Originally Posted by
minnow
Sophia, et al: I'm paraphrasing the definition of lifer from Meriam Online Dictionary, in order of priority.
"A person who".......
1) is sentenced to imprisonment for life
2) makes a career of the armed services
3) has made a lifelong commitment (as to a way of life).
One can see that "lifer" isn't exactly a term of endearment. #1 is probably most recognized , and needs no elaboration. As for #2, while a career in the armed services is an honorable one (IMO), many people joining the military do not wish to make it a career, and thus seperate from the service after their minimum term is up. (Was ~ 2 years in Vietnam War era.) At the other end of the spectrum, 20 years of service is the magic number for being eligible for military pension. This significant gap in years of service makes for a "them vs us" mentality. "Lifer" was coined by the "leave the military as soon as term is up" crowd to denote those with military career plans vastly different from theirs.
#3 would be most applicable to the stripper/dancer who has no real exit plan from dancing/stripping, nor any particular idea what to do other than stripping. Although I'm not in the industry, in my particular profession there are certain jobs/companies that aren't viewed as career destinations- (ie- more an experience building position). Yet some individuals find some comfortable niche there with no particular desire to "move on, or up". Those individuals were referred to as lifers. HTH....