Reading the entries of the other girls who have done this, I’ve decided to admit my time as a dancer, too. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three reasons why women become dancers.

1. To support their significant other or children.
2. To support a drug habit
3. To make a lot of money quickly

I fell into category number 3. I was in college, and being a stupid freshman, I maxed out three credit cards. Bill collecters were calling, and I had no skills to acquire a job that paid anything worth my time. I saw an ad for the local strip club in the paper (they were looking for dancers), and I decided to go check it out. My best friend, bless her heart, went with me that first time. We spoke to the owner, who was very sweet in a non-creepy way, and I set up an audition date.

I was just as nervous as any girl is dancing almost naked in front of people you don’t know. Up to then, I had only slept with one man and was extremely shy about my body. The club I worked out was one of the best. They took such great care of us girls, I was so impressed. I always felt welcome and safe there. If any man tried to touch us in a way that made us the littlest bit uncomfortable, the bouncer would throw him out for us. The waitresses were all sweethearts, and the owner was very understanding about everything.

Of course, with this profession comes your fellow dancers, and some of them can be extremely catty. There is drama that automatically comes with being a dancer, and with most girls it was three-fold. You learn to deal with it though, and there is always one or two sweet girls you make friends with.

There is also an unwritten rule. You have the main club you dance at, but most girls go elsewhere occassionally to try to make extra money. Men love new faces. The two friends I made and I would occassionally drive to Indianapolis to dance at the clubs there. Bigger city, more people, bigger tips. In theory, this is a great idea. For me, though, I felt extremely lost and never did as well as I did at my home club. After a horrible experience at a shady club, I never travelled for that line of work again.

I was only 19, and my parents eventually found out, and I was forced to quit. It really is a completely different world, and when I think about it now, it seems like a movie I watched. If you met me, you would never guess I had done this for 6 months. I give off an aura of innocence. I am one of the sweetest, most polite girls you will ever meet. I make all a’s with the occassional b. I dress pretty conservatively.

It is always interesting reading about people’s experiences with aspects of life most of us will never come across, and so I felt like it would do good to share mine.

While I would not do this again if I could go back in time, now I have to look upon it and realize the good it added it to my life. I can appreciate people’s problems more. I’m more empathetic and caring. I have higher self-esteem, and I’ve learned a lot of how men tick. On the other hand, i also have regret. This is one piece of me that I refuse to share with most people and it is hard to admit.

So perhaps it is worth doing for a short while, just to open your eyes.

Mine certainly were.