The ladies are singing about how to be a better stripper. While entertaining and funny, this song is a a good illustration of a couple economics concepts. First, this song illustrates the returns to human capital, as the ladies all invested time and energy to “get a gimmick” in order to receive higher wages. Because of that, this could be a good song to start off a discussion of returns to education.

Second, this song illustrates the benefits of product differentiation in a monopolistically competitive market. While it may seem odd to think of stripping in this manner, the market for strippers is monopolistically competitive. (Very low barriers to entry, many small “firms”, and product differentiation as no two strippers are identical). In a monopolistically competitive market, you can earn more money by successfully differentiating yourself in a positive way.

Discussion Questions for “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”

Link to Lyrics for “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”