How GLOW is bringing the stories of real women wrestlers out of the dark
Lauri S. Thompson, a.k.a. female wrestler Susie Spirit, talks to q about her real-life experiences in the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling circuit.
The new Netflix show GLOW is bringing attention to the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling circuit of the 80s, a low-budget variety show that combined comedy sketches, a lot of spandex, and a pantheon of over-the-top female wrestling characters.
All of the above was familiar to Lauri S. Thompson. While she's currently an intellectual property and entertainment lawyer, Thompson was Susie Spirit, a real pro wrestler in the real GLOW show.
Thompson talks to q guest host Ali Hassan from Las Vegas about her reaction to the Netflix show, the real dangers participating in the matches posed, and how the racism, sexism, and Cold War tensions depicted in the show translate to our modern-day realities.
— Produced by Shannon Higgins