“Showgirls” is like “Starship Troopers,” another Paul Verhoeven film: totally misunderstood. It was supposed to be an over-the-top brutal satire of Hollywood, as ST was supposed to be a satire critical of fascism. No one got it until decades later. He had the same situation with “Flesh and Blood,” which bombed horribly and now is seen as brilliant.
And RoboCop was meant to be a commentary on modern society, especially corporatism and consumerism.