In Miami, you can take off anything — except a mask. Just ask this male stripper
Fact: There are people who abhor wearing a mask. Since the pandemic began months ago, there have been countless fights over the issue.
While most celebrities and public figures promote the wearing of CDC-recommended masks to control the spread of COVID-19, even some occasionally leave their pretty mugs exposed (we’re talking to you, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes).
To convince Miami to commit to the simplest of safety measures, five local filmmakers offered their most creative ideas through a competition called Masks Up Miami, by the Oolite Arts organization, based in Miami Beach.
The winner of the most 305 — as in, over the top, loco — sketch was writer-director Katja Esson for “The Stripper.” Esson received an additional $1,000 for winning the People’s Choice Award among online voters.
Watch the roughly one-minute clip and you can see why “The Stripper” took home the honors.
And, scene: A beyond buff, topless man in a cowboy hat has his back to the camera on stage with a disco ball while seductive music plays. Women scream and howl in the background as he slaps his butt. The man begins to fling off articles of clothing, his belt and leather vest, as the catcalls continue.
Slowly, he turns around and begins to remove his mask and smiles. The catcalls turn to screams of horror and someone throws a high heel at him as he puts the mask back on and scurries off the stage.
“In Miami you can take off anything,” Esson says in the clip, “except common sense.”
All of the PSAs submitted in the competition can be viewed at oolitearts.org/masksup
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
