Stripping, the actual dancing part, is like folk art. Dance anthropologists should be documenting us. Fortunately for me, you don’t have to be good at it to do it. Mostly if you get naked nobody really notices what else you do.
There are trends, little moves or postures, that come and go in the collective stripper unconscious. You know, the little things you do without thinking when you’re killing time by the pole. Not the things you did five years ago, but the things everyone is doing now. Sometimes it’s regional. Like, in West Virginia there’s a lot of actual dancing, and there’s this move that girls do with their hand over their ass as they bend over. It’s a really cool twirling kind of thing, and I wish I’d paid more attention when I was there because now I can’t remember how to do it.
It’s generational, too. When I first started dancing no one shook their ass. I mean, it just didn’t occur to us. We did classy things with our ass back then. 😆
Anyways, for all these years of stripping there has been a certain way that women lean back on the pole. You put your butt against it and you arch your back, leaning your head back over your shoulder. Your ribcage comes out and up, your legs are bent all sexy, and you have a little tummy curve from the arching. It used to be, like, the sexiest thing in the world. I remember once in California a guy told me he almost came in his pants when he saw me do that.
Suddenly it’s changing, though. After all these years. Women lean back on the pole and they tuck their pelvis forward, sucking their stomach in, ribs disappearing into a hollow place where their guts should be. They look empty and shriveled, like a dead plant (especially when they’ve got a dark tan), and this is the new sexy.
I am protesting this by continuing to arch my back in the old way, guts and all.
HAH! so true…and if you ever get a chance to go to a predominantly back club- study the moves- in 5 years they’ll be everywhere – moves that show off big butts, hips thighs- “thick” ness…
I recall recoiling from the culture shock coming from New Olrleans – natural women with meat on em- to L.A. the first time I saw a truly scary anorexic disrobe, my gag reflex kicked in. Thing is, she wasn’t considered sick or in need of any nutritional help at that club- she was the desired type there- yikes!
that’s “black” as in African American (for the PC)
im really glad i can read your entire entries in my google reader now and dont have to click out of it to do so!
thanks! 🙂
I think that your classic style is way more alluring than the booty shaking. I like the booty shaking as well, but the first time I watched a classic dancer with poise and slow sexiness- it was completely hypnotic. as a hypnotist, i’m sure you know how to do it with your body and that is a money maker.
great piece!
we have a variety of dancing at my club in tampa. i think its because of the wide range of age, class, race, etc of the girls. some do the back lean, some do the “booty clap”, and some girls do the most amazing pole tricks ever. i used to be a slower dancer until i got here, where the poles spin…
we have a variety of dancing at my club in tampa. i think its because of the wide range of age, class, race, etc of the girls. some do the back lean, some do the “booty clap”, and some girls do the most amazing pole tricks ever. i used to be a slower dancer until i got here, where the poles spin…
I don’t see why anthropologists wouldn’t examine stripping as dancing–they’ve certainly looked at the differences in folk dance and how it changes according to the primary work a culture engages in. I bet there is a similar correlation with styles of stripping. And I think you would be awesome on NPR!
Do the meme thing only if you really want to. I get tagged all the time with those things but I usually have content that takes precedence. It’s nice to be recognized–but that’s why I put the disclaimer up. I declared some time ago that I might do them but would never ask anyone to do one in return. There are some cool gal-blogs in that group though.
ur clasic act sounds good to me but id need to see it to be shure. 😯 😉 wher can i see ur act???
Since you work in all sorts of different jurisdictions, I’d be very interested to read a similar post comparing how the different laws affect your working conditions.
Perhaps you should begin documenting the various trends you see. Since you travel all over, you get to experience the regional variations and can understand the differences in ways an academic is unlikely to see.
Seriously, take some time and document various aspects of stripping and highlight the changes over time, region, typical customer demographic, and whatever other variables you can see. Not only will it help you remember different things you come across, it might be useful to future anthropological studies, or even inspire you to come up with a whole new style.