A major Obama campaign fundraiser wrote, directed, and produced a 2004 film titled "I Want To Strip For My Man But I Don’t Know How … Unleashing the Naughty Girl In You!" that instructs "everyday women" how to strip.
Stacii Jae Johnson, who currently serves as special events director in the office of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D) and has bundled between $50,000 and $100,000 for the Obama reelection campaign, is a former Hollywood actress with extensive connections to the film and television industries.
Johnson got her start in politics as a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in 2008, and has touted her ability to exploit Hollywood connections to draw celebrities such as Martin Lawrence to events. In the mid-1990s, Johnson worked as Lawrence’s receptionist and production assistant, which led to a role in "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (1996) opposite her boss. Johnson starred as "Peaches," a character the Los Angeles Sentinel described as "a feisty, nosy, talkative, around-the-way girl who's just as tangy as the name implies."
She is perhaps best known for her supporting role as "Sherri" in "How To Be A Player" (1997), a Def Jam joint starring former "MTV Jams" host Bill Bellamy and featuring appearances by comedians Gilbert Gottfried and Bernie Mac.
Her 2004 film "I Want To Strip For My Man" is currently available, in very limited quantities, on Amazon.com, and has been obtained and viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The DVD invites female viewers to "slip into something sexy, strap on the 6 inch stiletto heels, pop it in the player, and prepare to journey into your bodies." The 93-minute film follows the experiences of two "everyday women" in New York City—Lisa and Nature—as they are transformed from "‘humdrum’ to ‘sexy siren’" with the help of Johnson and three of "the hottest exotic dancers New York has to offer."
The film is intended for women looking to "let go and loosen up and learn how to shake a little something," Johnson says. Lisa and Nature receive hands-on training from professional pole dancers Alex ("The Seductress"), Sasha ("The Flirt"), and Kim ("The Rumpshaker"), while Johnson plays the role of "The Host."
These self-described "sexual revolutionaries" provide expert instruction on "signature exotic moves" such as the "fold over," the "crawl," the "spread eagle," and the "booty clap."
"I Want To Strip For My Man" also provides useful advice for women on how to boost confidence and keep men interested. "I think we need to put on more skirts," Johnson says in the film. Women, she advises, should get "away from the jean, and … back into wearing skirts and being dainty and cute."
She also recommends wiping off a man’s feet as he steps out of the shower. "Maybe, you know, because it creates a thing in his mind where – ‘Oh gosh, my baby just wiped my feet off before my feet touched the ground, I think I’m special’ – you know?" Johnson tells Sasha "The Flirt."
Sasha agrees.
"Women are so used to being the ones that are pampered, and they expect it. And you never look at the man like expecting it," Sasha says. "You know, hand him that towel as he’s coming out of the shower, maybe be like, ‘Baby you lay down, let me lotion up your body, let me put that baby oil on you, let me get you dressed, let me have your clothes ready, you know, when you come out of the shower.’"
Learning to be less jealous when your husband or boyfriend compliments another woman’s body is another key to self-confidence, Sasha adds.
While conducting interviews on the street, Johnson offers more direct advice: "You make that butt clap. You do whatever is necessary to keep your man home."
One benefit of teaching "everyday women" how to strip, Johnson argues, is to reduce the incentive for men who enjoy going to strip clubs.
"Because the women aren’t doing it at home, they come out and they get it here [at a strip club]," Johnson says. "With the film, you can learn to shake it and you can shake it at home, you know what I’m saying?"
Though Johnson does not have much screen time in the film, she does appear throughout, at one point jokingly referring to herself as a "retard girl" as she attempts to play billiards in the strip club where the film is set.
An emotional finale punctuates the film, as Lisa and Nature’s husbands arrive to watch their spouses put their newly acquired skills to use in a private performance on stage.
Nine people have reviewed the film on Amazon, and the ratings are mostly positive (4 out of 5 stars on average). Johnson was "down to earth and fun to watch," in the words of user T. Winbush. "After watching it, it would put you in the mood to want to start dancing that second," writes C. Collins. "This is an instructional video but also a confidence builder one too."
Johnson’s film résumé also includes roles in "Da Hip Hop Witch" (2000), a star-studded urban satire of "The Blair Witch Project" with the tagline, "The movie that proves you can take the witch out of the wood, but you can’t take the witch out of the hood."
Most recently, she starred as "Synthia" in the 2004 film "Up Against the 8 Ball."
Johnson continues to make use of her connections in her current role in Mayor Reed’s office, where she has worked since February 2010. Her duties include serving as "the liaison between the film and television industries and the Mayor’s Office."
In December 2010, Johnson helped organize the 2010 Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball sponsored by fellow Obama bundler Tyler Perry, an event that brought in celebrities such as lifestyle expert B. Smith, Hollywood funnyman Chris Tucker, and baseball legend Hank Aaron.
Johnson is reportedly about to assume a new position as commissioner of Atlanta’s new Office of Film, Television, Music and Digital Media Development.
One online profile describes Johnson as "an accomplished business strategist, program developer, fundraiser, and professional actress with over 15 years of experience in the field of project development, fundraising, entertainment and marketing."
Johnson has been active in politics over the past several years, but has not always been an Obama supporter. She founded Young Professionals in Atlanta for Hillary in 2008 and served on Clinton’s national finance committee. She personally contributed $2,300 to Clinton’s presidential campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
In 2009, Johnson served as an ambassador, surrogate and "leading individual fundraiser" on Mayor Reed’s campaign, organizing events with celebrities as diverse as Ludacris, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Jamie Foxx, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Johnson has attended at least one event with Obama, as evidenced by a photo with the president posted to her Instagram account on April 16, 2012, with the caption: "What an amazing day this was. I will never forget it." It is currently the profile picture on her Facebook account.
It is unclear whether the Obama campaign was aware of the existence of "I Want To Strip For My Man" before accepting donations raised by Johnson.
Johnson did not return a request for comment.
The office of former president Bill Clinton also did not return a request for comment.