Worked last night. Made exactly half what I'm used to making in the club. This was on a Friday night, which makes it particularly depressing.
It seemed to be a bad night for everyone all around. The bouncers had to herd some guy out the back door because he kept breaking our rigorous local laws. And speaking of local laws, I managed to break one of those myself. I thought I was following the rules through the normal course of my stage set, but I found out very quickly that I wasn't. The bouncer told me right away that I shouldn't do that again, and then as soon as I got offstage, the manager was waiting for me in the back. "I know you probably didn't know better, but if you ever do that again I'm throwing you out of here."
Message recieved. Will not do that thing again.
It kind of startled me. After four years of dancing, it's been awhile since I've blown it. Of course, when I went to the manager to apologize once again and see if everything was cool, he told me that if there'd been a cop in the club, they would've shut us all down for a solid week. Have I ever mentioned that the local government would use an excuse to get rid of us for good?
The good news is, everyone knows me there. Everyone knows I don't cause trouble, break rules or even bend rules. Which might be why I'm not out of a job as we speak. It was kind of a startle for me, though.
So the night proceeded with its noticeable lack of money. At one point the manager called us all to the changing room to remind us that the bathroom is for numbers one and two and not for shooting up or snorting coke.
And then, when my shift was up, I started to get dressed in the back room and happened to be there right at the time the managers came back there to scour a girl's bags for... drugs? A stolen wallet? I didn't hang around to find out.
REASONS TO QUIT STRIPPING: I'm tired of the crime. I'm tired of girls I know getting drugged. I'm tired of always keeping my eyes open to avoid getting drugged myself. I'm tired of thieves, cheats, druggies, liars, prostitutes, etc. I'm tired of chatting up people who assume I'm all of these things and stupid on top of it. I'm tired of the shadow of the law hanging over every little thing I do at work. I'm tired of being literal, physical inches from criminal charges. And of course, the system is pretty unforgiving, because most of the people who operate in it will take any bit of slack they're given and stretch as far as they can and then some.
So that's today's rant. There's plenty that's bad about my job and maybe if I write it all out and have it down on a piece of paper, when that day comes that I feel any slight nostalgia for my job, I can pull out that piece of paper and remember all the bad that came with the good.
However-- so as not to forget the good:
WHY I LIKE STRIPPING: The pole dancing.
Because I haven't been working as much, I'm terribly out of shape, but it still felt wonderful to be back onstage. I miss the club in New Orleans with its thirteen foot brass poles, but the poles at the club are still slightly better than the battered practice pole I've got at home.
There's a pole competition coming up and our best dancer asked me if I'd be participating this year. Last year I was first runner up, and I dare say she might consider me to be competition. We both use some of the same moves, although her form's much better than mine. I told her I wouldn't be competing since I believe the competition will be after April 1st.
And at the same time... it might be fun to try.
I'm almost 18 and I absolutely love dancing. I was thinking about trying out for a job at a gentlemen's club or perhaps a strip club. I was wondering if you had anything to suggest and whether or not you think it sounds like an 'okay' idea. *NOTE: I do know how to defend myself. I've been taking martial arts classes along with dance since I was five. It would mean a lot if you reply; thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! I haven't posted on this blog in forever, and I'm kind of surprised anyone's actually read any of it. Thank you for commenting.
DeleteAs for becoming an exotic dancer. When you become 18, if you're still interested in being a dancer at that time, find out what the local laws are in your area. Some regions allow women who are 18+ to dance. Other regions require you to be at least 21. You can probably find out by looking at the web pages of clubs in your area.
Once that's out of the way, try going to a local club and get a feel for the environment. Do people generally seem friendly and happy, or do they seem unfriendly and preoccupied? If the club seems shady, then it's probably not the club for you.
If the club seems like a decent place, and you don't have a burning gut feeling that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all, find a dancer who seems friendly and isn't currently talking to a customer. It helps if you go in during the day, or on a week night instead of the weekend. If you can afford to, bring some money to tip her while you're talking to her. Tipping is good manners in a strip club.
Ask her any questions you have. If there are multiple clubs in your area, do this in all of them. Because every club has its own personality, two clubs that are sitting right next to each other can be drastically different.
This will help you a lot in figuring out if becoming a dancer is the right job for you.
If you do decide to become a dancer, you're going to need two things. #1 Start working on building up a thick skin, because you're going to get insulted and talked down to. A lot. #2 Start working on an exit strategy. Some people were not meant to be dancers. Some people were. But either way, you can't be a dancer forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to leave, and it's good to have alternative career paths that make you happy when that time comes.
Best of luck to you.