A friend got into stripping because of bad circumstances (severe financial problems, exacerbated by awful people in her life) and at the beginning, she felt really gross about it and struggled with a lot of internalised misogyny. However, eventually she found solidarity with her fellow strippers, and found herself with a far more robust support network than she’d ever had before. The confidence and support she gained actually helped her to kick the abusive assholes in her life to the curb
She said that at first, stripping made her feel extra unsafe to exist in the world as a woman, even when she was off the clock. Over time though, she became far more confident and empowered. Partly this was because she got real good at dealing with creepy guys — made easier by the fact that the owner of the club was really good with security, so she could trust that if things did escalate, there’d be people on hand if necessary. Apparently the club had a much higher amount of illegal stuff going on, such as (but not limited to) facilitating strippers doing other kinds of sex work, including full service. Despite this (or perhaps because of this), the owner was “one of the most based people [my friend] has ever met”.
This, plus the solidarity with other strippers made her often think about the job in an introspective, political manner, which was a big part of her “glow-up”. She reflected that it’s weird, because she got into the job feeling like a “stereotypical, exploited bimbo”, but she was fortunate enough to end up in a situation that was ultimately liberating. She even said that if she had a daughter the same age as she had been, she would actually encourage her to try stripping, if the circumstances would be similar to how it had been for her.
That’s a big if though — I know that there are a lot of places that range from having an “everyone for themselves” atmosphere amongst the strippers and/or other staff, to actively coercive situations that make a bad situation worse.
What was your experience like compared to this?
I know it’s not uncommon for strippers to do other sex work, but clubs are often careful to ensure there isn’t any overlap so they can stay clear of the law. What was your club like with respect to that?
Did it change your political or ideological views at all?
What is the most valuable thing you took from the experience?
What got you into the job, and do you regret it?
Would you ever do it again in future?
A friend got into stripping because of bad circumstances (severe financial problems, exacerbated by awful people in her life) and at the beginning, she felt really gross about it and struggled with a lot of internalised misogyny. However, eventually she found solidarity with her fellow strippers, and found herself with a far more robust support network than she’d ever had before. The confidence and support she gained actually helped her to kick the abusive assholes in her life to the curb
She said that at first, stripping made her feel extra unsafe to exist in the world as a woman, even when she was off the clock. Over time though, she became far more confident and empowered. Partly this was because she got real good at dealing with creepy guys — made easier by the fact that the owner of the club was really good with security, so she could trust that if things did escalate, there’d be people on hand if necessary. Apparently the club had a much higher amount of illegal stuff going on, such as (but not limited to) facilitating strippers doing other kinds of sex work, including full service. Despite this (or perhaps because of this), the owner was “one of the most based people [my friend] has ever met”.
This, plus the solidarity with other strippers made her often think about the job in an introspective, political manner, which was a big part of her “glow-up”. She reflected that it’s weird, because she got into the job feeling like a “stereotypical, exploited bimbo”, but she was fortunate enough to end up in a situation that was ultimately liberating. She even said that if she had a daughter the same age as she had been, she would actually encourage her to try stripping, if the circumstances would be similar to how it had been for her.
That’s a big if though — I know that there are a lot of places that range from having an “everyone for themselves” atmosphere amongst the strippers and/or other staff, to actively coercive situations that make a bad situation worse.
What was your experience like compared to this? I know it’s not uncommon for strippers to do other sex work, but clubs are often careful to ensure there isn’t any overlap so they can stay clear of the law. What was your club like with respect to that? Did it change your political or ideological views at all? What is the most valuable thing you took from the experience? What got you into the job, and do you regret it? Would you ever do it again in future?