Watching 'Showgirls' as a Black Woman Broke My Heart

Credit: João Neto (NRib Design)

A few nights ago, I watched Showgirls for the first time, mind you I'm 25. I expected to see a film focused on a woman who is solely pursuing dreams of being a famous dancer. Boy was I in for so much more than that! The main character, Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley), lucked up by meeting Molly Abrams (Gina Ravera), a Black costume designer. Given that Molly was the sweetest person in this film, she got the short end of the stick (which we are about to get into). The treatment of her character really ruined my viewing experience. I have so many questions as to why Molly and other Black female characters (ugh, there was only one other Black woman) got dragged through the mud by their white counterparts.

What Was With the Black Woman Stereotypes?

The magical negro trope in this film was unreal. Within the first ten minutes, Nomi hitchhikes a ride to Vegas with a strange man who abandons her and steals her suitcase. Outside the casino, she kicks Molly’s car repeatedly out of anger and they end up fighting. Afterwards, Molly takes her to a restaurant, feeling sorry for her. Please tell me why Nomi ends up throwing the fries all over the table. Talk about entitled and ungrateful! Like girl, you got a free meal and wasted it! And Molly still stayed in this girl’s face and offered Nomi, a woman she just met, to be her roommate and got her a job at the Stardust Resort & Casino where she dresses the dancers. There was no reason for Molly to share her life and take care of a woman she didn’t know who disrespected her! That pissed me off because it was like her existence in the film was to elevate the white lead.

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Now let's discuss Annie (Ungela Brockman), a Black dancer who was constantly beefing with Julie (Melissa Williams), another white dancer. Annie exudes the angry Black female stereotype. She’s bitchy, bossy, and rude (Julie is too, but she is more sneaky and Annie is more of the aggressor). These two were getting into verbal fights throughout the film and nearly came to blows. Oh, and did I mention, Julie is a white woman with box braids. What in the cultural appropriation? But when Annie cussed out Julie’s children, that’s when Julie played dirty. While they were performing on stage, she dropped beads on the floor. Annie broke her knee, causing her to be out of the show for months. I understand that Annie shouldn’t have told her kids to shut the fuck up, but her slipping on beads could’ve gotten her killed. I guess the storyline needed more excuses to have the Black women experience pain while the white girls are the ones dominating.  

Black Women Getting Used and Abused… Again

Not only was Molly basically a servant for Nomi and the other dancers, she was also a moral compass. That scene where Cristal (Gina Gershon) recommended that Nomi perform at a boat trade show, Molly warned her not to do it. Nomi did it anyway, and Molly was right to be skeptical because the event turned out to be a prostitution/sex trafficking set-up. When Nomi pushed Cristal down the stairs in order to steal her spot in the show, Molly saw right through her BS and told Nomi about herself. She was always there to give Nomi guidance, expecting nothing in return. As if Black women are just the help.

After the whole Cristal incident, Nomi tried to make it up to Molly by inviting her to a party where her favorite musician, Andrew Carver, was going to be. Molly went, met Andrew, but he ended up raping her with two other men when he got her alone. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK? The most down-to-earth, kind soul had to experience that type of trauma? And for what? I appreciate that Nomi beat the fuck out of Andrew till he was bloody and knocked out, but she abandoned Molly while she was in the hospital. That left Molly alone in a hospital with a traumatic memory she will never forget, black eyes, vaginal tears, and no justice. That whole thing was just heartbreaking; it brought me to tears. The actress who played Molly even admitted that the character was meant to be helpful in a behind-the-scenes interview:

“Molly, in a sense, is a bit of a sacrificial lamb for Nomi to find out her true essence and her real beauty by standing up for herself and her friends and what she truly believes in, so there's an exchange between the two of them. It's sweet.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love how aesthetically pleasing Showgirls is. The Las Vegas scenery? The showgirl costumes? Makeup, hair, sex appeal? It was a beautiful sight to see. But the way Molly and Annie got dogged out, I don’t think I can ever watch this film again. It was painful enough to sit through it once. I will not willingly sit through it again to see Black female characters get harmed.