magic Mike Live, a lot of thought has to be put into how it can flow smoothly while maintaining boundaries. I think this was achieved spot on.
However, maybe not so feminist…
Time for some counter arguments.
What about male objectification?
You could say the actors are viewed as commodities for the purposes of female enjoyment. Their bodies are adored and ogled at, and while there is also a focus on sensitivity and, dare I say it, romance within the narrative of the show, I’d be ignorant if I said that the main appeal of the cast members wasn’t intended to be their physique.
Without interviewing them I couldn’t say what their relationship with their bodies might be or how audience perceptions of them impact their day to day perception of themselves.
I would hope that these men are more than aware that their worth and attractiveness is not solely tied to their six packs.
I would imagine that they have also learned how to separate their on stage persona with their private lives and relationships.
But that’s not to say that either of those things are easy.
Is it concerning that many women celebrate and glorify certain male physiques in attending these shows?
Does it turn these men into objects?
Or can they be empowered by capitalising on their bodies in a way that is more difficult for women because of the history of the patriarchy?
Unrealistic standards?
For the men who have seen the Magic Mike movies, have heard about the live show from female friends, seen the viral tiktoks, perhaps attended themselves with respective partners - does the show reinforce unrealistic body image standards for them?
Do women celebrating these bodies reinforce the expectation that a ‘shredded’ physique is the pinnacle of attractiveness?
It’s easy to see that the Magic Mike Live cast put a great deal of effort into their bodies to look the way they do.
I am far from a fitness expert but to have abs of steel and muscles like an Action Man, not only does that involve an obscene amount of press ups and sit ups, diet is a key factor too.
I recently saw a clip of Henry Cavill talking to Graham Norton about the process he went through to get into shape for his role as Superman. He explained that this involved extreme dehydration.
He was required to deprive his body of water almost entirely for three days so that his body had that look of definition. Sound crazy? I thought so too.
I have no idea what diet any of the Magic Mike Live cast might follow but it is worth acknowledging that super defined muscle definition often requires the body to be dehydrated. That is therefore not a realistic aspiration for many young men who deserve to be able to consume as much water as they need! Especially if they’re not being paid to look that way.
This isn’t to say that fitting societal standards of ‘attractiveness’ is inherently bad or toxic. Much the opposite.
The issues stem from our response.
There is nothing wrong with Henry Cavill depriving himself of water for three days if he is in a safe and protected environment and consents to doing so. It also helps to be paid handsomely for how you look, as is the case here - as with the men from Magic Mike!
As audience members we would do well to remind ourselves that we’re probably not being paid to swing from the bannisters of an auditorium topless or do a gymnastics routine suspended from the ceiling. And if we were, and that was our career and passion, I’m sure we’d work on having an equally fabulous physique for that purpose.
My takeaways from going to see the show were that it was a very carefully considered and curated 90 minutes that gave audience members joy, excitement and sexiness in so many different forms. You could have as much or as little interaction with the cast - nothing was forced, consent was always established.
How many movies, music videos and media portrayals satisfy the male gaze while dismissing female desire? Is this not the ultimate feminist statement, to have a show centred around the ladies for once?
And dare I suggest, that rather than feeling objectified, the cast might relish in being screamed at and adored night after night? Just a thought. Otherwise I guess they might look for alternative employment.
So can a feminist go and see Magic Mike Live and enjoy it?
I would say so, because that’s exactly what I did and I don't plan on renouncing my feminist status any time soon.
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