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Kellydancer
06-28-2010, 11:55 PM
This is partly why I became a stripper. I figured I'd rather make the same amount in one night than a week or month in a terrible job.

Harleigh HellKat
06-29-2010, 12:26 AM
Exactly lol.

Miss Jessica
06-29-2010, 10:15 AM
I've been retired for a few years, had success in a "normal" career (well, before I got laid off and the wedding business went kapoot, ha) and would TOTALLY do it again! I would still like to continue my work as a makeup artist, but if I could manage to juggle the two lifestyles, I would. :)

BabyMolly77
06-29-2010, 12:59 PM
Yes, in a heartbeat! I know it ends up jading a lot of people, but it changed me for the better. It made me more confident and assertive. It taught me to stand up for myself.

kthnx
06-29-2010, 02:19 PM
He called in and got fired I think. Yep that was nice of them. I'd be livid but many retail chains have this mentality of being "their property". I think that theory of them wanting one to dropout makes a lot of sense because these big chains care nothing of the people. You reminded me of this one guy I worked with at Venture. He was probably approaching 40 and still lived at home, owned a cheap junk car and broke. I often talk about the older dancers I worked with who were pathetic, but this guy takes the cake. He worked for them since he was 16 then went fulltime once he graduated high school. I also remember that Venture had was was called 'will call". Basically this was where they could call you at anytime during the shift. So basically you had to be ready to go at a moment's notice, or worse yet never get called but ready.

wow...that sucks for the groom that he got fired, but it sucks 10000X moreso for the guy who DIDNT get fired and is goin nowhere in life all these yrs later. definitly reminds me of the guy that indirectly inspired my friend to go to college in an attempt to get a better job. oh a funny thing bout my friend's ex-coworker -- these days he's the local stripclub "PL"! haha. the guy was never a "looker" or smooth with the ladies, and i guess yrs of never gettin laid made him realize he was the type of guy that has to pay $$ to have girls talk to him. plus hes turned into an alchoholic too. so when hes not at work earning pennies, hes spending the lil money he has on stripper tips (i doubt he can afford lapdances) and drinks. i would say mebbe his stripclub and alchohol addictions are the reason he cant afford to move outta home, but truth is, even if he didnt spend a dime he couldnt afford the rent in the town he works in...its not nyc or hollywood hills or anything, but rent for even a studio goes for about $700/mo and hes prolly only makin like $400/wk tops before taxes.

yea as much crap as strippers have to deal with, in most cases stripping wins over any min wage retail or fastfood job where the worker is being manipulated or mentally abused like the instances we described on here. atleast stripping pays enough to afford to live. (well mebbe not in some cities these days in the reccession, from what ive read in other threads, but im talkin overall)

Kellydancer
06-29-2010, 03:53 PM
wow...that sucks for the groom that he got fired, but it sucks 10000X moreso for the guy who DIDNT get fired and is goin nowhere in life all these yrs later. definitly reminds me of the guy that indirectly inspired my friend to go to college in an attempt to get a better job. oh a funny thing bout my friend's ex-coworker -- these days he's the local stripclub "PL"! haha. the guy was never a "looker" or smooth with the ladies, and i guess yrs of never gettin laid made him realize he was the type of guy that has to pay $$ to have girls talk to him. plus hes turned into an alchoholic too. so when hes not at work earning pennies, hes spending the lil money he has on stripper tips (i doubt he can afford lapdances) and drinks. i would say mebbe his stripclub and alchohol addictions are the reason he cant afford to move outta home, but truth is, even if he didnt spend a dime he couldnt afford the rent in the town he works in...its not nyc or hollywood hills or anything, but rent for even a studio goes for about $700/mo and hes prolly only makin like $400/wk tops before taxes.

yea as much crap as strippers have to deal with, in most cases stripping wins over any min wage retail or fastfood job where the worker is being manipulated or mentally abused like the instances we described on here. atleast stripping pays enough to afford to live. (well mebbe not in some cities these days in the reccession, from what ive read in other threads, but im talkin overall)

These people who work for years in retail, fast food, etc don't realize that it will all hurt them probably worse than it would being a stripper, but they think because they have a job it's ok. That guy you mentioned sounds exactly like the guys I remember at one club. They never had money for anything besides drinks (and maybe stage tips if lucky).

firemaiden04
07-01-2010, 05:36 PM
I love that I was a stripper. I wouldn't change it for the world. I think it taught me a lot about myself, and I had a blast, and in fifty years I'll be able to look back and say, "Damn straight."

charlie61
07-03-2010, 10:23 PM
I love that I was a stripper. I wouldn't change it for the world. I think it taught me a lot about myself, and I had a blast, and in fifty years I'll be able to look back and say, "Damn straight."

Oh wow...I didn't realize you'd retired. Congrats!

Marcuss
07-07-2010, 05:32 AM
If you could do it over, would you be a stripper again?

No.

I love, adore and cherish women as the beautiful flowers they are and worship the ground they walk on. I've always felt that way about women until I started preforming "hen nights". I know that the vast majority of women aren't like those ladies, but I just started to see every woman that way. That love I lost for the opposite sex left me crushed, empty and depressed (even though I always had money hand over fist). Not to mention, no real relationships or love as the women in my life just couldn't accept it. The void of a love life (family) was the worst.


Now that I've moved on, I've regained that feeling for the most wonderful creation in history... women. I would never do it again.

Harleigh HellKat
07-07-2010, 03:03 PM
^Wow I've never seen things from a male stripper's POV. I guess you guys go through a lot of the same things as we do. I have trouble turning the strippah persona off when I leave work. And I think stripping did kinda turn me off of the opposite sex a little. It definitely enlightened me.

I'd totally do it over though.

_Avery_
07-07-2010, 03:11 PM
I never thought I'd be doing it this long. :(
I would have saved/invested my money when the money was good.
I definitely would have had a plan.....a back-up job.
I don't regret dancing, I just regret not having a plan.

alexa111
07-07-2010, 03:18 PM
I don't regret dancing at all, I regret not looking into camming and other adult work when the money started going down hill a year and a half ago...If I had been camming on the side the whole time, I'd be a lot better off now

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 08:20 AM
Put another way, every year that I continued to work as a Respiratory Therapist was another year closer for my son to approach college age and another year where I was unable to save any appreciable amount of money towards his college tuition ! It wasn't until I started dancing that I actually started to make any financial headway ... a LOT of headway !

In retrospect, if I had spent my first 8 'adult' years raking in maximum earnings potential as a dancer rather than going to college and working as a Respiratory Therapist, I would be nearly 1/2 million dollars better off financially today ( counting compound interest earnings over the intervening years) !

This is very admirable, Melonie.

My question to Melonie and the other dancer that feel that dancing has had an overall positive effect on their life is whether you would encourage or discourage your child (son or daughter) to be an exotic dancer.

Melonie - It would seem to me that, assuming your son inherited your good looks, he could be a male dancer and make the most of his early adult years by 'raking in maximum earnings potential as a dancer', instead of starting low on the corporate totem pole as a recent-grad pee on, and waiting many many many years to reach the income level of an exotic dancer.

Or, do you see the profession differently when it comes to your children, because he/she couldn't handle the downside? I'm genuinely curious about whether those of you who would do it over again apply different standard to your children and why is the standard different? (I.e., do you perceive yourself as stronger/tougher than them and think that they wouldn't handle the job very well... or do you perceive yourself as having done it so that they won't have to?)

Zinaida
07-08-2010, 08:41 AM
Or, do you see the profession differently when it comes to your children, because he/she couldn't handle the downside?


^^^What is the downside?

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 11:04 AM
^^^ Based on what I have read here - having to deal with grabby idiot custies.

Zinaida
07-08-2010, 11:33 AM
I've never had issues with it, because it never really happens to me. For what Melonie is advocating I'd say the pros totally outweigh the cons(con?).

malayataylor
07-08-2010, 12:58 PM
@ Jack, What does our children have to do with anything? I was under the impression that a lot of us (mothers) are in this business so our children won't have have to enter this industry/so we can make a good life for them. I'm sorry but that was an idiotic question. I'm pretty sure you couldve figured it out yourself.

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 02:27 PM
^^ Its a sincere question and not intended to offend anyone.

Melonie makes a good point about how the traditional path of getting a higher education and a traditional job is a trap... You get saddled with student loans, get treated as a pee on regardless of what school you went to or what your GPA was, and it takes forever to arrive at a decent income level. The corporate ladder is a bitch to climb, and its a lot worst in other places. (Not to mention that women have to overcome many barriers.)

In pursuing a legal career, I got into a ridiculous amount of debt and dedicated seven years of my "prime" young adulthood to my education (and not to making money). After law school, it probably took another 3 or 4 years as a young lawyer to reach the salary range of an exotic dancer.

I would probably have more money today (and no debt) and freedom, if I had started off as a male exotic dancer at 18 - dancing for horny middle aged women, instead of following a traditional path... and maybe I'd be happier, too...

So, my question is, knowing this, would you encourage or discourage your adult kids to be exotic dancers. Asked another way, why would you send them down the traditional path which consists of exploitation, false expectations and disappointments, and financial insecurity.

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 02:50 PM
^^^ Congrats to your friend, but I don't personally know any lawyer that made $300K straight out of lawschool (I'm not saying that you're lying, only that this is the exception, rather than the rule). I'm also guessing that the job is either in NYC or LA, where $300K translates to about $90K anywhere else.

Also, if a person is that smart and "gifted", who knows,... he might have made millions in the adult entertainment business... He might have had his own national franchise of strip clubs by now.

malayataylor
07-08-2010, 03:03 PM
^^^ Congrats to your friend, but I don't personally know any lawyer that made $300K straight out of lawschool (I'm not saying that you're lying, only that this is the exception, rather than the rule). I'm also guessing that the job is either in NYC or LA, where $300K translates to about $90K anywhere else.

Also, if a person is that smart and "gifted", who knows,... he might have made millions in the adult entertainment business... He might have had his own national franchise of strip clubs by now.

Not everyone is attracted to this industry like we are Jack. I have some very wealthy neighbors and I'm sure the last thing on their mind is investing in some club/brother/whatever. I guess them not wanting to invest in such businesses makes them NOT "smart" or "gifted ::)

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 03:14 PM
^ he is a lawyer by name.. but no he doesn't practice. I don't exactly know what kind of position he works within the company, but I was just trying to put it out there that it IS very possible to become wealthy without sex work. Most people in society who have money are not strippers or escorts, just a small percentage.

Most wealthy people don't follow the traditional paths, either (they might initially, but they soon tear themselves away)... In my experience, the truly wealthy (self-made) people are entrepeneurs that forge their own path... And, if your goal was to raise money to invent a new product or start a new business concept, etc.,... you could raise the money faster as an exotic dancer, than as a corporate pee on.

Anyway, the point of my question was that if dancing has been good to you, would you approve of the same line of work for your adult son or daughter. If no, why not?

wanderlust08
07-08-2010, 03:21 PM
@ Jack, What does our children have to do with anything? I was under the impression that a lot of us (mothers) are in this business so our children won't have have to enter this industry/so we can make a good life for them. I'm sorry but that was an idiotic question. I'm pretty sure you couldve figured it out yourself.

Seriously. That's why I do it. The way I see it, I'll bust my ass to put my kids in certain activities (competitive cheerleading, gymnastics, soccer, piano and violin lessons, theatre) so they can get skilled in certain areas and get college scholarships. And then it's law school for the loud opinionated one, and medical school for my sweet nurturing one. (Don't take that as sounding like I prefer the sweet one over the loud one, the loud one's actually a lot more entertaining, but I love them equally.)

Cuz after all the shit I've put up with, if I catch either one of my daughters on a pole in 15 years, I will beat their little asses.

malayataylor
07-08-2010, 03:23 PM
Cuz after all the shit I've put up with, if I catch either one of my daughters on a pole in 15 years, I will beat their little asses.

Ditto!!!!!!

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 03:24 PM
Not everyone is attracted to this industry like we are Jack. I have some very wealthy neighbors and I'm sure the last thing on their mind is investing in some club/brother/whatever. I guess them not wanting to invest in such businesses makes them NOT "smart" or "gifted ::)

Most wealthy people are already investing in adult entertainment. In fact, Christian conservative groups have a hard time coming up with lists of corporations that are not somehow profitting from adult entertainment "smut". For example, every major hotel chain profits from pay-per-view pornography and so does every satellite and cable television provider. (Not to mention that a very high percentage of internet use is for pornography, and therefore, internet service providers also profit handsomely from pornography.) A recent article in a business magazine (I'll see if I can find it for you) said that adult entertainment is profitable even in a recession, its virtually recession-proof. It hinted that everyone should invest some money there. Money talks, virtue walks.

But, this is veering off the subject.

malayataylor
07-08-2010, 03:26 PM
^ Right.

I'm sure bill gates secretly owns a few strip clubs ...::)

Back to main topic please..

wanderlust08
07-08-2010, 03:34 PM
Most wealthy people are already investing in adult entertainment. In fact, Christian conservative groups have a hard time coming up with lists of corporations that are not somehow profitting from adult entertainment "smut". For example, every major hotel chain profits from pay-per-view pornography and so does every satellite and cable television provider. (Not to mention that a very high percentage of internet use is for pornography, and therefore, internet service providers also profit handsomely from pornography.) A recent article in a business magazine (I'll see if I can find it for you) said that adult entertainment is profitable even in a recession, its virtually recession-proof. It hinted that everyone should invest some money there. Money talks, virtue walks.

But, this is veering off the subject.

Christian conservative groups need to STFU. I'm sick to death of their little protests everywhere...how often to you hear on the news about pro-Homosexual groups or pro-abortion groups busting in on Sunday services??? (I would have a ball with that, seriously. Picket signs on the ready.)

I just don't understand how people who live their lives based around a book that says "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "Turn the other cheek" will spend their entire lives searching for ugliness in the world.

Zinaida
07-08-2010, 04:06 PM
My friend just graduated number one in his class at ucla law he was a JD / MBA grad, .... he works for Ernst and Young making 300k a year and he is only 27 years old.

Like Jack0 said, he's an exception not the rule. Just like how some strippers can make 200k a year whereas most strippers by far I'm guessing will never make anywhere near that amount in a year.

Kellydancer
07-08-2010, 06:33 PM
^^ Its a sincere question and not intended to offend anyone.

Melonie makes a good point about how the traditional path of getting a higher education and a traditional job is a trap... You get saddled with student loans, get treated as a pee on regardless of what school you went to or what your GPA was, and it takes forever to arrive at a decent income level. The corporate ladder is a bitch to climb, and its a lot worst in other places. (Not to mention that women have to overcome many barriers.)

In pursuing a legal career, I got into a ridiculous amount of debt and dedicated seven years of my "prime" young adulthood to my education (and not to making money). After law school, it probably took another 3 or 4 years as a young lawyer to reach the salary range of an exotic dancer.

I would probably have more money today (and no debt) and freedom, if I had started off as a male exotic dancer at 18 - dancing for horny middle aged women, instead of following a traditional path... and maybe I'd be happier, too...

So, my question is, knowing this, would you encourage or discourage your adult kids to be exotic dancers. Asked another way, why would you send them down the traditional path which consists of exploitation, false expectations and disappointments, and financial insecurity.

I really think Melonie is the exception rather than the rule in stripping because most strippers I knew were not into economics. I myself was always pretty smart when it came to business and the sex industry, but then found when I left it behind for the most part that the corporate world isn't on the same level. For instance, even at my highest earning power in corporate America, I NEVER made as much as I did dancing. Plus, like you mentioned I have dealt with severe sexism trying to move up the corporate ladder and unable to because of that.

Now when I have children, I will probably discourage both college and the sex industry. If I happen to marry the one I love, he will too because both of us knew a mutual dancer who became the stereotypical stripper. She got into drugs, and streetwalking. We think she's dead now and it's sad. On the other hand, education is a scam and in this country now those with degrees are competiting with unskilled, so why bother attending college?

charlie61
07-08-2010, 06:53 PM
Ugh let's get this back on topic. Please, Jack, feel free to start your own thread on this topic. But keep it out of this one.

jack0177057
07-08-2010, 07:56 PM
^ Okay, Charlie,... sorry.

charlie61
07-08-2010, 07:57 PM
Just doin mah jawb. ;)

Melonie
07-11-2010, 12:31 AM
I really think Melonie is the exception rather than the rule in stripping because most strippers I knew were not into economics

I'll take this opportunity to steer this thread back toward the original topic.

I'll absolutely agree with you that when I started dancing in the 90's most strippers were not into economics. But in that time period, with a mad 'tech boom' in progress, with next to zero automatic IRS reporting, with liberal corporate expense accounts etc. 'strippers' did not NEED to think about economics. During that time, they simply went to work, earned $1000 from customers who had plenty of cash to spend, and spent that $1000 on whatever they wanted to. This was possible because it was virtually guaranteed that they could earn another $1000 the next night.

Obviously, today's economic situation for 'strippers' is far different. The liberal expense accounts are gone, the 'boom' days for young professional club customers are 'bust', thus there is no confidence that a 'stripper' can earn $100 tomorrow night let alone $1000. And on the flip side, there are all sorts of IRS automatic reporting mechanisms now in place, from college tuition payments to car registrations to cash transaction reports to club 1099's, that make it impossible for today's 'strippers' to ignore the tax man. Thus any 'stripper' today who does not make an effort to learn and understand the economics that affects her 'take home earnings' faces a potential disaster waiting to happen.

With that said, then as now, 'stripping' offers beautiful young women the same unprecedented economic opportunity that professional sports offers talented young men ... the ability to earn a comparative [email protected]!tload of money for a comparatively few 'prime earnings' years. But also in the same manner of professional sports, the 'window of opportunity' is comparatively small ... with most athletes / 'strippers' finding their earnings potential dropping like a stone after age 30. Yes there are individual exceptions, but in general after age 30 neither athletes nor 'strippers' are able to maintain the physical demands of the 'profession' on a full time basis.

So there are huge 'lost opportunity costs' associated with a young 'stripper' opting to divert a large amount of her prime earnings 'window of opportunity' towards obtaining a college degree of questionable value in today's turbulent economy versus maximizing her 'stripper' earnings from a full time effort. After all, the 'time value of money' is an immutable law ... meaning that money earned and saved / invested early on will pay more interest / dividends for more years. Or put another way, if a 20 year old 'stripper' manages to earn and bank $100k, via interest / dividends that $100k will turn into at least $150k if not $200k by the time she reaches age 30. To equal this in 'time value of money' terms, if the same 20 year old decides to devote her efforts toward obtaining a college degree, the job she needs to obtain after graduation needs to have a high enough 'after tax' paycheck to make up for the lost $50-$100k in interest / dividend earnings. Now project out this differential over the course of a 4-5 year college degree program, with $50-$100k of 'lost opportunity cost' involved for EACH of those years !!!

So yes, and particularly so in today's horrible economic climate for new college graduates, I would still recommend that young and beautiful women consider the option of becoming a 'serious professional stripper' !

~

Leirad098
07-11-2010, 08:13 AM
Definately.....I always had a lot of fun doing it. I wish I had started younger as well. Saved up for college (I basically just partied and didnt have any clue what I wanted to do so it was a waste) and payed credit cards off sooner. Its important to save. Its so tempting to blow your money on designer clothes etc

Leirad098
07-11-2010, 08:15 AM
Oh but one thing I regret is doing it at the same time as my other job because it was too tiring and I couldnt juggle it.....also it wasnt good for my resume

Melonie
07-11-2010, 09:27 AM
^^^ not wanting to drift off topic too far, but these days a girl is probably better off in the long run with a 'blank' resume up to say age 30 ( all the while banking / saving / investing her serious full time 'stripper' earnings ), then retiring from dancing and obtaining a college degree in a field that is currently in demand ( with tuition paid from her savings without the need for student loans ), and THEN seeking a professional job with a 'fresh' college degree at age 34-35 !

I don't mean to be critical, but in today's economy how often do you see girls 'stripping' for a few hours a couple of nights a week in order to pay for ( some of ) their college tuition and expenses ... and sacrificing tens of thousands of dollars per year as a result of not 'stripping' full time. Then when they graduate with their coveted college degree, they find that the entry level jobs that are actually available to them ( if entry level jobs can be found in her chosen profession at all versus other unemployed job applicants who bring both a degree plus past professional experience to the table ) barely pay enough to subsist on !

After realizing 'the hard way' that the past paradigm of a college degree guaranteeing a good job and a comfortable life is now as dead as the past paradigm that real estate always increases in value, many of these girls will quickly abandon their pursuit of entry level jobs in their chosen profession after graduating from college and return to 'stripping' as the only means open to them to earn enough income to 'make economic headway'. However, compare the situation when a 'stripper' who followed this scenario out of high school reaches age 30 retires from dancing and tries to again pursue her chosen profession. She has only 6-7 years worth of 'peak' dancing earnings saved instead of 12 years worth ( which could represent a $250k-$500k difference ). She has a 6-7 year 'hole' in her resume' AFTER she obtained her professional degree. Her degree is 6-7 years out of date, which can be extremely important in 'fast changing' professions.

~

charlie61
07-11-2010, 03:50 PM
^ Or....you could go to college while stripping to complete a degree, graduate, enter into a low-paying job to accrue experience (while building resume), all the while stripping for additional income. As the day job becomes more and more lucrative, stripping can fall by the wayside.

I'm going to stand by my belief that the vast majority of women are not cut out to be career strippers (or even to strip 'full-time' until they're 30).

And anyway, it isn't all about the money. Stripping full time may be the best option for some women, but it isn't necessary to have a totally prosperous life. I know a woman who worked her ASS off saving money up for over a decade. She made enough to retire off of, and now only has to earn enough money to tide her over until she can cash in her retirement account. Yet think of those 10+ years she lost in the strip club--when she was in her prime and could've been enjoying life. She also doesn't seem too happy now, despite her financial security. I would rather keep my life balanced and live a frugal lifestyle.

I know you're a huge proponent of career dancing, Melonie, and with good reason: that route worked for you. I'm just trying to explore the alternative consequences of what you're recommending.

Zinaida
07-11-2010, 04:10 PM
how often do you see girls 'stripping' for a few hours a couple of nights a week in order to pay for ( some of ) their college tuition and expenses ... and sacrificing tens of thousands of dollars per year as a result of not 'stripping' full time. Then when they graduate with their coveted college degree, they find that the entry level jobs that are actually available to them ( if entry level jobs can be found in her chosen profession at all versus other unemployed job applicants who bring both a degree plus past professional experience to the table ) barely pay enough to subsist on !


All.the.time. Literally every dancer that I know that is trying to strip through school is in this scenario.

Zinaida
07-11-2010, 04:19 PM
^ Or....you could go to college while stripping to complete a degree, graduate, enter into a low-paying job to accrue experience (while building resume), all the while stripping for additional income. As the day job becomes more and more lucrative, stripping can fall by the wayside.
I think this is a fine option for someone that truly loves the profession they're working towards(and hopefully it will have good job security lol). It's fine for the people who truly love their job so much and are so fulfilled by it that the money is secondary to them. But I'd say that most people by far are not in this scenario.

Other people like to have money. Not that you can't have your dream career and be rich, but what if you haven't figured out what your dream career would be? Might as well try and stockpile money in the meantime! ;D

charlie61
07-11-2010, 04:30 PM
^ A very valid point as well.

kthnx
07-11-2010, 05:30 PM
^^^ not wanting to drift off topic too far, but these days a girl is probably better off in the long run with a 'blank' resume up to say age 30 ( all the while banking / saving / investing her serious full time 'stripper' earnings ), then retiring from dancing and obtaining a college degree in a field that is currently in demand ( with tuition paid from her savings without the need for student loans ), and THEN seeking a professional job with a 'fresh' college degree at age 34-35 !

I don't mean to be critical, but in today's economy how often do you see girls 'stripping' for a few hours a couple of nights a week in order to pay for ( some of ) their college tuition and expenses ... and sacrificing tens of thousands of dollars per year as a result of not 'stripping' full time. Then when they graduate with their coveted college degree, they find that the entry level jobs that are actually available to them ( if entry level jobs can be found in her chosen profession at all versus other unemployed job applicants who bring both a degree plus past professional experience to the table ) barely pay enough to subsist on !

After realizing 'the hard way' that the past paradigm of a college degree guaranteeing a good job and a comfortable life is now as dead as the past paradigm that real estate always increases in value, many of these girls will quickly abandon their pursuit of entry level jobs in their chosen profession after graduating from college and return to 'stripping' as the only means open to them to earn enough income to 'make economic headway'. However, compare the situation when a 'stripper' who followed this scenario out of high school reaches age 30 retires from dancing and tries to again pursue her chosen profession. She has only 6-7 years worth of 'peak' dancing earnings saved instead of 12 years worth ( which could represent a $250k-$500k difference ). She has a 6-7 year 'hole' in her resume' AFTER she obtained her professional degree. Her degree is 6-7 years out of date, which can be extremely important in 'fast changing' professions.

~

melonie, your idea is good for SOME women but i see a few potential problems with doing it this way. the first concern i see is, this plan does not allow a woman to have children until her mid-late 30s...since she wouldnt be starting college til 30, starting a "strait" job with her degree til 34, then allow atleast 1-2 yrs working in that job before starting a family...by which point her fertility will be diminished. also consider that many women who try to have children in their less-fertile yrs spend ALOT of $$ on fertility treatment, iui, ivf, adoption costs, etc...that expense should be factored in when considering the long-term financial advantages/disadvantages of starting college + career later.

then again, theres also alot of women who would point-blank NOT want to wait as late as their mid-late 30s to start making babies. or girls who have health issues that simply DO NOT PERMIT them to wait as late as their mid 30s to start trying to concieve. or girls who, at age 18 or 20, THINK they dont want kids til their 30s, but then when they reach their mid-late 20s and see everyone around them popping out babies, THAT'S the point when they start to get "baby lust" and regret that their still so far away from finishing their degree.

furthermore, what about unplanned/unexpected pregnancys? the average age of first time mothers is 25...and at that age, the average woman has already completed a degree/trade program and is most likely working a strait job. when i was 25 and fell pregnant i was fortunate enough to already have college and jobsearching completed...it woulda been alot harder to do it while stripping or juggling a fulltime college courseload. and yea one could say that u can avoid pregnancy 100% by bein celibate all the way from 18 til mid30s when you are ready to fit kids into your work schedule, but is that realistic?...not for me it isnt.


another concern is the rising cost of college tuition. private fulltime college tuition goes up ~$2000/yr or more. many colleges offer ALOT more scholarship $$ to incoming freshmen strait outta high school, than they do to students coming back from a long "break" from school or even students transferring from community college. also keep in mind that if a girl starts applying to colleges for the 1st time at age 30, selective colleges might judge a "resume gap" just like an employer would. so if a girl has already been given a good sized scholarship, esp if its from a big name school, she should prolly reap the benefit of that as opposed to waiting 10yrs and hoping (aimlessly) she can still get the same scholarship/grant.

dont get me wrong, its a good plan for girls who:

a) are "career stripper material", have already gotten their feet wet with stripping, and feel very strongly they can hold it up fulltime for 10-12 yrs (aka during their "prime" stripping yrs)
b) dont feel ready to dive right into college yet (still trying to figure out a good career to persue, etc)
c) dont have any big gotta-use-it-right-this-minute scholarships
d) dont plan to ever have children, or atleast not til they're in their late 30s, and feel VERY strongly that they will not change their mind in their 20s

however, theres alot of girls who would not find this plan to be compatible with thier longterm goals and/or unplanned incidents.

kthnx
07-11-2010, 05:39 PM
I know a woman who worked her ASS off saving money up for over a decade. She made enough to retire off of, and now only has to earn enough money to tide her over until she can cash in her retirement account. Yet think of those 10+ years she lost in the strip club--when she was in her prime and could've been enjoying life. She also doesn't seem too happy now, despite her financial security. I would rather keep my life balanced and live a frugal lifestyle.

yea that reminds me of an article i read, bout an old guy who worked hard, lived an extremely thrifty lifestyle, and as a result saved up $2million over his lifetime despite never earning more than $11/hr...all of the $2mil which he ended up donating to charity. he achieved the $2mil by living an extremely thrifty life -- never marrying, never having kids, never owning a tv set, never vacationing, never having much fun, etc. ok so i realize that strippers make ALOT more than $11/hr lol but my point is... i read the comments section of this article and while some people commended the old man for his savings, many other people basically said stuff like "his lifestyle seemed boring and devoid of balance...whats the point of saving up $2million when it means losing so many yrs of your life in the process?". same general concept.

yea i agree with your point, charlie. i feel really sorry for this woman becuz she prolly thought she was doing it "the right way", financially, only to look back at her life and regret she didnt live her 20s to the fullest. that really really sucks in my opinion. to be a career stripper, i guess u gotta REALLY truly enjoy what ur doing, as it goes with bein a workaholic in ANY profession.

MissEgo
07-11-2010, 06:08 PM
First off, it's "straight" job, not "strait" job. Annoys the hell out of me, being somewhat of an English major :P

Second, typically there are more scholarships and financial aid available for students over 25 (at least in Canada), especially women, and ESPECIALLY women with children.

charlie61
07-11-2010, 06:37 PM
First off, it's "straight" job, not "strait" job. Annoys the hell out of me, being somewhat of an English major :P

Second, typically there are more scholarships and financial aid available for students over 25 (at least in Canada), especially women, and ESPECIALLY women with children.

SW doesn't condone grammar nazis. We iz open to all forms of expression. Except for all-caps writing. :) I believe she was using the term colloquially, anyway. Ze interwebz speech.

Elvia
07-11-2010, 06:40 PM
I would definitely do it again. I would start younger, and I would make some different choices as to how I'd spend my money.

Zinaida
07-11-2010, 07:01 PM
dont get me wrong, its a good plan for girls who:

a) are "career stripper material", have already gotten their feet wet with stripping, and feel very strongly they can hold it up fulltime for 10-12 yrs (aka during their "prime" stripping yrs)

I don't think Melonie has ever said anything that argues against this. Obviously not everyone is Career Stripper Material. She is speaking towards the ones that are.

As far as kids though, I believe Melonie was raising her child during her professional dancing career. It can be done.

kthnx
07-11-2010, 08:34 PM
As far as kids though, I believe Melonie was raising her child during her professional dancing career. It can be done.

true, and i realize melonie herself raised a son while dancing. but melonie's stated model is about being a "serious professional stripper" during one's prime stripping yrs and not letting anything (such as college) get in the way of that. and yes, having a baby during one's prime yrs would definitly get in the way of that. e.g., having to take maternity leave, having to get back in shape again after giving birth, the potential bad effects that a pregnancy could put on someone's body, having a compromised stripper work schedule due to working around the needs of a baby, etc -- all things that would effect how much money one makes stripping, or how much time one has to devote to stripping.

i realize that having a baby while stripping can be done -- but if i had a choice, id say getting pregnant while working a "normal" job would be easier than getting pregnant as a stripper. many middle class (or better) normal jobs have group health benefits to cover you AND your baby...whereas strippers gotta pay the whole cost for health ins so they feel the weight of adding a baby to their health ins policy more. also, strippers have to take a longer maternity leave since most stripclubs wont let them strip while showing -- wheras most normal jobs let you work til you're nearly ready to deliver -- and some normal jobs even offer paid maternity leave too.



Second, typically there are more scholarships and financial aid available for students over 25 (at least in Canada), especially women, and ESPECIALLY women with children.

mmm not really, if you live in america. the only good thing bout bein over 25 is that you are no longer tied to your parents income; you are no longer dependent. but if you make much of any income at all and you're childless, they're pretty stingy with fin aid. ia few >25yr old childless friends of mine tried to return to college and even tho they had small incomes (<$30,000/yr) , they didnt get JACK for fin aid except stafford loans...but thats not the same thing as a scholarship becuz you gotta pay it all back plus interest. one friend couldnt even get an academic scholarship whereas she had offers from every school she'd originally applied to 8 yrs earlier when she was a high school senior.

and yea im sure people with kids have alot more fin aid opportinites available, but remember what i said earlier -- if a girl is being a "serious professional stripper" and putting her "all" into stripping during her 20s, she's not going to plan to have kids during that time, so there goes that idea. (i realize sometimes kids happen tho, but im talking bout someone who doesnt plan for kids during her peak stripping yrs and everything goes according to plan)

Zinaida
07-11-2010, 08:39 PM
i realize that having a baby while stripping can be done -- but if i had a choice, id say getting pregnant while working a "normal" job would be easier than getting pregnant as a stripper.
I'd think having a baby with 10 years worth of dancing earnings in the bank would be the best bet!(In other words after your professional dancing run is ova)

MissEgo
07-11-2010, 10:26 PM
mmm not really, if you live in america. the only good thing bout bein over 25 is that you are no longer tied to your parents income; you are no longer dependent. but if you make much of any income at all and you're childless, they're pretty stingy with fin aid. ia few >25yr old childless friends of mine tried to return to college and even tho they had small incomes (<$30,000/yr) , they didnt get JACK for fin aid except stafford loans...but thats not the same thing as a scholarship becuz you gotta pay it all back plus interest. one friend couldnt even get an academic scholarship whereas she had offers from every school she'd originally applied to 8 yrs earlier when she was a high school senior.


I should have said bursaries instead of scholarships (awards based on financial need); most of the awards offered by my school are for students coming straight from high school or "mature" women (over 25) or aboriginal students. It probably varies lots from school to school, depending on who they want to attract I guess.

Charlie - point taken! I'll try to restrain myself in the future ;)

Haha, end threadjack...

Kellydancer
07-11-2010, 10:53 PM
I personally don't think raising a child while stripping is a good idea in MOST cases. I'm not talking those who made it a career and have their head on straight, but sadly many don't. I understand of course many women become strippers to support a child, but am not talking these women, talking those who decide to become pregnant while stripping. When I was a fulltime stripper having a child was the LAST thing on my mind. My life was hectic and I would have made a terrible mother. Now, I hope I get pregnant within 2-3 years while working a fulltime professional job strictly because most of the jobs at my level will offer maternity leave, many paid. Many women want children who are much younger than me (I didn't want any until recently). My point is that it's going to be harder for me to have a baby than a younger person, and if I was baby centered I might have wanted one while stripping, and that would have been a bad choice, not having had insurance for many years.

Btw, it's almost impossible for a childless person to get financial aid in Illinois unless you have kids. I know several who were unemployed (lost job), decided to go back to school, and found they were rejected. This is why to me it's not a good idea to wait to attend school. Not to mention the gap one will have.

Even if someone becomes a top stripper, they still might not have money to put away. Too many people waste money. While I commend dancers like Melonie who were able to do this, I still think it's the exception. Also, we all know that there comes a time when a dancer is too old and if she doesn't have money set aside and no other skills she is screwed. I've seen this scenario many times.

kthnx
07-15-2010, 01:52 PM
^ kelly, i agree with you 110% yet again. seems to me that if your childless, there aint no fin aid for you...regardless of age or (lack of) income. i think i already mentioned this in my previous post on this thread but mebbe some people didnt see it -- i KNOW more than one "cotinueing ed"/adult student over the age of 25 who filled out their fafsa form and didnt get JACK in fin aid grants. nothing but the standard stafford loan (which has a MUCH higher % int rate these days by the way). and thats considering that both people i knew had small, paltry incomes too -- annual incomes of <$25,000 due to having been laid off from their jobs in the yr prior. no surprise here that both of these old, financially challenged friends were childless, huh?


kelly, i also agree with your point about it being harder to have a child while stripping. i also mentioned this in my previous post -- stripping does NOT have group health benefits, paid maternity leave, paid sick days (in case you have pregnancy-related health issues, or in case your small child is sick and you need to stay home that day), etc. yea you can buy your own health ins and save up a bundle of money to use while you leave stripping during your pregnancy, but its still not nearly as convenient as having these things available to you.

also, once the kids reach school age, the work hrs of a stripper arent very compatable with the lives of children. a standard 9-5 day job is good becuz it almost completely overlaps with kids school schedules. most schools get out at ~3pm, but most also offer after school programs and stuff to kill the time between when school lets out and when most adults get out of their fulltime job. then that gives you the whole evening and into the nite to spend with your kids, helping them with homework, tucking them into bed, etc. oh and you get off weekends when the kids are off too. now compare that to working the typical stripper's work schedule. most strippers work during nite -- thats when theres usually more customers, and not all clubs are even open during daytime. that means the stripper is able to pick up her kids at 3, but only has a few hrs to spend with them before running off to work. and then after working a late nite (prolly getting home past 1am or so), she has to wake up early in the morning with minimal sleep to get her kids off to school. i mean, a stripper could try to work day shift or try to find a way to make it work, but its more difficult than a standard day job would be.