“[W]hen I’m not stoned, I got no place else to go. So they just, uh, protect me from myself.” – Iris

In the 1970’s , women’s rights were on the rise.  No longer did they have to rely on men; they could go work their own jobs and live their own independent lives.  Men no longer had all the power they used to have, and so, some resorted to all sorts of lows to regain some sense of that “power.”  One of their methods was prostitution. Naive girls like Iris were exploited to give men pleasure and a feeling of dominance, while the girls were fooled into believing that selling their bodies like so was a sort of women’s rights.  They were manipulated into thinking that they were the ones making decisions, that they were choosing what is best for them.

Sport tells Iris that he loves her, and she believes him wholeheartedly, but it is apparent that Sport isn’t in love at all.  Iris is simply a means of getting what he wants – money, business, and most likely sex.  But, she stays with him, thinking that he’s treating her well and protecting her from herself.  She doesn’t believe she has anywhere else to go.  When Travis goes to take her away, she doesn’t understand what she needs to be taken away from. “I can leave anytime I want to,” she tells him. This is obviously not true, though.  If she really were to leave one day, she would most likely be dragged back like she was outside the theater that night.  She has this false sense of independence, of thinking she could come and go as she wishes.  Ultimately, she’s just being used.  But, Iris is oblivious to this.  To her, she is right where she wants to be – in the “love” and protection of Sport.