-
Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Something I read in another thread bothered me and I wanted to expand upon it a little and get some other opinions.
"At least I'm not somebody's bitch behind a desk at a corporation"
That might not be the exact quote, but the bitch part is correct. And I'm not calling out the person who said it either. Just wanted to get some clarity.
How are strippers not somebody's bitch? Because you set your own hours/schedule? When you walk into a club, isn't it someone else's decision if you work there or not? Do you get paid NOT to be there? When you walk in, don't they give you your schedule of stage time? Don't you have to put up with rules while you're there? Do you have to suck up to gross people, and do it with a smile, to make your money?
I don't understand how stripping is any different than any other job. People who work in the corporate world are not somebody's "bitch", they just choose a set amount of income (which could be limiting, yes)and a more rigid schedule.
I'd like other people's opinions on this. I've done both and I can say, I feel freer at my desk job than I ever did stripping.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Meh....stripping....deskjob....whatever. We are all just trying to make a living so we can do the things that truly make us happy ;D .
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
I have worked both as well. With stripping we follow certain rules, but even those are for the most part very lax, even in upscale places. Like, how many of the stories on here are about girls doing outrageous things and NOT getting fired? Its pretty unheard of to go to a desk job drunk, for example. Also, although you may get paid at a desk job when you're not there (assuming you are talking about salaries), you only get a certain amount of days off a year. What is it, 2 weeks normally??
I am pretty adamant that strippers are NOT somebody's bitch. Our bosses do NOT control how much money we make, how often we work (unless you have your "bookings" in NJ, hehe), what hours we want to work.
I think of strippers and clubs as 2 different business entities working together. Yes, they have their rules, but I have mine too (I won't work where they take my LD money for one). And if for some reason SC management was operating in some way I didn't agree with, well then I'll just leave and go to another club THE NEXT NIGHT.
Damn I used to cry to myself thinking of $20,000 of debt, how it was ALWAYS yelling at me in the back of my mind, wondering how I was going to get through it. Making $50 a day and living at home, with NO WAY of saving money to get out, and God forbid something catastrophic happened (health, car, etc). It felt like DROWNING. Being 21 and being reprimanded that I didn't cut some lemons right, or that I didn't answer the phone in the right tone of voice sure made me feel like a fucking child. My own personal version of hell. I have to stop writing because its making me so angry to think about those times. Yes, I was somebody's bitch. Actually, many peoples bitch.
To each their own. I'm NOT trying to get flamed but just wanted to put another opinion out there
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Funny that you mention NJ, because that's where I'm from and worked during my career. We had set schedules, just like a regular job except that my regular job pays better. I am also allowed to drink here at work during pitch time and have been drunk during more than one late meeting; they consider it par for the course.
Maybe I shouldn't be looking at it like I am. I think maybe most girls here are comparing their stripping job to a "regular" desk job. I'm a junior exec, so the perks are better; as in having those weeks off, plus a week of personal days, plus unlimited sick days. I also have an expense account so nothing that I have to purchase to do my job comes out of my pocket.
Just hurts to see that those I still consider to be my peers ( I stripped for around 18 years) think that people like me are sheep or someone's bitch.
Oh, and NO flaming in here. I wanted opinions and I expect to get them...from one or both sides.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
I think it depends on the club and the girl. I don't feel like I'm anyones bitch, if the club pisses me off, I'm not making $$, I'm gone. But I know of girls that work at clubs where they feel that's the only place they can work and the club is always hitting them with ridiculous fines for ridiculous amounts, These girls complain about it but continue to work there. Now they're somebody's bitch.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
What I'm trying to get at is, that you do have to follow rules since you don't own the place. It's just a matter of what rules you can or will put up with. How is that different from a regular job? I decide what place I work at as well and if I don't like it, I'll find another job.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
I think that if you agree to work in a club you do have to follow the club rules.
Rules I have to follow:
stage rotation
house fee and tip out amounts
level of contact
I like the rules and such at the club I'm at now, if they change and I don't like it I'll leave. To me this is the same with any job. If I didn't agree with the dress code at a job, I wouldn't work there.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
As you've said-junior exec is a far cry from admin asst. or worse! I've worked jobs where I was not allowed to go pee. Where I had to learn three different filing systems for three diff. lawyers. Where they called me "Kelly" because that was my temp agency and they couldn't be bothered to learn my name. Even a fairly important admin is someone's bitch. Even at the library I was subject to some crazy guy who thought berating you in front of everyone was the thing.
I may have to pay to work, and keep a schedule(ish), but I'm never yelled at for not setting up the conference room right and I NEVER have to make coffee. And when I ran into jerk, yells at us on the floor, control freak manager, I left and went to a new club.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ava Jadore
Meh....stripping....deskjob....whatever. We are all just trying to make a living so we can do the things that truly make us happy ;D .
I like this comment. I guess it just ties into job happiness. You're the bitch of stripping if you tie yourself into situations where you need the money and feel like you can't get a job outside of the dancing industry and so you're dependent on taking off your clothes. That's versus feeling financially independent/secure because of dancing and being able to pursue what makes you happy.
The same goes for people that work in offices during the day but pursue satisfying artistic careers/car detailing hobbies at night. Your relationship to your source of income versus what you do in your free time. Good point!
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
anomar
. Your relationship to your source of income versus what you do in your free time. Good point!
That's the winning forumula. So, I don't feel so bad anymore in realizing that you can be someone's bitch in any profession. At the end of the day, it's all about being able to have enough to be happy.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DylanAngel
Maybe I shouldn't be looking at it like I am. I think maybe most girls here are comparing their stripping job to a "regular" desk job. I'm a junior exec, so the perks are better; as in having those weeks off, plus a week of personal days, plus unlimited sick days. I also have an expense account so nothing that I have to purchase to do my job comes out of my pocket.
Just hurts to see that those I still consider to be my peers ( I stripped for around 18 years) think that people like me are sheep or someone's bitch.
Oh, and NO flaming in here. I wanted opinions and I expect to get them...from one or both sides.
I agree with this. Had I gone from dancing to secretary where everyone barks at me, I would have gone back to dancing, cuz you're getting barked at and berated there, just for more money. BUT now with the exec job with the expense account, great perks, fabulous benefits and flex-time, I don't think twice about going back to dancing, (except sometimes when I REALLY miss my girlfriends).
So I guess it depends on what you're subject to at your place of work that makes you a bitch.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
^^Absolutely! It sucks that you felt personally offended by that comment. I'm sure no one here thinks someone with a straight job that they love is a little corporate bitch.
I bust out that term only when describing how I have felt at times in straight jobs or when referring to someone whom I know doesn't make jack shit, hates their stupid square job, and looks down on me for being a stripper. That sure ain't you! ;)
Ultimately it is about living the life you want to live. If you're happy (or at least doing what you want to do) you're not someone's bitch.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
We need a working definition of "bitch." In my mind, a bitch is someone who's dependent on another (for money, or for the things money buys) to the point that they have to put up with degrading and exploitative conditions.
Simply coming under the authority of another doesn't make you a bitch. We all have to live under authority of some kind. Most of us have either bosses or contractors by whose terms we have to abide, and we all have to live under the law of the land. Etc., etc.
Maybe not being a bitch is mental thing, really. It does suck to feel like you need a job so badly that you have to put up with somebody else's bullshit to keep it. I've been in that position myself in the non-stripping world, and for what it's worth, I've known plenty of dancers who met that description also.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
francescadubois
I don't think twice about going back to dancing, (except sometimes when I REALLY miss my girlfriends).
I'm giggling at this because I miss it sometimes too for something fun like that. Every time I hear a really cool song that fits my style to a "T", I miss dancing up on a stage, but that's the only thing I miss. Right now the song is "Chick Habitt" by April March.
I listen to that song at my desk, but can you imagine me getting up on my desk?:P
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xoxoGracexoxo
We need a working definition of "bitch." In my mind, a bitch is someone who's dependent on another (for money, or for the things money buys) to the point that they have to put up with degrading and exploitative conditions.
Simply coming under the authority of another doesn't make you a bitch. We all have to live under authority of some kind. Most of us have either bosses or contractors by whose terms we have to abide, and we all have to live under the law of the land. Etc., etc.
Maybe not being a bitch is mental thing, really. It does suck to feel like you need a job so badly that you have to put up with somebody else's bullshit to keep it. I've been in that position myself in the non-stripping world, and for what it's worth, I've known plenty of dancers who met that description also.
Exactly, Grace. The truth is, a lot of times I felt like someone's bitch at the club. I was dancing while in school and was determined to get that Masters by any means necessary. I knew I was gonna have to pay my dues, and there were a lot of repercussions I'm dealing with because I was a club's/manager's/customers' bitch. To keep smiling when someone says something discriminatory or hurtful, dancing with guys that were gross (for whatever reason, not just physical), having managers on a power trip treat you like shit, or worse yet, try to fuck you.
So yeah, I sometimes felt like a bitch then, but I also feel like I learned invaluable lessons about men and business because I kept my mouth shut and my ears open, got the last laugh, and I would do it all over again. ;D
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DylanAngel
I'm giggling at this because I miss it sometimes too for something fun like that. Every time I hear a really cool song that fits my style to a "T", I miss dancing up on a stage, but that's the only thing I miss. Right now the song is "Chick Habitt" by April March.
I listen to that song at my desk, but can you imagine me getting up on my desk?:P
:rotfl: That'd be hilarious!!
Why don't you get a pole and dance before work some days? It really gets me pumped, especially before meetings. :D
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dottie Rebel
^^Absolutely! It sucks that you felt personally offended by that comment. I'm sure no one here thinks someone with a straight job that they love is a little corporate bitch.
I bust out that term only when describing how I have felt at times in straight jobs or when referring to someone whom I know doesn't make jack shit, hates their stupid square job, and looks down on me for being a stripper. That sure ain't you! ;)
Ultimately it is about living the life you want to live. If you're happy (or at least doing what you want to do) you're not someone's bitch.
And this is why I LOVE me some Dottie!!!
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
^^^Love me some Dylan Angel ;)
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
I love this thread, and I totally agree to the conclusion you all came up with. It depends on your own personal happiness at your job. There are nights where I totally feel like the clubs bitch. And it irks me to death! But when I worked in fitness, and I was busting my butt 6 days a week, long hours, never seeing my kiddo or man and kissing the rear end of a fat man in a suit for very little return, yah, I sure felt like a bitch then too... I wasn't happy.
A while ago I felt like less of a bitch than I do now, which is why it's time for a change, but no, I certainly don't see someone with a "regular" job as being someone's bitch. I am in fact, a wittle bit jealous of that person.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
I worked in telecom industry call centers for 5 years as middle management. Directory assistance and then customer care. I was everybody's bitch. I had shit for vacation time, no sick leave, sucky schedules (I actually worked overnight at the customer care job), and all day I had to juggle the "flavor of the week" projects arbitrarily passed on to us middle management by our higher-ups, placate swarms of angry irrational abusive customers, and try to convince my team of low-interest, low-skill employees not to quit. Like I said, I was everybody's bitch.
I know that's not the case at every company--my best friend is idyllic at her desk job--, but it's what I went through and what soured me to the corporate world at large. I am infinitely happier with my cool management, cool DJ, cool coworkers and ability to NOT GIVE A FUCK if I don't feel like it. I am responsible for me and only me. I can take as much time off as I want, when I want, for whatever lameass reason I can think of. I can be loud, vulgar, sexual, dorky--whatever I feel like being. It's night and day to the past five years.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
^^Yeah, that call center job sounds scary!!
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SundayMorning
I worked in telecom industry call centers for 5 years as middle management. Directory assistance and then customer care. I was everybody's bitch. I had shit for vacation time, no sick leave, sucky schedules (I actually worked overnight at the customer care job), and all day I had to juggle the "flavor of the week" projects arbitrarily passed on to us middle management by our higher-ups, placate swarms of angry irrational abusive customers, and try to convince my team of low-interest, low-skill employees not to quit. Like I said, I was everybody's bitch.
I know that's not the case at every company--my best friend is idyllic at her desk job--, but it's what I went through and what soured me to the corporate world at large. I am infinitely happier with my cool management, cool DJ, cool coworkers and ability to NOT GIVE A FUCK if I don't feel like it. I am responsible for me and only me. I can take as much time off as I want, when I want, for whatever lameass reason I can think of. I can be loud, vulgar, sexual, dorky--whatever I feel like being. It's night and day to the past five years.
So it sounds like you're at the other end of the spectrum, really. You have cool management and cool coworkers and make money. I have the same.
It's the middle of the road that seems to suck no matter where you work then.
More reason to note that, no matter what you do, make sure you're doing the best and getting the most that you can out of it.
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Stripping is similar to a desk job to me. You're still working a shift. Yuck. I couldn't do that again.
I prefer freelancing and using my skills. I'll work for an hour or 3 TOPS. I'll work that schedule once or twice a day.
But everyone's work personality is different. While I'm no longer interested in shifts (unless I'm like an actress working on a set and getting paid bank OR if I were to own my own business housed in a building/facility).
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Unless you're making over 40k a year to work part time as a secretary what is the
point? I could go work full time as a computer programmer, deal witht he 8 to 5
40 to 50 hours a week and have 12 credits in College.. make sense? When would
I have time to study? I just see dancing as a better alternative. If I am sick, I don't
go to work. If there is some major personal issue, I don't go to work. I don't have
to call in sick or worry about getting fired. Vacation time is dictated by my budget
not what is allowed. Medical insurance is the only reason I can see going back into
the straight and narrow life of 8 to 5 and I am so burned out working as a programmer. It is the same thing over and over and over again. I like the single
serving friends or my regulars they bring interesting conversation to the table
and a better pay check most of the time. I guess I can understand when she
says she doesn't want to be chained to a desk in a cubicle.. I don't want to be
chained to a desk in a cubical anymore. To me dancing is freedom and it pays
my bills and keeps me in a comfortable lifestyle. Though I know it is not forever
but like my family doctor said, when he was in Medical School he sold plasma to
get by any job is a good job no matter what you do.
So Dance on if it works for you if not then try something else :)
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
You know, I think it all boils down to choice...we all have the ability to make the choices for how our own lives. There was a point in my life where I chose to be a stripper, and that didn't make me anyone's bitch. I now choose to work a "normal" job, and that definitely doesn't make me somebody's bitch either. I am the master of my own destiny regardless of the job that I choose to take, and so are the rest of you!
-
Re: Stripping vs. "Regular" Job
Dylan, I can completely relate to you. Reading that comment, I was a bit offended myself.
OTOH, other posters here have made a very valid point. You and I have been very fortunate that we are in a position to work a good companies doing what we love.
However, many of the girls here are younger, less experienced in the workplace, or simply not-qualified for a high-paying position.
I remember working at the Gap, hotel reception, kitchen dishwasher, etc. Compared to those shitty, shitty jobs, I'd take stripping in a heartbeat. Stripping, along with my education, allowed me to get into a very lucractive sales/consulting field, with endless sources of revenue.
And you don't need to have an MBA from Harvard to do it either. Some days I do feel like a bitch though. I can work for 2 weeks and make $700 if the commissions don't go through (like last paycheck.) But I also have days were I make $5,000 in an hour. That makes it worth it.