Why Strippers Become Trapped

My Fox Detroit has a piece, Why Some Exotic Dancers Become Trapped by Alexis Wiley, about how easily women can become trapped by the stripping life. A lot of the issues discussed are what I examine and offer help with in my book The Pole Position: Is Stripping for You?

“Kalisha Madden and Cherice Gordon have been missing for nearly three months. Both women are exotic dancers from Detroit. Many wonder if their lifestyle as strippers played a role in their disappearance. Often times, the lure of money puts these women in harm's way. FOX 2's Alexis Wiley takes a closer look at why it's so easy for some of these women to get trapped.”

Wiley interviews a few women who are dancers, but who had their glamorous expectations dashed by the true stripping world.

The message we see coming through is that regardless of the great money they are making, it really might not be worth it because it’s too easy to get distracted by the vices that go along with fast money.

I hear my own story in their words: "My first job was at Chuck E. Cheese, so I was like that looks a lot better than Chuck E," said Laura.

I thought the same about working at Dunkin’ Donuts and J.C. Penney.

The women discuss the dangers involved even if you’re playing by the rules, but even knowing this, they are not ready to leave the strip world.

"Once you're in, you're kind of stuck in because you start accumulating all these things that you didn't have before," said Laura. "You're kind of forced to keep going to work and paying these bills for this stuff that you didn't really need in the first place and it's just a trap."

The reporter also interviewed Anny Donewald, an ex-dancer.

"I did amateur night and I won $200, and when you're a 19-year-old college student, $200, that's a lot of ramen noodles."

But after six years, she knew she had to leave the world because she was feeling “dead.”

She went on to create Eve's Angels, which consists of women who go to clubs to offer support without judgment to strippers when they are ready to quit.

Pole Skivvies Interview

Listen to internet radio with PoleSkivvies on Blog Talk Radio

Check out my interview with Jennifer Michelle of Pole Skivvies on Blog Talk Radio.

Jennifer is the owner of Pole Skivvies, a website and blog for the pole community.

We discuss my guidebook and self-discovery journal, The Pole Position: Is Stripping for You (And How to Stay Healthy Doing It), the misconceptions people have about strippers, what qualities make for a good stripper, the dialogue between the pole dancing community and strippers, and women's expression and conflict of sexuality.

Jennifer has also introduced a new award…

PoleSkivvies knows there’s another side to pole. One beyond debates on sexy versus fitness, or whether we should be in the Olympics.

We see how many studios contribute to charities, how many hold fundraisers. We see how often pole dancers reach out to help one another in times of need, and we know the primary goal within the pole community is one of encouragement and support.

PoleSkivvies thinks it’s time to shift the focus to what’s really important.

That’s why we created the Make a Difference Award.

Designed to recognize the strength and compassion within the pole community, it honors those who have made it a priority to give back, both within and outside the world of pole.

An annual award, it will first be awarded June 2012, with the winner to be announced at the International Pole Convention. The winner will be awarded:

•An inscribed plaque

•$500 donation from PoleSkivvies to the charity or cause they support

•One hour of marketing coaching from J Michelle Marketing

•Free advertising of their pole studio or product for one year in Pole Dance Magazine Online

•Write-ups in Vertical Art & Fitness Magazine and Pole Dance Magazine Online

In addition, they will serve as PoleSkivvies Ambassador for one year, promoting pole, community, and giving back.

Check out her website for more information about the award!

The Pole Position: Is Stripping for You? (And How to Stay Healthy Doing It)

Good news—my Decision-Making Guide and Self-Discovery Journal that will help women to further value their own identities through their quest to understand their motivations for stripping is now available through Smashwords.


You can view a free sample or purchase an e-book version of The Pole Position: Is Stripping for You? (And How to Stay Healthy Doing It) in just about any format you can dream of.

For women interested in developing their own life narratives, they will explore how writing their lives and discovering their selves is all part of an ongoing process. The dots are connected between the bonds of body, beauty, and self with which modern women struggle, so that readers may be able to look to themselves for answers to questions of identity.

The print version will be available through Amazon soon!

Stripper Moms Paying the Bills

The Huffington Post’s Emma Gray reports on Phone Sex Moms: In Tough Economic Times, More Mothers Turn To Sex Work.


Well, there are always going to be customers, so it makes sense that moms would get in on the money action.

“ABC News reported that over the last year and a half, as the recession has continued to take a toll on employment opportunities, the number of women who have young children engaging in sex work has risen 400 percent. This figure comes from ratracerebellion.com, an organization dedicated to finding mothers at-home work. The numbers seem a bit shocking, but then again, hasn't sex work always been considered a "recession-proof" occupation?”

There are lots of benefits to working at home for moms obviously, but I would think it might dampen a sexy talk if there was a baby crying in the background, unless of course, there was guy into that somewhere…

I think there are definitely women looking into this kind of work who might not have considered it during a better job market. It’s for that exact reason that I wrote The Pole Position: Is Stripping For You? (And How to Stay Healthy Doing It), which is soon to be released by Every Day Create.

In these uncertain economic times, one of the job possibilities young women (and even moms!) may be curious about is stripping, even though they may never have imagined themselves taking their clothes off for cash before. THE POLE POSITION answers technical, emotional, financial, and moral questions to reveal the truth behind the fiction.

•Are high-end Gentlemen’s Clubs in the city as glamorous as I’ve heard?

• Will my local dive-club be dangerous and demeaning?

• Will I be expected to perform “extras” for the managers?

• Is leaving the stripping world as difficult as some say?

• Am I prepared for the difficulties involved?

• How do I really feel about stripping?

THE POLE POSITION: Is Stripping for You? (And How to Stay Healthy Doing It) is a Decision-Making Guide and Self-Discovery Journal that will help women to further value their own identities through their quest to understand their motivations for stripping. For women interested in developing their own life narratives, they will explore how writing their lives and discovering their selves is all part of an ongoing process. The dots are connected between the bonds of body, beauty, and self with which all modern women struggle, so that readers may be able to look to themselves for answers to questions of identity.

Each of the 9 chapters is followed by ten questions for review with space to journal answers, which will help women explore their motivations, strengths, and possible weaknesses for survival in the business.

I wonder what other moms’ opinions are about this. How would you feel if you found out your mom friend was making money talking dirty late at night? Or even stripping?