
Originally Posted by
laree
I have several words of advice for you in response to your post - I think we have quite a bit in common. Maybe I can help you out a bit. (I've been a dancer for two years FYI.)
I thought I was a modest person like you (having been raised in church), so when people started suggesting that I strip, I never thought I could cut it (especially with my flat chest). But like you, I'm also most confident in the dark. And as soon as I got onstage for the first time, I had a blast. I'd recommend you visit a strip club and check the dancers out to see what your competition would be. If you going during the day I can almost guarantee you'll think, "if they can do it, I can do it." I started on day shift, and the day customers at my bar were very easily impressed, so I felt right at home from day one. (What state do you live in, out of curiousity?)
Your intelligence will definitely work in your favor, especially with slightly older men (which is where the bulk of your money will come from). Men love to be surprised by finding an intelligent mind in a pretty package.
As far as your emotional issues are concerned, you might even find that dancing helps your depression, especially at first. It's a definite ego trip, and will boost your confidence in ways you'd never guess. And earning as much much as a dancer does can give you a strong sense of control of your life. DO continue to go to school (perhaps you should switch majors if your current one is bringing you down, or even cut down on your hours) because the structure will be of great benefit to you mentally. When I let my life as a stripper completely take over and my schedule becomes such that I'm sleeping all the daylight hours away, that's when depression really takes hold. Watch that you maintain a somewhat "normal" schedule and don't get too wrapped up in the lifestyle.
Also make sure that you'll be able to keep a work scehdule that won't interfere unneccesarily with school. The last thing you need is to pressed for time and stressed out. Talk with the manager of the club you'd consider working at and make sure he's flexible. Find out for certain if you'd be working an amount of hours you're comfortable with and you might find dancing a welcome change of pace from school.
There's absolutely nothing to be lost by giving it a shot. Try it, if just for a night, if you don't enjoy it, at least you'll have tried. DO be careful, if you start dancing, that you keep a close check on how it's affecting you mentally, and if it ever starts to affect you poorly, stop. I worked with a girl with OCD and she absolutely loved dancing. You never know how you'll do. You may find that dancing but taking frequent breaks will be the ticket to keep you level, as it CAN get to a girl to have to come up with clever ways to respond to being asked out all the time without it affecting her income. That's been the most tiring thing for me.
Lastly, don't become best friends with the dancers, and don't let them get to you out of jealousy or competitiveness. Dancers can be very unkind. Take it as a compliment that they are threatened by you. Of course you should be friendLY with the girls at work, but you never know what kind of trouble they can get you into, so be careful not to let them suck you into their lifestyles. And while most of the girls are probably nice, I can't tell you how much drama there is to get involved in. If you start hanging out with your co-workers off the clock, you'll likely come across some things that are not conducive to going to school. For all the level-headed women that dance, especially the ones on this board, there are just as many with a drug or alcohol problem, or just a shitty outlook that will bring you down to be around. Make sure that the girls you work with are positive and generally happy, being around pessimistic bitching and complaining everytime you go to work isn't good for anyone, especially one inclined to be depressed.
If you really think you need medication, take a trip to your school's student health center. They should be able to help you out and prescribe mecidine for you inexpensively, if need be. Their services are priced to fit a student's budget.
I hope I've given you some things to think about, and there's always more advice where this came from if you're intrested. I'll answer any questions you have as best I can.
(Sorry this is so long!)
P.S. Stripping will in no way diminish your 'credentials'. You'll still have all the reason in the world to view yourself as the pretty girl who is shockingly intelligent. And you'll be even more well-rounded because of it. Being a stripper is an entirely different kind of education, and a valuable one at that. You'll learn things about yourself you may never have learned otherwise and find a strength you never knew you had. And while I think dancing is something to be proud of, there ARE people who don't, and you will do well not to advertise it. Anyone who'd judge you poorly because of it doesn't need to know. For the record, there are plenty of people who would be impressed by your courage and fortitude if they knew you were a stripper and give you credit for characteristics they didn't know you had. Still, keep your life as an exotic dancer completely separate from the rest of your life and you'll have nothing to worry about.
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