The Wall Street Journal pointed out an interesting trend today that many, many women have earned their Oscar nods playing strippers or hookers. Marisa Tomei, for her role in The Wrestler, represents the cliche this year, but there have been many, many before her. Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, and Nicole Kidman to name a few.

more stripper/prostitute Oscar nods after the hop…

But why is this? Does it seem a bit condascending to women that you have to get you whoring gear on in order to be recognized by the Academy?

“There aren’t and have never been a lot of great roles for women in Hollywood,” says Patty Jenkins, who directed Charlize Theron in Monster. “Sadly, that creates this cliché that if a woman plays a prostitute, she wins an Oscar.”

Or you have to swing the pendulum in the other direction and be a nun (ala Meryl Streep in Doubt)

“The way to land an Oscar as a woman is either to take off your makeup or put on a lot more,” said Jeanine Basinger of Wesleyan’s Film Studies department. “You’re either a prostitute/stripper or you’re a mother/nun.”

Interesting, right? And sadly true. Wonder if any cliche holds true for men, too?