Hustlers is coming to a theatre near you. If you’ve already heard about Hustlers, you’re probably eagerly waiting for that release date; if you haven’t, you’re probably wondering what it’s even about and who’s in it. In fact, the star-studded cast is so glitzy you might have a tough time looking too long: J.Lo, Cardi B, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, and other similarly big names. These women make up the forefront of the Hustlers movie, and that’s been a big reason for the media hype surrounding it. Why? Well, the movie promises to be not only interesting but also a beauty to look at. These women are hustlers, their characters are hustlers, and they’re bringing hustling into the limelight.
What does it mean to be a hustler? These stars can tell you.
What Is Hustlers About?
First things first: what’s the movie even about?
It’s actually inspired by a true story. The movie script is based on a 2015 article from the New York Times. This article was written about a woman who had helped to create a group of strippers, prostitutes, and ex-strippers that essentially robbed men blind. Rather than just wait for these men to tip them, the women would wine and dine them, sometimes drug them, and run up their credit cards for whatever they could. Sure, they were eventually caught and charged with multiple felonies, but it’s an incredible story either way. It gets even more interesting when you understand the dynamics behind it; these women largely preyed on men who were almost unimaginably wealthy and already spending money at strip clubs. They didn’t even see anything wrong with what they were doing.
Why Are They Being Called Hustlers?
The article that originally called public attention to the whole situation was titled “The Hustlers at Scores,” referring to their “home base” at a strip club named Scores. This title was then blended into the movie’s title. How did the article get that title? Well, being a hustler stretches back centuries. The word “hustle” has its roots in 17th-century Dutch, and it’s been used to describe swindling and other illegal activity since at least 1840. But calling that trick a hustle is relatively new; it’s only been around since the 1960s. Interestingly enough, pool played a major part in this linguistic change. Pool hustling has been around for much longer than the term itself, but it gained widespread American recognition with a 1961 movie based on a 1959 book. Ironically enough, it was a simply-named movie as well: The Hustler. In the movie, which has since been lauded as a classic, a man goes through a variety of failures and successes as a result of swindling his fellow pool players. That was enough to make “hustler” an extremely common American term. Nowadays, it can be used to describe someone making money or working hard, no matter how they’re doing it. J.Lo and Cardi B’s characters are hustlers, but by making this movie, so are they.
What About the Brand?
When you think of hustlers, your first thought may be the HUSTLER® magazine or general brand. If so, you’re not the only one — it had a huge effect in establishing the phrase “hustler” in relation to prostitution and pornography. In a sense, every person who’s ever posed for HUSTLER® has been a hustler. The magazine, which has never been afraid to show extremely explicit content, has a penchant for being one of the most well-known adult magazines in the United States, and since its founding, it’s actually been instrumental in tearing down obscenity laws across America. That’s one of the reasons it has so many branches — HUSTLER® Hollywood, its online sex toy site, is a leader in the industry, and it’s trusted for a reason.
Conclusion
Being a hustler is always in style. J.Lo and Cardi B can testify to that: they’re attractive enough to be in HUSTLER®, playing fictitious versions of real-life hustlers, and from the money they’re making, they’ve definitely earned the title of hustler. When you go see them on the big screen in September, remember how much they’ve hustled to get there.
