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Hatshepsut
11-30-2007, 08:13 PM
^Yep, the last thing I need is to have criminal charges on my record to further ensure that I stay broke in the future. I'm in nursing school, and a classmate of mine is nervous because she was busted multiple times while stripping. She might not be able to get an RN even though she passed the initial background check if someone decides that it was prostitution.

miabella
11-30-2007, 09:21 PM
I feel sorry for the OP thinking that stripping is the only possible way for a 'reasonably attractive' woman to make the kind of money that allows for the luxuries she boasts about.

anabella
11-30-2007, 11:57 PM
The true life girl may have a moral aversion to stripping. Not that I agree with that, obviously I have no problem with stripping, but I do understand people who think it's wrong or couldn't do it.

It never occurred to me that I should be a dancer until I got really fed up of working super hard for no money. I just didn't realize what I might be missing.

AlexxaHex
12-01-2007, 12:37 AM
I KNOW....ummm....isnt the whole trade off to being willing to take your fucking clothes off and rub against(in a contact club anyway)them going home with fistfuls of Damn Benjamins??????



What happened to THAT? I'm holding up my end of the deal and getting naked...where are my freakin' Benjamins???

OMG STATEMENT OF THE FREAKIN' YEAR!!! I say this every day.

MinahSky
12-01-2007, 01:31 AM
Take this how you want to because many here will anyway...but I know for me I am going back because as a massage therapist I was getting hit on constantly anyway. At least (and I sound like Vivian Ward here) when you are in the club you know how men are going to approach you and you are ready for it. I had a real estate colleague hit on me in the middle of a deal!

It's massively diappointing to go to school while you are dancing to achieve a means to an end only to still be hit on aggressively and treated as if you are still a dancer when you graduate and get a job in your field.

miabella
12-01-2007, 01:51 AM
^^^ i suspect that is a very individual thing. i've known a lot of non-stripper women who were nothing particular to look at who got hit on endlessly, and plenty of very attractive strippers (attractive with or without makeup/add-ons) who rarely got hit on outside of the club.

there's been times in my life when i could not walk anywhere without being hit on, and times when i was dolled to the nines and couldn't get any play even if i asked for it directly.

something elemental, maybe, that shifts in a woman's nature...

sun child
12-01-2007, 02:34 AM
I feel sorry for the OP thinking that stripping is the only possible way for a 'reasonably attractive' woman to make the kind of money that allows for the luxuries she boasts about.

keep on pitying strippers on SW and enjoy the non-stripping gigs you won't discuss here...::)

DylanAngel
12-01-2007, 02:50 AM
keep on pitying strippers on SW and enjoy the non-stripping gigs you won't discuss here...::)

I don't think Mia "pities" strippers, she just feels bad that a young woman feels she has nothing to offer the world besides taking her clothes off, and I agree.

To the OP, you said that you were married. Don't you think that his salary contributes to you being able to afford all those nice things? And I have to tell you, it's hard in my area for people to survive on their own without roommates as the cost of living is so high. Not everybody wants to move either, so you do what you have to do.

You can't comprehend being broke? Some of those girls probably can't comprehend that you are married and take your clothes off other men. That might be a harsh analogy, and it's not a judgement, because I did the same thing.

But, it's kind of condescending for you, or anyone, to think that stripping is the end-all, be-all for pretty young women. Some women might be broke now, but they're out there working and gaining real life experience that might put them in a cushy office someday.

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 03:00 AM
Yep, it's all subjective. Also, it's all fleeting. Life has a funny way of screwing people over. Sure the author of the original post has all this nice stuff... it could all be gone in a blink of an eye if there were some catastrophe.

Let's not get too morbid, but for the sake of discussion, let's say that the OP's brand new, paid off car was in an accident and the accident was... severe. The swank stripping career may very well be over, the hubby might be hurt, and their lives would have to transition into something new. It's not all that uncommon. And often times... when tragedy strikes, people end up broke... and broken.


Cherish every moment.

Phil-W
12-01-2007, 03:18 AM
Me too! When I first started in my current industry, I thought I could help a lot of dancers I knew with setting up some savings and investments. Unfortunately, most strippers make really flakey clients. And its not just my experience, but the experience of most of the others in my office. And unfortunately, such girls are not the exception.:-\

Some dancers do invest their earnings wisely. Of the ones I know well, one invests and one's paying for her studies. The third has a travel bug and works enough to backpack for the other 4 months of the year. (Whether that counts as 'investment' I don't know).

At the other end of the spectrum, I'm aware of some coke addicted dancers who put their earnings up their nose. Not good.

I hear a fair bit of the gossip here in the UK, and I'd have to say it's the foreign born dancers who tend to invest, with fewer of the English girls doing it. For example, I hear of Brazilian girls investing in property back home.

If I was going to pick out a common factor in the girls that do invest, it's that they've come from a relatively impoverished background and see dancing as a stepping stone to a better lifestyle.

Phil.

Phil-W
12-01-2007, 03:27 AM
The true life girl may have a moral aversion to stripping. Not that I agree with that, obviously I have no problem with stripping, but I do understand people who think it's wrong or couldn't do it.

IMO, the moral aversion is partially fuelled by a lack of accurate information.

Within the club itself, dancers are not honest with their customers. They don't say "I'm doing this for the money, and I don't have a high opinion of most of my customers." Instead you behave as a stereotypical stripper in order to maximise your earnings, and most custies go out believing the stereotype is largely true.

Outside of the club, a lot of people's information will come from documentaries. These by definition generally want to attract high viewing figures, and will focus on the more 'dramatic' aspects of dancing. Thus, the drug addicted dancer is a more attractive subject than the one with a happy and stable home life. Similarly, the dancer having issues with the job is more interesting to film than the dancer who doesn't have any issues about it.

Reinforces the stereotype again.

Phil.

Lena
12-01-2007, 04:38 AM
I've been broke before. So broke that I was really hungry and couldn't afford food. But I've never been stuck that way, and can't imagine ever being. Stripping is not the only way to make money. Hell, once I was in a town with no strip clubs and I made $700 in two days washing cars.

I'm really interested in what it is in a person that makes them look at a fucked up situation and either rise to the challenge and excel or say "I can't" and move along like minimum wage cattle supporting their boyfriend who also "can't." Ability to think outside the box? Confidence? Innocence?

Alaska
12-01-2007, 06:31 AM
dancing ONE day a week is more profitable than being broke.

The meaning of profitable is having profits.....making $3-500 a week is not going to give a fully self sufficient young person a profit. My bills, and I keep them minimal, come to like 8 something a month--I live in the middle of the desert. Imagine places where the rent is a G a month. They are lucky to be moving back in with their parents.

buffie06
12-01-2007, 07:12 AM
One of the True Life stories is about a highschool girl who's mom died and she has to take care of her own kid plus her brothers and sisters and her sisters' kid. I was thinking the same thing you were and then 2 seconds later it showed her going to work and she WAS a stripper.

Katrine
12-01-2007, 08:12 AM
Some dancers do invest their earnings wisely. Of the ones I know well, one invests and one's paying for her studies. The third has a travel bug and works enough to backpack for the other 4 months of the year. (Whether that counts as 'investment' I don't know).
Phil.

Oh Phil, will you stop acting like you know shit about shit. I danced for a long time and knew many, many, many strippers. More than 3. So STFU here. :-X Most US strippers that I know come from that same impovrished background and still havn't gotten out of the cycle.

retiredangel
12-01-2007, 10:25 AM
I am very fortunate to have married a wonderful man who is well-off...
he has one saying that I find myself quoting to my younger sisters and friends often and it sort of "says it all":

"It's not what you make,it's what you save..."

You will get rich with that philosophy!

I had quite a bit saved with I met and married him,I grew up "poor" and didn't want to stay that way but damn...I had no idea how much more you needed to save to retire young and live well and wish I had saved even more.

Optimist
12-01-2007, 11:53 AM
Don't worry, you will be broke one day. Unless, of course, you start investing and saving at a furious pace for the future.

Every dancer hits burnout stage eventually. You can't pay your mortgage with a coach bag or a (depreciated) luxury car.

Remember this, and you will walk away from stripping with a solid future.

Oh don't worry, let her pop out some kids with her man, fuck up her body, get left by said hubby because he's just not in love anymore. Happens everyday in 50% of marriages and the woman is scrambling to keep afloat.

Optimist
12-01-2007, 11:57 AM
That's what I don't understand--

If I'm spending my nights grinding cock and putting up with the general public...

I feel like I'm not qualified to be ranting about this at the moment, b/c I've got $4k in debt and no savings right now...due to me making a huge mistake on my taxes, injuring my foot over the summer and not being able to work much, and staying at a dead broke ghetto club for months longer than I should have. But my goal right now is to be out of debt by the new year, and after that you bet I'm going to sock away most of my $$ in savings again!

Yeah, you pretty well answered your own rant. Life happens and it can be cruel and relentless. I think it's better not to judge the broke. Anyone can be struck with illness, accident, or malice. Truly, shit happens. You do the best you can and that's it.


If I'm spending my nights grinding cock and putting up with the general public, dammit I'm going to have something to show for my time! Same goes for ANY job, not just stripping--I work too hard to waste my money and not have something substantial saved for my effort. I like being able to have my indulgences too, but not at the expense of saving for my future.

I'm getting at the point that although the wasters are foolish, bad things happen to good savers too! That's just life.

Morgan_TX
12-01-2007, 12:12 PM
I see the OP's point, but I think it's been scrambled a bit... I think what she's trying to say is that there's NO reason that two young, childless women should be broke. Period. And I have to say that I agree with that assumption.

And, BTW, there's a difference between being "temporarily short on cash" and being "poor". When you're "poor", you kind of end up stuck in that place with no real plan or way to get out of it. Like, if the OP got into a car accident or something, she would be "temporarily short on cash". But if she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and put forth some effort in ANY direction, she would never be "poor".

But honestly, I do see it as a problem. So many Americans just drift along aimlessly like cogs in the corporate wheel. They'll never get ahead. They'll never have any savings. They'll just live paycheck-to-paycheck until they die, and heaven help them when/if they face some sort of crisis that moves them from "poor" to "dirt poor". Because they either don't know how to pick themselves up and get ahead, they don't think they should have to (i.e., entitlement), or whatever. THAT is what I have a problem with.

And if these girls don't like the idea of stripping, then fine. Maybe they should try working two or three jobs. Maybe they should take up some sort of sales, or go into business for themselves.

In the past seven years, I've worked "regular" jobs, but I've also done dancing, selling Mary Kay, alternations/tailoring, designing custom clothing/costumes, proof-reading, online psychic readings, childcare, and a whole host of other things. I may only make a little bit here and there, but it adds up. And more importantly, I'm DOING something about my circumstances. One year when I decided I wanted extra money for Christmas presents, I put up fliers about Thanksgiving meals. I would prep all the food (turkeys, casseroles, stuffing, pies, etc.) in disposable foil containers to where all the person had to do was cook according to the directions. I spent a couple of days making everything (from scratch), and then the night before Thanksgiving, I loaded up the food and the kids and we drove around the neighborhood delivering the meals to the customers. I charged $50 for a meal for 4, $75 for 6, and $100 for 8-12. I think I made about $1000 that year.

And this is my point: If you're willing to put forth the effort, if you're creative and reasonably intelligent, there is NO REASON for a single person to be in such dire financial straits. I can understand it with single parents or parents in general (or even with a married, childless couple), but not for a single, childless person. You pick yourself up and dust yourself off and move on.

As I said earlier, there is a difference between "temporarily short on cash" and "poor". Being temporarily short on cash is understandable. Being poor is not.

Gypsy74
12-01-2007, 12:19 PM
I don't understand how you can be broke either. The only somewhat excusable reason to be unemployed and in some sort of financial crisis is if you're:

a) badly addicted to drugs
b) injured and disabled in a way that makes you incompetent to work even very low level jobs (such as wal-mart greeter, envelope stuffer, etc).. this includes mental illness.

So really the only thing that needs to happen to prevent being "broke" is for there to be better (and free) drug rehabilitation centers as well as government help for people unable to work- whether it's sufficient welfare that includes healthcare, psychiatric care and aid that assists with food/clothing/shelter necessity, or some alternative kind of work these people can do that will help them earn a living. There's a place for everybody somewhere.

Anyone can get a job, some people just don't because of laziness, lack of motivation, entitlement, etc. Everyone who is successful once started off in a minimum wage paying shitty job.

That said, working a minimum wage job COULD BE still difficult to make a decent living depending on the cost to rent a home in the place you live. Even if you work 40 hours a week at 7.50 an hour (taxes taken out), you're still only making about 280 a week, that's 1,120 a month. If you live in a 1 bedroom apartment, your rent could be anywhere from 400-800 depending on where you live. That leaves 520 for food. If you're just supporting yourself (i spent 60 a week when it was just me and i worked min. wage), that's 250 (rounded).. which leaves you with 270 for whatever else. I just covered two basic things- shelter and food, but most people have car insurance, phone bill, medical insurance possibly...... 270 really isn't enough in case there's some sort of emergency (ER visit, car accident, etc).

So yea... it's hard to comprehend being BROKE, but you should definitely feel compassison for people who have to struggle to get by.

Optimist
12-01-2007, 12:19 PM
I'm really interested in what it is in a person that makes them look at a fucked up situation and either rise to the challenge and excel or say "I can't" and move along like minimum wage cattle supporting their boyfriend who also "can't." Ability to think outside the box? Confidence? Innocence?

My guess is severe depression and/or PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder is the highest cause of vets becoming homeless after serving. :(

Young people don't automatically start at zero. Many start in the negative. If you're one of the 1 in 4 girls or 1 in 5 boys who've been sexually assaulted you're in the negative. Child of an alcoholic, drug abuser, emotionally abusive parents? They start in the negative. Have a chronic physical or mental disorder? You're in the negative. For them going out and giving their all won't look the same because they have less fuel to start the race and they have an assload ofhurdles to jump before they are simply functional.

And I won't even start with the whacked out cost of college today.:-\

Morgan_TX
12-01-2007, 12:29 PM
For them going out and giving their all won't look the same because they have less fuel to start the race and they have an assload ofhurdles to jump before they are simply functional.

But you know, when they do look at such things, they find that it's THESE types of people that will often do much BETTER in life. Because I think that what kills people the most in the world is the sense of entitlement that is so prevalent in America. They won't dance (or work minimum-wage, or clean grease-traps, or pound a hammer, or whatever) because they think it's "beneath them" for some reason. When you have someone who understands that NOTHING is "beneath them", they'll be willing to do whatever it takes.

Now I can understand PTSD, mental/emotional problems, etc... But look at refugees and immigrants. They grew up (many of them) in conditions of abject poverty, and some grew up with rape, war, famine, etc. They DEFINITELY start from behind, and yet they tend to do so incredibly well because they put forth the effort to pull themselves up. I also think they benefit because they haven't been "educated" to work mindlessly like so many Americans. We train our children from a young age that the way to be successful is to grow up and get a good job with a good company and bend over and take it up the ass until we finally retire. But that formula no longer works with corporate greed expanding so rapidly. Immigrants/refugees don't learn that formula... They learn the "do whatever it takes, work as hard as you can, and never give up" formula, and THAT is what works.

Mental illness is one thing, and we need better identification and treatment for mental illness. But growing up in a bad situation does NOT doom you to live in a bad situation for the rest of your life. It's all about what YOU do with the cards you were dealt.

Picaresque
12-01-2007, 12:41 PM
Yeah, you pretty well answered your own rant. Life happens and it can be cruel and relentless. I think it's better not to judge the broke. Anyone can be struck with illness, accident, or malice. Truly, shit happens. You do the best you can and that's it.

I know shit happens. I don't judge anyone for being broke; I'm talking about people who pull in good money every night, yet routinely blow all their earnings and never save anything. Yeah I judge them. I think my situation's bad now with the debt? If I hadn't saved money religiously, I'd be in bankruptcy court right now having everything I've ever worked for taken away. :-\ It would have been ten times worse without having savings to fall back on.

Optimist
12-01-2007, 12:44 PM
But look at refugees and immigrants. They grew up (many of them) in conditions of abject poverty, and some grew up with rape, war, famine, etc. They DEFINITELY start from behind, and yet they tend to do so incredibly well because they put forth the effort to pull themselves up. I also think they benefit because they haven't been "educated" to work mindlessly like so many Americans. We train our children from a young age that the way to be successful is to grow up and get a good job with a good company and bend over and take it up the ass until we finally retire. But that formula no longer works with corporate greed expanding so rapidly. Immigrants/refugees don't learn that formula... They learn the "do whatever it takes, work as hard as you can, and never give up" formula, and THAT is what works.

That's kinda sweet but most immigrants are just people. They don't all go out and make it happen. MANY fall through the cracks here just as they would have at home. Meaning many of them break down from the pressure turning on their families and friends. Many turn to crime to get by. Many use alcohol and drugs to cope. Many use social services for help that they don't pay into (hence the rash of hospitals going bankrupt) when they can't take it anymore. They suffer as we all do. SOME of them get by but others don't even with their best most valiant efforts.

To wrap it up, let's be understanding and supportive of each side. Everyone can benefit from getting the benefit of the doubt.

Optimist
12-01-2007, 01:13 PM
There's a place for everybody somewhere.

Where does sexism, racism, and underfunded school systems come into that utopian vision?


That said, working a minimum wage job COULD BE still difficult to make a decent living depending on the cost to rent a home in the place you live. Even if you work 40 hours a week at 7.50 an hour (taxes taken out), you're still only making about 280 a week, that's 1,120 a month. If you live in a 1 bedroom apartment, your rent could be anywhere from 400-800 depending on where you live. That leaves 520 for food. If you're just supporting yourself (i spent 60 a week when it was just me and i worked min. wage), that's 250 (rounded).. which leaves you with 270 for whatever else. I just covered two basic things- shelter and food, but most people have car insurance, phone bill, medical insurance possibly...... 270 really isn't enough in case there's some sort of emergency (ER visit, car accident, etc).

So yea... it's hard to comprehend being BROKE, but you should definitely feel compassison for people who have to struggle to get by.

That happens eveyday through no fault of the victims. I was rear ended this summer. I'm just sitting there and this very nice lady rams the back of the car. Now what? If I'm broke because of the physical therapy and lost wages can you comprehend being broke now? Thank God I wasn't hurt but my Mom was and that's what happens everyday. So why add insult to injury in these people's lives?

Alaska
12-01-2007, 03:17 PM
Well, we're still talking about how the kids on MTV have moved back in with their parents.....no one's debating that you can "make ends meet" on the meagerest of $$ if you are really fucking diligent, but that still leaves you constantly behind and if you can move in with someone else, that's excellent.

Gypsy74
12-01-2007, 04:10 PM
That happens eveyday through no fault of the victims. I was rear ended this summer. I'm just sitting there and this very nice lady rams the back of the car. Now what? If I'm broke because of the physical therapy and lost wages can you comprehend being broke now? Thank God I wasn't hurt but my Mom was and that's what happens everyday. So why add insult to injury in these people's lives?

erm....... that was my point. durrrr :O

stellaforstars
12-01-2007, 04:58 PM
Alright, I'm going to admit that I didn't read ALL of the posts. I did, however, read enough to be somewhat perturbed by them.

You ladies REALLY can't comprehend being broke? How damn lucky for you.

I'm not dancing right at the moment--but I'm working two jobs and not making much less than when I was dancing, with financial aid added in. However, I have new textbooks to buy constantly, a high cost of living, and medical bills out the ass, because I'm not lucky enough to be the healthiest human being in the world and have been screwed over by insurance in more ways than I can count.

You can't comprehend that I'm broke even though I work my ass off at two jobs WHILE going to school full time and holding an internship?

I'll say it again. How lucky for you.

Life is not all candy and nudity for everyone.

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 05:10 PM
Oh don't worry, let her pop out some kids with her man, fuck up her body, get left by said hubby because he's just not in love anymore. Happens everyday in 50% of marriages and the woman is scrambling to keep afloat.

I've already got an 18 month old. I look better now than I did even before I got pregnant because I eat right and work out, so STFU with all that "popping out kids" mess. My husband is in Colorado for work and I'm in Texas, we've been doing the LDR thing for pretty much the whole year and we're more in love than ever and I've been dancing since before I even met him. So, by all means open your mouth and insert your foot. ::)

teeth_of_the_hydra
12-01-2007, 05:25 PM
But you know, when they do look at such things, they find that it's THESE types of people that will often do much BETTER in life.

I'm pretty sure they don't. Poverty in America tends to be a perpetuating cycle, propelled in part by socioeconomic factors; particularly (and unfortunately) by race/racism. Please consult the Census Bureau for more information. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/histpov/hstpov2.html


Because I think that what kills people the most in the world is the sense of entitlement that is so prevalent in America.

Oh really? You think that? I think what kills most people in the world is infectious disease. ::) Please consult the World Health Organization for more information. http://www.who.int/whr/1998/media_centre/press_release/en/index2.html

I'm not even touching the rest of your post.

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 05:31 PM
I feel sorry for the OP thinking that stripping is the only possible way for a 'reasonably attractive' woman to make the kind of money that allows for the luxuries she boasts about.

Please let me know where I said that? I only said stripping because this is one of the only, if not the only, jobs where you can walk in the door for the first time and start working. Thanks for putting words in my mouth. I also very clearly said that I wasn't "boasting" about my luxuries, that's tacky and I only said that to make a point. Why don't you read more clearly before you hit the reply button?

stellaforstars
12-01-2007, 05:37 PM
No one means to personally attack you, beautiful. You posted a fairly controversial topic. It's a wonder to me that more people haven't disagreed with you yet. But we can disagree without getting heated, can't we?

Lena
12-01-2007, 05:38 PM
My guess is severe depression and/or PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder is the highest cause of vets becoming homeless after serving. :(

Young people don't automatically start at zero. Many start in the negative. If you're one of the 1 in 4 girls or 1 in 5 boys who've been sexually assaulted you're in the negative. Child of an alcoholic, drug abuser, emotionally abusive parents? They start in the negative. Have a chronic physical or mental disorder? You're in the negative. For them going out and giving their all won't look the same because they have less fuel to start the race and they have an assload ofhurdles to jump before they are simply functional.

By your definition I started out way in the negative, and so did most of the people I know who've really thrived through some crazy hard times. Of course I know people who fit your negative definition that haven't thrived, or even survived, too. So I think it's something else.

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 05:50 PM
No one means to personally attack you, beautiful. You posted a fairly controversial topic. It's a wonder to me that more people haven't disagreed with you yet. But we can disagree without getting heated, can't we?

Oh, absolutely. However the first person that said the thing about popping out babies was just written in a very tacky and disrespectful way and I felt it was aimed at me. The second post was somebody putting words in my mouth. I don't appreciate either of those. Neither of the two people who I got a little snippy with disagreed with me though. I'm over it though, no ill feelings towards either of them. :)

AudreyLeigh
12-01-2007, 05:53 PM
Im right there with Greenidlady

I made tons and tons of money and BLEW it... its made me resent the job to the point where i dont want to do it to save and do it the right way now.

But I was also spoiled and instead of getting a job as soon as I got my cosmo license i kept dancing.... and now im sick and hate dancing and cant dance and dont have a job and have no savings.

And some women will NEVER dance. Theyd rather live on the streets. Its about the point Im at right now....

TheSexKitten
12-01-2007, 05:55 PM
That's great that you can't comprehend being broke. No, really. I'm very happy for you. Also, your post didn't really have a directly elitist feel to it either, so thanks.

But it's common and it's HARD. I have to second Optimist about all the disorders that can keep someone down, but also... I live in San Diego. I was born here. Working a minimum wage job (because scoring commision/well-paying jobs are tricky), it is impossible to have your own place. Yes, absolutely impossible. In fact, it's impossible for two minimum-wage forty hours per week people to share a place. Unless they're sharing a studio... maybe.

Even if I'm doing above the average for someone my age, like say I'm making 1,200 per month after taxes...

Monthly expenses:
Rent (sharing with two other people in a one bedroom apt): $300.
Car insurance (bare ass minimum): $60
Gas: $300
Food (no or minimal eating out): $150
Cell phone (cheapest possible): $30
Utilities (no cable or internet): $30 or so
Incidental expenses (clothing, medical, school costs, car maintenance, entertainment): Approximately $200/month
TOTAL: $920 --- and that's with no car payment, tv, health insurance, or internet access.

So, as you can see, it's very hard to not be broke, at least in my neck of the woods. I'm extremely extremely grateful that I can be assured at least $4000/month for very minimal hours. I'm not puzzled at other people's struggling, I'm friggin THANKFUL. I can go to any school around here on my dime, I can support myself and save for my future. I've been on the broke end of the spectrum, and it really sucks. Honestly, life feet extremely dead-ended.

I have no clue exactly what the purpose of this post is, but maybe I just wanted to write down exactly why I'm so glad to be a young, healthy, attractive, level-headed and sexually liberated female.

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 06:15 PM
I've already got an 18 month old. I look better now than I did even before I got pregnant because I eat right and work out, so STFU with all that "popping out kids" mess. My husband is in Colorado for work and I'm in Texas, we've been doing the LDR thing for pretty much the whole year and we're more in love than ever and I've been dancing since before I even met him. So, by all means open your mouth and insert your foot. ::)

No need to get so defensive. Optimist was just pointing out that being broke, poor, down-n-out, is a part of life. Sure you have your ducks in a row at this moment but you never know what to tomorrow brings.

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 06:23 PM
Okay, so maybe my response to the first person was a tad too defensive, my bad. I just write what I'm feeling at the moment I'm writing it. If I were having that conversation with her in real time I wouldn't be able to just take a 20 minute break to calm down then respond.

Anyhow, I have never and will never feel that I am above anybody, we're all equal regardless of financial status, race, sex etc.

I am very thankful that I don't have to worry about financial matters at this particular point in time. I do feel for people that aren't as fortunate as I am in this regard, but I just can't grasp the concept of it so I wrote the OP to get firsthand opinions and to better understand it. I'm not real sure what the point of this paragraph is, I guess I just wanted to clear up my thought process on this whole issue.

DylanAngel
12-01-2007, 06:23 PM
My daughter would rather drop dead than strip; EVER. And with the current climate of the industry, I'm glad. But she's struggling. She and her fiance have to live with family right now until she scores a chair (she's an asst. stylist for another two months).

Around here, you can't get a one bedroom for less than 800 if you want to live in a nice area so that gives you an idea of what the living expenses are like. But, those 800 a month places are in the boonies. Wanna live closer to the city? Add another 200 per month to that.

I bought her a car outright and I pay for her car insurance. Her monthly rent is 400 for the two of them and that includes rent, food and all utilities. I will be paying for her upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

She has a good head on her shoulders and saves a lot, which is what I want her to do. But, man is it rough out there for those with no education and no family support.

I'm also thankful because I was able to strip and I was able to work a reg job also. And I was able to give my kid a great head start in life. Not everyone has that advantage.

So be happy for what you have and have some sympathy, if not empathy, for those who don't.

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 06:58 PM
I am very thankful that I don't have to worry about financial matters at this particular point in time. I do feel for people that aren't as fortunate as I am in this regard, but I just can't grasp the concept of it so I wrote the OP to get firsthand opinions and to better understand it.

Im sorry, I'm still confused. Why, exactly, can't you grasp the concept of being broke?

Have you ever been broke? Have you ever known someone close that had fallen on hard times?

I swear, I'm not attacking you. But I am having a hard time comprehending this thread! Lol.


If you've ever had a brush with unfortunate financial circumstances you'd know that it's not always possible to pull a simple solution out of a hat. If you've never experienced such things you are SUPER lucky. For serious!

stellaforstars
12-01-2007, 07:06 PM
Beautiful, I really appreciate the fact that you are approaching this thread with such humility. I think that's a hard thing to pull off.

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 07:14 PM
Okay.... I think I get it.

I think that the threads title is a misnomer. It would make more sense for me if the title was

"I don't understand why more people don't strip"

I think the fact that beautiful. IS a dancer is testament to the fact that she DOES comprehend what being broke entails. That is why she strips....



Am I way off base?

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 08:46 PM
Okay.... I think I get it.

I think that the threads title is a misnomer. It would make more sense for me if the title was

"I don't understand why more people don't strip"

I think the fact that beautiful. IS a dancer is testament to the fact that she DOES comprehend what being broke entails. That is why she strips....



Am I way off base?

Okay, now you're confusing me lol.. I come from an upper middle class family so even during my childhood I never lacked anything. It's not that I'm saying that I think more people should strip, I guess I was just wondering why (with the exception of a moral dilemma) why the women on the show were struggling so much when it's fairly easy to get into this business and to not have to struggle so much. At the same time, I'm very open minded and curious as to how other people live and just wanted some insight from those who have experienced it. I also want to travel the world for the sheer purpose of seeing what other people's lifestyles are like, moreso than to sightsee. Does that make sense?

**Anybody know if moreso and sightsee are each one word or are they two words?



BTW, thank you Stella for the compliment :)

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 08:50 PM
Meh... it was worth a shot. Hehehehe.

Darcy Foxx
12-01-2007, 08:55 PM
i wish i was lucky enough to not comprehend being broke. i also came from an upper middle class family and money was never a problem during my childhood.

but hey, along came mr anxiety and mrs depression and suddenly i can't really work much anymore.

beautiful, i understand that you weren't trying to come across that way, but your first post REALLY did sound like you look down on people who have financial strain and like you were rubbing your nice things in their faces. i know that you've explained yourself since, but just from reading your original post and taking it at face value, i can understand why some people got upset.

AlexxaHex
12-01-2007, 08:59 PM
I wish I had your problems.

Sophia_Starina
12-01-2007, 09:01 PM
Well heck! I have a PhD in being broke. Got any questions for the professor?

beautiful.
12-01-2007, 09:07 PM
i wish i was lucky enough to not comprehend being broke. i also came from an upper middle class family and money was never a problem during my childhood.

but hey, along came mr anxiety and mrs depression and suddenly i can't really work much anymore.

beautiful, i understand that you weren't trying to come across that way, but your first post REALLY did sound like you look down on people who have financial strain and like you were rubbing your nice things in their faces. i know that you've explained yourself since, but just from reading your original post and taking it at face value, i can understand why some people got upset.


I think it's incredibly tacky to brag about anything so that would probably be the last thing I would ever do. I already explained myself, so no need to do it again but that's why I put things in the first post saying I wasn't trying to brag. Unfortunately, some people didn't quite read that. I'm not sure why people are 'getting on to me' for never experiencing money problems either. Some were nice about it, but others were a bit rude. Oh well.

AlexxaHex
12-01-2007, 09:08 PM
OOh! Here is a recipe I learned while being broke:

1 pkg. ramen noodles
2 slices of american "cheese"
1 can tuna fish

cook ramen as directed on the package
when it's hot, add the tuna and put the cheese slices on top
put back in the microwave for 2 minutes

Voila! Casserole!

LilyLove
12-01-2007, 09:17 PM
I spent two years desperately trying to support myself and pay for college. Then one day, stripping crossed my mind. It wasn't like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, cause its hard work, but it really feels wonderful not to have my hair falling out from obsessing about whether or not I could afford to stay in school.