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Revisiting 'Showgirls', 30 Years Later

NPR | By Linda Holmes,

Aisha Harris, Barrie Hardymon, Chris Klimek, Mike Katzif, Jessica Reedy

Published September 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM EDT

Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls. — Elizabeth Berkley in *Showgirls*.

Showgirls stars Elizabeth Berkley as a Vegas dancer trying to move up from a seedy club to a glamorous hotel show. Paul Verhoeven's NC-17 movie was a notorious flop, but it is now considered a camp classic and a window into a moment of moral panic. Showgirls turns 30 this year, so today we're revisiting our conversation about the film.

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Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

See stories by Linda Holmes

Aisha Harris

Aisha Harris is a critic and host of Pop Culture Happy Hour and author of Wannabe: Reckonings With the Pop Culture That Shapes Me.

See stories by Aisha Harris

Barrie Hardymon

Barrie Hardymon is the senior editor for NPR's Investigations team.

Chris Klimek

See stories by Chris Klimek

Mike Katzif

Jessica Reedy

See stories by Jessica Reedy

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