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* FanDisservice:
** Nomi getting her period and Zack "checking her" to make sure she isn't lying and is left with bloody fingers.
** The pool sex scene between Nomi and Zack, complete with unrealistic impossible sexual positioning and the climax looking like a seizure.
** Nomi licking a pole during her dance looks titillating, until you think about all the germs and diseases on that metal pole.
** Molly's rape.
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* MamaBear: Julie is sort of this. Although she had already had a lot of tension between her and Angie it seems to have taken Angie upsetting Julie's children that caused her to [[spoiler: sabotage Angie and thus break her leg.]]

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* MamaBear: Julie is sort of this. Although she had already had a lot of tension between her and Angie Annie it seems to have taken Angie Annie upsetting Julie's children that caused her to [[spoiler: sabotage Angie Annie and thus break her leg.]]
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''Showgirls'' was--and still is--a rather controversial film. It flopped at the box office, which killed the chances of future NC-17 movies getting wide releases. But it attracted a cult following on home video, chiefly as a "guilty pleasure" film infamous for its excessive sex, even more excessive nudity, and hilariously inane story and dialogue.

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''Showgirls'' was--and still is--a rather controversial film. It flopped at the box office, which killed the chances of future NC-17 movies getting wide releases. But it attracted a cult following on home video, chiefly as a "guilty pleasure" film infamous for its excessive sex, even more excessive nudity, and hilariously inane story and dialogue.
dialogue. By contrast, take a look at the 1967 film, ''Film/{{Blowup}}'', that took the opportunity to deal the final knockout blow to UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode and didn't foul it up by becoming a hailed film classic.

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* {{Bowlderise}}:
** When aired on VH1, the networks not only dub over bad language and edit out most of the scenes of sex and violence, but use digitally-rendered bras and panties (most of which look as if it were rendered by graphic artist majors doing this as part of their college internship) to cover nudity. It was required to have a broadcastable version in which the plot (what little of it it has) makes any sense at all (there are plot-relevant scenes that take place while the main character, Nomi, is topless or in the nude), but really, the film's better off not being aired on television at all.
** The UK version cut the scene where Molly gets punched and raped by Andrew and his men, as UK censors will still edit an 18-rated movie if it has scenes of sexual violence (i.e. rape and child molestation), animal abuse, dangerous stunts that can easily be imitated, and any content that condones or glamorizes drug abuse.
** The film is rated NC-17 in the United States, though an R-rated cut was made available for some video rental chains. It runs three minutes shorter and either removes the more explicit footage or use tamer alternate takes in some cases.



* DigitalBikini: On a non-PPV channel (like VH-1), all the female nudity is covered with obvious computer-rendered bras and panties.



* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Nomi attracts quite a few admirers, including her rival Cristal Connors.



* FakeShemp: That's not Creator/KyleMacLachlan when Zak walks nude into the pool.



* {{Feelies}}: The 2004 "V.I.P. Edition" includes pasties, shot glasses, playing cards, movie cards, and a poster.



* FollowTheLeader: Joe Eszterhas' version of ''Film/AllAboutEve''.



* GratuitousRape: Molly is beaten and raped by Andrew Carver...''just before she was about to have consensual sex with him!'' It came right out of nowhere.



* HoodOrnamentHottie: Nomi is hired for this, and is not amused when the businessmen assume she's going to sleep with them afterwards.



* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: The film was re-released as a "VIP Edition" which included, among other things: Shotglasses, playing cards, a "pin the pasties on the topless Elizabeth Berkeley" game, drinking game rules, a commentary track by a creepy superfan of the movie, and a short lapdancing tutorial from two girls of Scores. It's all part of the publisher's attempt to re-market the movie as a camp classic.
* LongHairIsFeminine: One of the girls auditioning for the Vegas dance troupe has short hair and is told: "I hope you have a good collection of wigs, sweetie". Cristal also has quite short hair (albeit just above the shoulders) but wears a long hairpiece whenever she's performing.
* LostAesop: The film seems to be trying to prove ''something'' but neither the viewers or the movie itself seem to grasp just what that message is. At first it may seem like it's trying to say that a person should never compromise their morals, where Nomi is shown refusing to put ice cubes on her breasts to make her nipples stand up and refuses to do something that's implied to be prostitution... But this would only work if the character were a legitimate StripperWithAHeartOfGold, in that stripping was the worst thing she did. She had no problems pushing the lead dancer down the stairs to injure her, sleeping with her boss to get higher in the position to be said dancer's understudy. She seemed to be very happy with the idea of doing ''extremely'' graphic things on the stage of the old strip club. So "don't compromise your morals" can't work because the character's morals are borderline psychotic. Her interactions with other characters seem to indicate that the message is something about how Nomi really ''is'' a bad person at heart, that Cristal was right and Nomi really was a whore, who while at first denied it, began to accept it willingly or not. But then every other character in the entire movie acts as if Nomi is an absolute saint, no matter what she does. Even the girl she pushed down the stairs calls her a whore as if it were a compliment.



* MundaneMadeAwesome: Nomi Malone ketchups the fuck out of a plate of fries.



* PlatonicKissing: Nomi visits Cristal in her hospital bed after getting the lead role in a topless stage show via a KlingonPromotion. Cristal seems to bear Nomi no ill will, and states that she's content to do nothing while collecting Workers' Compensation. The two kiss, tongues a-wigglin', suggesting LesYay, but really they're just toying with each other. Both women are morally bankrupt and fiendishly catty.
* ThePollyanna: Nomi Malone is a more believable and seemingly more cynical version of this trope. Nomi carries a knife, appears street savvy and effectively confronts a truck driver for hitting on her. However, she is shown to be ultimately trusting, to her detriment, leaving her luggage in his car to be stolen. Throughout the film she is betrayed for her trust. The callous Las Vegas show director Tony Moss mysteriously refers to her more than once as looking like a "Pollyanna", the first time for no apparent reason, the second time possibly due to her dress (though this still gives us no clue as to why he would name her as such).
* PornWithPlot: Surprisingly, the film was supposed to be this... It... fell a little short of their dreams.



* ScrewTheRulesImFamous[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Andrew isn't charged for raping Molly because he's a celebrity and Nomi's boss helps cover it up. [[spoiler:Subverted as Nomi tracks him down and [[PayEvilUntoEvil makes him suffer for it]].]]

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* ScrewTheRulesImFamous[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Andrew isn't charged for raping Molly because he's a celebrity and Nomi's boss Zak helps cover it up. [[spoiler:Subverted as Nomi tracks him down and [[PayEvilUntoEvil makes him suffer for it]].]]



* SingleMomStripper: A dancer in the nude stage show has to chase down her son running through the dressing room. This appears to be a frequent occurrence.



* TokenBlackFriend: Molly. The second person main character Nomi meets, she immediately offers her shelter and helps her get a job. She then serves as the voice of reason, though she is constantly ignored. She is the only character with no hidden motive, and the only character of moral integrity. By the end of the film she has been violently gang raped and beaten and is barely alive in a hospital.



** She's also thoroughly pissed at James after James bails her out of jail. He is later revealed to be as big a jerk as Nomi calls him, but he'd done nothing so far.
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James's two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny, who are both white.

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** She's also thoroughly pissed at James after James bails her out of jail. He is later revealed to be as big a jerk as Nomi calls him, but he'd done nothing so far.
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* UnresolvedSexualTension: Molly and Nomi constantly cast longing glaces, become inexplicably close friends almost immediately, lounge around in their underwear and intimate that they have masturbated together. This is parodied in the off-Broadway parody ''Showgirls: The Musical!'', in a song called "Best Friend Song". Lyrics include: "Men don't know how to write female intimacy/unless we are finger-banging or scissoring/So let's hang out in our underwear, let's hang out in our towels/We'll spend all night masturbating because we are best pals!"; and "We're best friends now, we probably should have sex/'Cause that's what best friends do when the writers are men!"
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James's James' two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny, who are both white.
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* AlanSmithee: Creator/PaulVerhoeven is credited as "Jan Jansen" in the edited TV version.
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* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers herself a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying it when she's trying to get the same job. She eventually becomes slightly obsessed with trying to get Nomi to realize she is one, setting up different scenarios through the film that all lead to a sexual outcome. Nomi never agrees or admits it.

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* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers herself a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying it when she's trying to get the same job. She eventually becomes slightly obsessed with trying to get Nomi to realize she is one, a whore herself, setting up different scenarios through the film that all lead to a sexual outcome. Nomi never agrees or admits it.
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* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers herself a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying it when she's trying to get the same job.

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* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Cristal considers herself a type of whore and calls Nomi out for denying it when she's trying to get the same job. She eventually becomes slightly obsessed with trying to get Nomi to realize she is one, setting up different scenarios through the film that all lead to a sexual outcome. Nomi never agrees or admits it.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Showgirls_53.jpg]]

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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Showgirls_53.jpg]]
jpg]][[caption-width-right:300:''[[TagLine Leave your inhibitions at the door. The show is about to begin.]]'']]
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “[[Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].”

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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “[[Literature/Pollyanna “[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].”
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Literature/Pollyanna.”

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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Literature/Pollyanna.“[[Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna.”

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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna.“Literature/Pollyanna.
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “[[Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].”

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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “[[Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].“Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna.
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Pollyanna.”

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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Pollyanna.“[[Literature/Pollyanna Pollyanna]].
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** Nomi’s strange reaction when Tony Moss jokingly calls her “Pollyanna.”
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* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Stardust, which are the main (and apparently only) entrance to the stage and which [[spoiler: Nomi pushes Cristal down, critically injuring her.]]

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* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Stardust, which are the main (and apparently only) entrance to the stage and which where [[spoiler: Nomi pushes Cristal down, critically injuring her.]]
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* ColorblindCasting: Molly was written in the script as a chubby Caucasian girl. In the film, she's a slim, athletic African-American.
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** Right around the same time as she's grinding on other naked women on-stage, Nomi seems mortally offended at how [[DepravedBisexual Crystal]] eyes her up and, later, is very reluctant to perform a private dance for her and Zach (insisting that the rules only allow her to dance for one person at a time and "no women"). She seems to be okay with making money off of faked lesbianism, but baulks at the idea of actually being desired by another woman (at least [[BigDamnKiss until the end]]).
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Clarifying how it fits the trope


* DrugsAreBad: Nomi repeatedly refuses offers of drugs until after she sleeps with Zach, finally taking cocaine in a manner similar to Cristal.

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* DrugsAreBad: Nomi repeatedly refuses offers of drugs until after she sleeps with Zach, finally taking cocaine in a manner similar to Cristal. It's presented as a sign of Vegas-induced corruption.
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%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

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%% ZeroContextExample Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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Grammar fix.


*** During Nomi's first night in ''Goddess,'' Molly stands off-stage to inform a bystander (and by proxy the audience) how amazing Nomi dancing's is.

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*** During Nomi's first night in ''Goddess,'' Molly stands off-stage to inform a bystander (and by proxy the audience) how amazing Nomi dancing's Nomi's dancing is.



* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny, who are both white.

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* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James James's two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny, who are both white.
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** Nomi Malone. Because she's trying to hide her past (No Me) and she feels all alone in the world (Malone).

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** Nomi Malone. Because she's trying to hide her past (No Me) and she feels all alone in the world (Malone).((I')Malone).
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Useful Notes/ pages are not tropes


* TheBechdelTest: Believe it or not, ''it passes''. Make of that what you will.

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* DisproportionateRetribution: Nomi kicks James in the nuts just because he said she couldn't dance. Also, after he falls backwards onto a couple, the guy gets so angry over an accident, that he punches him in the face.

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* DisproportionateRetribution: Nomi kicks James in the nuts just because he admitted that she was giving him an erection and said she couldn't dance. Also, after he falls backwards onto a couple, the guy gets so angry over an accident, that he punches him in the face.



* IdealizedSex: The legendary pool sex scene. Nomi is far too wiggly on Zach for it to be legitimately seen as intercourse.

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* IdealizedSex: The legendary pool sex scene. Nomi is too high up and far too wiggly on Zach for it to be legitimately seen as intercourse.



* MamaBear: Julie is sort of this. Although she had already had a lot of tension between her and Angie it seems to have taken Angie upsetting Julie's children that caused her to [[spoiler: sabotage Angie and thus break her leg.]]/me

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* MamaBear: Julie is sort of this. Although she had already had a lot of tension between her and Angie it seems to have taken Angie upsetting Julie's children that caused her to [[spoiler: sabotage Angie and thus break her leg.]]/me ]]


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* MovingTheGoalposts: One poor girl who had auditioned for Goddess earlier in the year had gotten a nose job at the request of Mr. Moss. While he complimented her on the nose and her smile, he still rejected her for the show [[KickTheDog because her ears were sticking out.]]
* NaiveNewcomer: Nomi doesn't know much about the world or life at the Stardust, despite her allegedly being street smart.
** Penny/Hope is pretty dense as well, to the point of being a downplayed version of TheDitz.
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* AlanSmithee: Creator/PaulVerhoeven is credited as "Jan Jansen" in the edited TV version.


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* TheBechdelTest: Believe it or not, ''it passes''. Make of that what you will.
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! ''Showgirls'' contains the following tropes:

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! !! ''Showgirls'' contains the following tropes:

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* BookDumb: Nomi's repeated mispronounciation of "Versace."

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* BookDumb: Nomi's repeated mispronounciation mispronunciation of "Versace."



%%* ChorusGirls

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%%* ChorusGirls* ChorusGirls: Almost expected, since the movie's set in Vegas. Nomi looks on starting here as a step toward becoming a famous dancer.



%%* DepravedBisexual: Cristal.

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%%* * DepravedBisexual: Cristal.Part of Cristal's "evil" seems to be in her willingness to sleep with anyone, of whatever gender, solely for the purpose of controlling or humiliating them.



** Nomi is supposed to be a brilliant dancer, but if you actually watch her dance she's not all that good. James even flat-out tells her in the club that she can't dance, not at all helped by her just flailing her arms around and shimmying her breasts when we see her dance.
*** Worse, in audition scenes several other dancers are visibly [[{{Jobber}} jobbing]] and trying to be worse than she is.
** She's also supposed to be streetwise, but she really seems naive at times and falls for things someone genuinely streetwise never would have.

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** Nomi is supposed to be a brilliant dancer, but if you actually watch her dance dance, she's not all that good. Most of her dancing involves flailing her arms, shimmying her breasts, and thrashing her hair around. James even flat-out tells her in the club that she can't dance, not at all helped by her just flailing her arms around and shimmying her breasts when we see her dance.
*** Worse, in audition scenes several other dancers are visibly [[{{Jobber}} jobbing]] and trying to be dance worse than she is.is, so that she looks good by comparison.
*** During Nomi's first night in ''Goddess,'' Molly stands off-stage to inform a bystander (and by proxy the audience) how amazing Nomi dancing's is.
** She's also supposed to be streetwise, but she really seems naive at times and falls for things someone genuinely streetwise never would have. have, such as leaving all her belongings in a stranger's truck, then losing track of the stranger, who naturally is long gone by the time she remembers.



%%* PingPongNaivete: Nomi, and how.

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%%* * PingPongNaivete: Nomi, and how.who auditions for a topless show but seems shocked when the producer asks the dancers to take their tops off. (Granted, the guy asks in a pretty sleazy, unprofessional manner.) She also doesn't seem to understand Molly's warning that other girls who performed for the boat show "didn't like it," even though you'd think someone who's worked in the sex industry would recognize that euphemism straight away.



* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny who are both white.

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* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: James two onscreen love interests are Nomi and Penny Penny, who are both white.
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* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Goddess, which are the main (and apparently only) entrance to the stage and which [[spoiler: Nomi pushes Cristal down, critically injuring her.]]

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* ChekhovsGun: The stairs at the Goddess, Stardust, which are the main (and apparently only) entrance to the stage and which [[spoiler: Nomi pushes Cristal down, critically injuring her.]]
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* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Andrew isn't charged for raping Molly because he's a celebrity and Nomi's boss helps cover it up. [[spoiler:Subverted as Nomi tracks him down and [[PayEvilUntoEvil makes him suffer for it]].]]

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* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: ScrewTheRulesImFamous[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Andrew isn't charged for raping Molly because he's a celebrity and Nomi's boss helps cover it up. [[spoiler:Subverted as Nomi tracks him down and [[PayEvilUntoEvil makes him suffer for it]].]]

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