Marisa Tomei – Sexy Stripper, Single Mom

dadshouse — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:08:00 +0000

I watched The Wrestler on DVD the other night. Marisa Tomei plays a sexy stripper and single mother, and immediately I wondered – WTF?!

Most single parents raising children solo will do just about anything for the well-being of their kids. But does that mean a single mom in dire straits needs to sell her body as an erotic dancer? Marisa Tomei’s character could have been a nurse rather than a nude dancer, right? Or if she had to be a stripper, did she have to be a single mom?

It made me wonder – are single mothers being mercilessly stereotyped here?

If you watch the film (attention: spoilers in this post), I think you’ll agree with me – Marisa Tomei’s sexy stripper single mom character perfectly fits the core of the movie.

After all, Mickey Rourke’s professional wrestler character is a deadbeat dad.

From watching the film, I gathered that Mickey Rourke’s character was a wrestler first, and walked out on his wife and daughter when he couldn’t deal with family life any more. I’m not supporting his choice (I’m a dad who is divorced with 50/50 custody of my two children, so I’m all about fathers staying involved), but I do know that some dads are deadbeats. His character seemed like someone who really could exist in real life.

It’s less clear with Marisa Tomei’s character which came first – was she a sexy stripper who had a child, then kept stripping? Or was she a single mother who turned to nude dancing to support her kid? I don’t recall the question being answered in the film. I assumed Marisa Tomei was an erotic dancer first, and the wrestler knew her just because he led a strip club lifestyle.

The really interesting thing to me about The Wrestler was the relationships this deadbeat dad and single mom nude dancer had with other people. Mickey Rourke’s character is desperate for connection. He thrives on the energy of his fans. When he is told by doctors that he can no longer wrestle, he turns to sexy Marisa Tomei for friendship, connection, support, love.

But Marisa Tomei the single mom is so focused on raising her child, she can’t open up to Mickey Rourke. She tells him she can’t co-mingle with clients, then collects $60 from him for a lap dance and tells him to get in touch with his adult-age daughter. Marisa Tomei is apparently stripping to make enough money to buy a condo in a neighborhood with good schools. She’s looking out for her child first. Erotic dancing aside, any parent would applaud that intent.

How did these characters compare to real life? I don’t know many deadbeat dads, and the ones I know are not alcohol or drug abusers, so I can’t say whether Mickey Rourke’s character was just furthering stereotypes or not. At one point, he has a heartfelt moment shedding a tear with his daughter, which I totally related to. But later he screws everything up with her due to the drinking and drug use in his fast lifestyle.

Marisa Tomei seemed more real to me. Forget the sexy nude dancer angle – I’m a single parent, and I interact with single moms, and Marisa Tomei’s character seemed totally genuine in her desire to put her child first at the cost of other relationships. After all, I often put my kids first, and don’t allow myself into dating relationships. I can relate. (I’m not a sexy nude dancer, and I don’t hang out in strip bars, so the stripper part was just a stereotype to me.)

Someday, there will be other stories that don’t stereotype deadbeat dads and single moms as alcoholics and strippers. I believe there are compelling stories to be told that paint single parents in a good light.

In the meantime, if you’re going to cast a mid-40s actress as a stripper, a sexy Marisa Tomei dancing is plenty fine with me. She’s hotter than some 20-somethings on the silver screen.

fyi – in real life, Marisa Tomei is not married and has no children. She’s an Academy Award winning actress, and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Wrestler.

If you liked this post about sexy nude dancer Marisa Tomei, you might also enjoy:

Dad's House » single moms

Marisa Tomei – Sexy Stripper, Single Mom