There are many misconceptions, ideas, fantasies and judgments about strippers. And while I really can't speak for anyone but me, I wanted to shed some general light on five topics that always come up when I speak about my nine year career on the pole.
Strippers Don't Hate Men
Most men in a stripper's world are customers, and honestly, we don't really feel much about them. Like any business relationship, there is a separation of emotion from the deal. Every customer is a business deal; every tip is a sale.
Seeing a good amount of wedding rings in the crowd did taint my view on men, but there was never any hatred. A lot of therapy, but never hatred.
So fellas, you can knock the chip off your shoulders when it comes to strippers. We don't really hate you - we just hate when you don't tip.
It’s Dirtier Than You Think
Everyone knows pornography is dirty, so for the sake of this post, the 'dirty' I speak of is literal. feel I should warn germaphobes at this point because what I am about to say may cause an unwanted reaction. Howie Mandel is logging off as we speak.
Think about money for a second. Think about how many fingers touch money and how many places a dollar bill has been. Now multiply that money in to a hundred dollar bills stuffed in a garter on your thigh. Add a little sweat in to the mix and, viola! you have a germ fest. It's not uncommon for tiny red bumps (I called them Cash Rash) to appear on any given thigh. It's not pretty, but whattuyagunnado? Nothing a little soap and water wouldn't cure in between sets.
After painting a picture for you about how dirty money can be, do I really need to get in to the stage and pole? Stripping is dirty, people.
We Are Not "Just stripping to pay for College"
This is a delicate subject, because I do not mean to imply strippers are not smart, educated or have professional goals outside of dancing. I'm simply stating my opinion through experience that most girls I worked with in the 90's were as far away from campus as Chaka Khan was to a flat iron.
College takes time, energy and an enormous amount of focus. How could strippers engage in such a demanding world when they are up until four in the morning every night and sleeping until noon?
In all my years working, I met only one woman who was a student. There is always the exception to the rule. I marvel at those.
We Have Issues
Like any person who chooses a different path, strippers have their reasons. Those reasons can be hard to face and some may never dig deep enough to hit water, so they tread in a sea of sharks.
My personal story will unfold in the safety of these words, but for now I will say that nothing for me was so lost that couldn't be found. Even if I didn't know what I was missing at the time.
I pass no judgment saying strippers have issues. I am the first to say I had (and still have) many. One of the beautiful things about life is realizing that we are human. No matter what paths we chose to take.
We Are Not Prostitutes
There will be more on this subject later, but I wanted to dispel the myth that all strippers are prostitutes. If you look up prostitution in the dictionary you will read:
"Prostitution: The act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money".
I am not debating the act of sexual entertainment. I was dancing naked for money, for Pete's sake. That said, I want to bring to your attention a line in the sand where this topic is concerned.
There are many types of strippers, so it's impossible to say there were none who crossed the line from performing on stage to performing a hand job. But from my personal experience, I can say the majority of us really were...just dancers.
