“Hustlers” Steals The Liberal Pretense Of The Patriarchy
Editor’s note: “Hustlers” has proven to be a richly divisive topic among the sex work community — and for good reason. Here at PULP we’re honoring those complexities and publishing two conflicting companion pieces side by side to give a better bird’s eye view. Read the counter-point here.
When the news first broke about the film Hustlers, my twitter feed started blowing up. People were asking if my “Justice Hustlers” series of novels had been adapted into a movie, or worse, if my story had been stolen. Neither one is true.
Both stories are about a group of New York sex workers who rob unscrupulous men, but mine is pure fiction, while the film Hustlers — written and directed by Lorene Scafaria — is based on Jessica Pressler’s 2015 true crime article, “The Hustlers at Scores” in New York Magazine. But given my own preoccupation with justice, it’s no surprise that I loved the movie Hustlers. Like my own series, it’s about more than slick cons and heists, it’s a complete indictment of the patriarchal system that drives the women to commit crimes.
In Hustlers, former exotic dancers run a scam to rip off some of their wealthiest customers after the 2008 financial crash that those men helped create.
The way that the film centers sex workers, and…
