Strip Club Conditions and Origins

Strip Club Conditions and Origins

By Elizabeth Roden

Women began to throw themselves into the world of “stripping” early in the Victorian era in the form of burlesque. The “British Blondes” were a dance troupe that made burlesque popular in London. Once they moved their show to New York City in the 1840s, it was a hit in America. Women typically wore leggy dresses with tights, which was considered erotic during that time period. ¹

Burlesque wasn't just a joint for men to fawn over sexually pleasing women. It was also a comedy show where the women took concepts of culture and parodied it. Some of the women even cross-dressed to fulfill the male roles. Usually they took off articles of clothing during the performance. The first time a woman stripped herself completely of clothing took place in 1890 in Missouri. The Puritans found the concept of women stripping naked bothersome and often did not tolerate the seductive display. The women pleased the general public in great numbers that burlesque was seen as American creativity rather than disgraceful. When a strip academy opened in the 1950s in Paris, the art of “striptease” started to become prevalent.²

Today, women usually begin a career as a stripper by ignorance of a glamorous lifestyle and easy money. They usually perform at amateur night as their audition for the club. Once they are hired to entertain at the establishment, they are required to sign a contract denying them legal protection. The women must pay a stage fee to perform at the establishment and when they earn tips, they must tip out the bartenders and bouncers. The clubs are able to fine the women for many trivial situations such as having their back turned to the customer while performing or arriving late to their shift or stage time.

Strip clubs are usually associated with drinking, which leads to many cases of sexual harassment with the performers. Many women complain of the customers hitting them, spitting on them, and penetrating them with their fingers and other random objects, just to name a few. Because of the waiver that they signed denying them of legal protection, they can't sue the club for these occurrences. Strip clubs often don't offer the entertainers benefits such as Social Security or health insurance. The owners mandate specific rules such as they must be naked by a certain point in the song and they can't sit down in the dressing rooms.

Stripping is marketed as a “flexible” career, however it has been reported as time consuming and often is the source of drug problems. Women who strip often say they are usually on drugs or are drunk during their performance to numb themselves to the customers. Women spend late hours at the establishment and, for people in school, the fatigue can affect their academic performance negatively. Also, with the amount of sexual harassment in the clubs, the women are often thrown into depression and have a low self esteem. The harassment in the clubs should be strictly regulated for the safety of the stripper. Unfortunately, it is part of her job description and is expected.³

1.Doherty, Sebrena. "The History of Burlesque Dancing."Burlexe (blog), July 12, 2013. http://www.burlexe.com/the-history-of-burlesque-dancing/ (accessed March 20, 2014).

2.Montreal Striptease, "The History of Stripping." Accessed March 20, 2014. http://www.montrealstriptease.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=28&lang=en.

3.Holsopple, Kelly. The Freedom and Justice Center for Prostitution Resources: A Program of the Volunteers of America of Minnesota , "Strip Club Testimony." Accessed March 20, 2014. http://www.object.org.uk/files/Strip_club_study Holsopple.pdf.