I can’t believe I’m asking this but I figure this is one of the best places to get informed decisions and some sensible advice.
Here’s the situation. A reputable strip club chain has opened a club in my area and are looking for dancers. I, being a poor student, fairly attractive and a good dancer, am thinking of applying. It’d help pay off my student loan and the money received for hours worked is better than any other student job I’d get. I’ve tried being a bar maid, I’ve had temping jobs in offices but they either didn’t pay well enough or my academic work suffered. This seems like a good way to earn money and fit around my other commitments.
I’ve got a few concerns, the club itself is fine and the staff get treated well but
My parents would kill me if they found out
There’s the potential awkwardness of seeing someone you know there and the idea of some of the people I know seeing me nekkid freaks me out. “Hello there Professor, yes, my essay is going well, I’ll see you class tommorrow” or “You’re that really scary lechy guy who’s been harassing my friends, guess who you’re next target’s going to be”
I’m worried that I won’t make any money, I’m not your blonde leggy Playboy type.
I’m not really a girly girl - I’d probably fall over in heels and the amount of personal grooming involved in stripping is high maintainance to say the least
Although I like the idea of being a stripper and the money it brings, I’m worried I might freeze up. I know I’ll feel awkward until I get into it and I’m not sure how I’ll react to the attention. My inner exhihbitionist wold love it but I’ve got to get past my insecurities first.
I don’t want people to judge me solely on my job - the words I’m a bisexual stripper puts me neatly in box which I don’t want to belong to. I wouldn’t hide it from people - my friends have been really supportive about it all but I think there would be a tendency to catergorise me.
So advice, other people’s experiences is sought and wanted. I know there’s a few people on this board that have been strippers. Tell me about your experiences, good or bad, what’s the best way to dress, what make up should I buy, what are the upsides and downsides?
I can’t believe I’m asking this.
There’s no such thing as a ‘reputable strip club’. You will be pressured into having sex with the patrons. The only way you’ll fail to make money is if you’re 3 bag ugly. Then there’s the smoke, puke, and all the other dreck that goes with bars.
That said, if you can doff your duds in front of a bunch of drunk losers and still look yourself in the mirror each morning, then go for it. If you’re not sure about the stage fright thing, try going to an amateur night, and see if you can dance naked.
Why not post a link to a nudie pic of yourself, and we’ll let you know if you’ll get a job:D
Advice- Many strip clubs at least in this town, have an “amateur night”, wherein ladies that are interested can compete for a cash prize. You may want to see if there is something similar that you can do, to find out if it’s something you want to do for sure, and if you have the aptitude for it.
Note: Being a stripper, to me, isn’t about being hot and shaking your unquestionably lovely bits and pieces. It’s about attitude, and too many strippers don’t have it.
I prefer a lady who might not be gorgeous, but looks like she’s actually enjoying what she’s doing. The hottie who is staring at the ceiling and doesn’t appear to be mentally “there” is not going to get my money. You won’t know if you have that edge until you get out and try it.
The awkwardness isn’t as bad as you would think. While it might throw you to see an esteemed professor, he’s probably just as worried that you’re going to blab to the administration that he’s got some “devious tendencies”. You’d be surprised how little of a deal this actually is.
Also, because it’s required…
How you doin’?
[sub]dang. No webpage with pics to ogle…[/sub]
upon preview:
I disagree with vunderbob. there are quite a few nice, upstanding places that don’t want to get shut down for prostitution. you just have to pick your place and check it out quite a bit first.
I say it’s reputable because it’s Spearmint Rhino. I also happen to know some of the girls, the barstaff and the doormen who are all lovely, so I’m not that worried about the security aspect.
No naked pictures I’m afraid but the attitude I’ve got in spades. I realise that what makes a great stripper, to me at least, is the attitude, the mental aspect of it all. I love to dance as it is, it’s just fun to let loose whether I’m dancing around naked in my bedroom or out with my friends.
I’m going for an audition at some point but that’s very different from a club atmosphere and there’s no amateur night to try out at. Argh, stage fright.
if the US is anything like the UK then there probably are a few “reputable” strip clubs out there. One of my mates did exactly the same thing at uni to pay the bills - she was lucky in that she found a good club to do it at and although she never told her parents about it, she doesn;t have any regrets.
I’d say that as her mates we never had any problems with it (although i never went to see her strip - she was a close friend and it wouldn’t have felt right).
be warned though - some people can react VERY badly when they find out - she lost a very close friend from home over it and they still don’t talk to this day.
I think Tristan had a good idea about Amateur Night. It’d give you a chance to get your feet wet, so to speak, and see if you can really handle the job. I’ve heard strippers make damn good money, at the nicer clubs anyway, and as long as it’s just a job to pay your way through school, I’d say go for it.
I am wearing my Spearmint Rhino (London) shirt as I type this. I have also been to the SR in Vegas. (Coming soon to Riyadh?)
In any case, the places I have been have been very high-class and the girls seem well-protected.
In fact I enjoy asking the ladies what they would do if “someone” walked in. Best answer; “Stick my bum in their face and ask them if they wanted a dance.”
When I ask about what their mum thinks, the reply is almost always “She say do it while youre young.”
Phscial beauty (within limits) is no the main thing. Talking to a guy and having a good time is. I drop a lot of money at these clubs, but I only go once or twice a year. I expect, look for and reward ladies who make my big night out special. I have never touched one sexually, nor have I ever asked one out. Someone who will listen to my (increasingly drunken) joke, who will tell stories, someone with really nice breasts (well OK, I am in a stip club for Pete’s sake).
I say give it a go. No real harm in trying it. Makes for a heck of a story for your granddaughters.
While my own experience (yeah, just the one) in strip clubs is, obviously, not worth much, there were quite a few dancers that night and only one had “the attitude” of which he speaks. She was remarkable. You could tell she was really enjoying what she was doing and it made it more enjoyable for those watching.
Maybe if she does a vanity search now, Opal will come to tell you bit.
I saw a quick documentary on stripping and while it has its obvious ups, it also has its downs.
Seniority: When you start you’ll be a fill-in between the popular/more experienced girls and work a lot of Tuesday’s. It can take a while to get to the point of the M.C. hyping the crowd for you, or for you to get a shift on Friday and Saturday nights.
Late nights: 'nuf said if you are a student…
Drunks: Maybe security is good, but you will still have to deal with them.
Inconsistency: Early in the evening when guys are friendly the money flows, but as the night progresses and the drunks get stingy, you’ll work harder for less.
But if you can deal with the above, then go for it! As Missy E says “…baby shake your thang…just make sure you’re ahead of the game…”
-Tcat
(who has only been to a strip club once, with his wife)
Edward the Head emailed me about this thread, so I figured I’d come chime in.
First off, vunderbob please quit talking out your ass. I was never pressured into having sex with patrons, and would have been promptly fired if I’d tried on my own. There are some very nice clubs out there, and some really awful ones.
Over on Salon (www.salon.com) they had a very active poster to their discussion boards who was a stripper and was quite open about it. You might get a free day pass and check out Laurel T. She did the first post in a thread called “Porn Degrades Women” in “Social Issues.” You may be able to figure out a way to contact her through Salon.
I’m sure she’ll give you the straight stuff if you can reach her.
Opal, if I wasn’t talking out of my ass, I wouldn’t be me
Around Indianapolis, the strip clubs fall into the awful category, with one exception. There is an ongoing scandal about the most ‘reputable’ strip club (not the exception club, BTW) using the dancers to provide favors to several members of the Excise Police. That scandal broke because one of the girls wasn’t into the extra tip thing, and objected.
Maybe I phrased it poorly, which I am wont to to, but ‘pressured into having sex’ doesn’t mean compelled. ‘Encouraged to’ may have been a better phrase. Besides, I believe opinion is part and parcel with this forum, and that is my opinion.
If Nadin knows exactly what what she’s getting into, and can deal with it, then go for it and make some money. Just be careful.
I had a girlfriend (among other aquaintances) who subsequently became a stripper.
The moment when you see each other at the club is awkward, but it works out ok.
See the movie “girl 6”
My advice: to get the moral implications of what you’re doing straight with your own beliefs, make sure you aren’t at all conflicted about it morally.
and don’t believe your own press; meaning don’t let the tips go to your head, you are who you are, and you are a sexual object as a job. if you can keep those separate, go for it.
“Encouraged” doesn’t apply either. Like I said–not only did no one try to pressure me, but I’d have been fired if I were caught trying to do that. Sure, some clubs may be like that, but it’s more than a little ignorant to take your limited knowledge and apply it across the spectrum.
As for seeing people you know… it will happen. I ran into lots of people who knew my mom (who didn’t know I was a dancer) and had to ask them not to tell her. I also ran into past boyfriends (and danced for them–I’ve always broken up on good terms) old high school classmates, and even a teacher from high school. I didn’t find it embarrassing, but that is just me.
What is the earning potential in this line of work? seems to me that a gal could make a six-figure income, if she was willing to work at this on a staedy basis? Finally, how long can a gal do this? Is it a long-term career choice, or something that can only be done for a few years?
That’s for you to decide in terms of how much you value your relationship with your parents. At some point in your life, they will probably find out.
Remember you don’t get to decide who walks in the door or who puts down money for a lap dance. If you don’t know if you can handle the situation, when you go to an amateur night, take one of your supportive friends with you, but don’t tell them you’re getting up and auditioning.
As long as you’re willing to get naked for them, the men won’t care too much. They’re paying to live briefly in a world where women they don’t know offer their bodies to them in one way or another. Some will comment (perhaps audibly) on the merits of your particular wiggly parts, but you won’t get booed off the stage.
Eventually, you may end up in position to have to consider plastic surgery to keep your job. Make your decision now if you are willing to or not.
Definitely try an amateur night first, or just take off all your clothes in class one day, maybe.
You’re not going to change the world’s opinion any faster than the thousands of women who’ve come before you. You’re going to be judged. Decide now if you can deal with it.
I got dragged into a strip club on one occaison where the first dancer I saw was obviously working her first shift ever. She was a busty blonde, not my type but obviously what a lot of guys like. She seemed nervous and she danced like a constipated penquin. Nevertheless, she got down to a g-string and was giving the mandatory close-ups when people started booing her. I can’t imagine how painfull it must have been for her to work up the courage to take it off in public and then be rejected like that.
I’m not saying what anyone should or should not do. If you think you’ll like doing this than go for it, but I steer clear of strip joints.
