FAQ: ‘Would you recommend becoming a Stripper?‘

In my opinion, I would never recommend sex work to anyone. It is okay to choose to enter the industry, however we must recognise the privilege in that and be careful to not glamourise the work. Sex work is generally incredibly precarious work. Your income is never guaranteed. Some nights you go home with nothing or even minus numbers (because we pay to work).

Stripping in particular is a very specific lifestyle and is not suited to most folks. You have to deal with:
- Long nights and unsociable hours.
- A pressure cooker, volatile and overwhelming environment.
- The rude/aggressive/pushy/abusive clientele.
- Rejection at every turn.
- Existing as a hypersexual character.
All of these things can have a severe impact on mental health.

If the nature of the job wasn't already hard enough, the industry is highly oversaturated with dancers coupled with exploitative working systems. Clubs closing are pushing more existing dancers into remaining clubs. More and more new people are also joining the industry, usually due to the two polar opposites: they think the job is glamorous and 'want to give it a go' or because increasing poverty has left them little to no other option.

There are many other downsides to the job. For example, you have to accept that friends and family may outcast you if they find out about your job. You also have to accept you are potentially limiting your career options in future because the work is so stigmatised in society.

To be a stripper, you have to essentially be as resilient as a cockroach.

So how could I ever recommend that life to anyone? Especially during the cost of living crisis and heading into a recession. The industry is suffering more than ever before and those already in the job are feeling it. Our jobs are riskier than ever.

If sex work is a choice for you, be mindful how you use that privilege.