Stripper Entrepreneurialism is Stifled
Being a stripper isn’t easy.
But I am sure you are aware of that.
Or are you?
When people think about strippers they often think about the fantasy. When you walk into a club, late at night, that’s dimly lit, with no windows, you’re going to have an idea of what you think the experience will be even before you walk in. The main reason the strip club is so engaging is that everyone loves what’s on the menu.
Black and white close up of a female body. Image by John Roca from Pexels.
It’s the nudity.
While many people who work in the industry will have their own take, it is without question that strip clubs fall under the umbrella of sex work as evident by the type of atmosphere in the clubs. In a legal sense no, it is not a place where you can have sex, but it is an environment that profits off sex appeal. Strippers sell the idea of sex without actual participation in the activity. Yet regardless of that distinction, strippers and the strip club industry face significant stigmatization which results in many legal challenges for working professionals.
The Double Standards of Stripping
Strippers carry a unique position in Western society. Strippers are glorified in certain contexts and vilified in others. Stripping is a legal profession in many jurisdictions, yet people who participate in the industry do not always receive the same legal benefits as many workers in other industries.
Do you remember the impact Covid initially had on industries that relied heavily on foot traffic for their business? The closure of most businesses in person meant that many individuals were without a consistent flow of income, and this was especially the case for strippers.
As mentioned in the previous blog, many strippers are independent contractors. While this can be very lucrative from a financial position, it does not necessarily ensure workers the same job protections that others do.
Upon their return to work, some described feeling unsafe when coming back, while others challenged the court over discriminatory pandemic closures. The pandemic brought many changes to the industry, and strippers were not immune. And thanks to the independent nature of the profession, many people were left to their own devices to figure out a situation that worked for them. For some that could have meant private parties, for others that could be creating an Only Fans account. As many got creative, many were painfully reminded that most contemporary legislations and institutions did not have their best work interests in mind.
It isn’t illegal to be a stripper, but at the same time, it is almost impossible to be one consistently for an extended amount of time. You can’t go to stripper school and they certainly don’t hold open castings at the mall. It’s not a job you hear about in career class and it is certainly not an industry that offers many co-op placements. Becoming a stripper is something that happens to many young people when they are in a transitional phase of their lives and looking to make a big change. Stripping is a job you hear about from a friend who works in the industry or something you become curious about after a late night at the club.
Black and white image of upside down pole dancer. Image by Pixabay from Pexels.
The Skilled Labour of Stripping
Despite these barriers to entry, the profession has a lot of transferable and technical skills that workers can learn and grow. To work successfully at a strip club you must have excellent communication skills. The quicker you can communicate with customers, staff and others, the better time you will have at work. Another skill you learn when working at the club is adaptability. There will be many nights that will be unpredictable and eventful. To manage the stress of those evenings, strippers must grow their adaptability and resilience to those bumps in the road. And of course, math skills are incredibly handy for an industry that relies almost exclusively on cash. When counting ‘the bag,’ strippers need to be able to perform arithmetic skills in order to see how much money they are earning. There are many who have target financial goals and objectives and by keeping track of that success, strippers are able to better predict how the evening will go and how they need to market themselves in order to grow their income. And where would strippers be without creativity? Working as a stripper means working as an entertainer. And when one is an entertainer, they must find creative and inventive ways to showcase their individuality and uniqueness as they market themselves on the floor.
Strippers are professionals who gain real-world skills and knowledge when working at the club that can be transformed into other business ventures and endeavours in the future… but how often are those moments able to materialize?
The Stripper Struggles
As mentioned earlier, stripping falls under the umbrella of sex work and while not all strippers participate directly in the industry, working in the industry can put you in close connection with a variety of experiences that may not be possible if it weren’t for the club. For some that has meant witnessing other workers performing ‘extras’ for more cash, and for others that has meant witnessing people take pills with customers only to become incredibly intoxicated moments later.
When a stripper is witness to something at a club that is challenging or difficult, there typically isn’t an easy chain of command they can go to for support after the experience. Instead as independent contractors, they are encouraged to figure it out on their own. This atmosphere can have one of two effects, it can either create a strong tight-knit community of workers who stick by each other and work together to achieve success, or it creates divisions and isolates workers from the rest of the team. At the end of the day working for oneself can have serious drawbacks in this industry.
Black and white image of upside down pole dancer, arms vertical with women in far back corner smiling. Image by oswaldmungwazi from Flickr
The Stripper Success
At the same time, it is not all doom and gloom.
Stripping and sex work have slowly but surely been creeping more and more into the mainstream creating not only more awareness but providing a better look into how the industry really works. While stripper vlogs and videos do play a role, there have been other trends that have helped keep the conversation alive.
It goes without question that a government that spends the time to research the crime rates of people who work in sex-trade can help grow the larger conversation. Understanding those numbers and how they occur can help influence decisions on how to govern sex work in contemporary Canadian society. Without this data how can we move forward and develop better legislation that actually targets the problem and protects the workers?
The community of strippers and sex work is a strong online community. It is one that has grown substantially thanks to the internet and platforms that encourage people to be honest about their experiences and share their knowledge. Your Neighborhood Stripper, is a fantastic resource for industry workers looking to connect, better understand the industry, and grow their business following online. Texas industry professional and founder Pisces, created the platform with the intention of allowing people to come together and promote their work without worrying about the stigma and red tape that comes from using more mainstream platforms.
Strippers Need Support
In order for us to see substantial change, we must all work together to advocate for this industry. If we want to continue to have strip clubs to visit and enjoy, we must understand that comes with the advocacy and support of safe working conditions and labour rights just as any other professional would have in the Canadian economy.
It’s 2022, we don’t need to continue this old narrative of stigma and shame.
Let’s stop lying to ourselves and support our strippers.
Do you agree? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Or maybe you need some more information on strippers, click here to see what’s in their bag…
