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« Cherie, Nude | Main | Alla Prima Alla Time »

March 22, 2009

Recession-Proof Employment

Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

Fight the downturn: Become a stripper.

Best,

Michael

posted by Michael at March 22, 2009

Comments

Only the best looking strippers generally make the big bucks, but a average-looking gal who can "play" clients into thinking they have a chance of taking the stripper home can make much more money than they otherwise would by sizing up those who have money, and are susceptible to being led on. Strippers have to lie to men constantly and act as if they find them interesting and likeable, when in fact they find them unnattractive and boring, having the same conversations with dolts over and over again. The thing is, when they leave this job, they still retain the habit of "playing" men for the things they want by using feminine wiles (touching the man, artfully handing him compliments, playing "the damsel in distress", appealing to his male vanity) over and over again. It really wouldn't be a good thing for men in this nation if a much larger proportion of its women to have had experience stripping.

Posted by: miles on March 22, 2009 3:22 PM

funny. but also a ridiculously credulous and silly article (which is fine in a puff piece about strip clubs but is, alas, endemic in political, scientific and, as has recently been made abundantly clear, economic reporting).

some choice quotes:

'Makers of adult films cautioned that women shouldn’t rush into the decision to make adult movies without considering the effect on their lives.
“Once you decide to be an adult actress, it impacts your relationship with everyone,” said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of adult film giant Vivid Entertainment Group. “Once you make an adult film, it never goes away.”'

this, in its own terms is about as plausible as booze companies' 'drink responsibly' campaigns and oil companies 'save the environment' campaigns. vivid's (hopeless) hope here is obviously to stem the tide of home-movie competitors.

and the article's closing quote, from a recession-time stripper:
'Brown, meanwhile, has a ready answer for those critical of her career choice.
“I have job security,” she said.'

this in an industry where it's only downhill after you hit 25 or so.

Posted by: ssss on March 22, 2009 6:26 PM

Reminds me of my favorite old Onion article:

"I Think That Stripper Really Liked Me"

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33584

Posted by: hello on March 22, 2009 10:03 PM

Now this is Darwinian competition at its best. If this depression goes on much longer, you're going to see some pretty hot babes at these clubs.

Posted by: Bob Grier on March 22, 2009 10:24 PM

I fear that most of the strippers share a most disagreeable characteristic. You can probably guess what that is.

Posted by: Peter on March 22, 2009 10:44 PM

Nice to see community standards keep rising.

Posted by: slumlord on March 22, 2009 11:23 PM

Right. Selling a pure luxury product is "Recession-Proof Employment". I don't think so.

Guys spend money in strip clubs when they have money to burn. When they are out of work, or facing reduced hours, or trying to make the next month's rent, how much are they going to stick in a stripper's G-string?

Posted by: Rich Rostrom on March 22, 2009 11:26 PM

I know, Peter; almost all of them do. :(

Posted by: anon on March 22, 2009 11:36 PM

This does remind me of a story.

A young black girl was playing lead guitar in our band, back in the days when Myrna was still on this earth.

She didn't really have any job skills and the gigs weren't really paying the bills. So, the girl decided she wanted to become a stripper. She asked Myrna and me to accompany her to the strip club, because she felt safer that way.

We walked back into the manager's office and, naturally, he said to the girl: "OK. Let's see what you got."

She stripped down to her bra and panties and came to a halt.

"Let's see the rest," the manager said.

She refused to go any further. Myrna and I both tried to encourage her, but the bra and panties wouldn't come off.

So, of course, she didn't get the job.

I'm not sure how this relates to the recession. Maybe the point is that sometimes even money isn't enough motivation. I was pretty disappointed that she didn't shed the skivvies.

Posted by: Shouting Thomas on March 22, 2009 11:41 PM

In the long-ago I was hired for an evening to act as a bodyguard for a stripper. Drugs appeared very suddenly about a year later, she tried some, and she went downhill fast.

Posted by: dearieme on March 23, 2009 9:30 AM

Just talking about this with friends over the weekend, and I think this relates to Game --ST I'm talking to you!: does an economic downturn make it more or less likely that more women settle-down in stable marriages with mediocre (beta) men.

In my first conversation on this point I argued "more likely to settle-down" as the odds of landing a rich guy fall geometrically. My friend argued the opposite, noting that they make their own money now. I then countered with 'but in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king' i.e. with so many jobs lost and business failing, and we're talking laws of large numbers here, average women may settle down sooner.

The next day, in another conversation, a friend argued we will have more of both: more women settling for average guys in marriage, while at the same time more women resorting to prostitution (and stripping and porn acting, etc, etc. etc.). It's not incompatible, as the middle ground gets undermined people could flee to the poles.

The idea that guys spend on strippers and prostitutes only when they have money to burn or in an upturn is false. Male horniness persists throughout ups and downs in the economy. Ups and downs in the economy hit both men and women, creating desperation for both. A man might not be able to afford/convince a women to marry him, but he could afford to buy a share of a woman's affections, which is what prostitution, stripping, etc. etc. partly are.

Posted by: CZ on March 23, 2009 10:16 AM

The thing is, when they leave this job, they still retain the habit of "playing" men for the things they want by using feminine wiles (touching the man, artfully handing him compliments, playing "the damsel in distress", appealing to his male vanity) over and over again.

How is that different than "Game"? It's just female Game, so what's the big deal?

Posted by: ty on March 23, 2009 5:31 PM

Ty,

A man using "game" in his marriage is (hopefully) trying to make himself more appealing to his wife, so she will stay in love with him, and not divorce him and wreck his financial world.

A man using "game" in a club, or bookstore, or parking lot, is trying to make himself more attractive, much like a woman wearing sexy dresses, taking care to tastefully apply make-up, and wearing a pleasant perfume.

A women who gets in a relationship with a man she doesn't love, but "plays" him by acting like she does and manipulates him into doing umpteen favors for her and transferring some of his wealth to her, all the while she is trying to trade-up on him with men she finds more attractive...............isn't really the same thing is it? Would you "play" someone you loved?

My point about stripper psychology is this: these gals have to act attracted to men that they really dont like at all, they have to play them constantly, and they get very good at it. Have you ever read any expose's on scam artists and boiler rooms? If you have, you'll notice one recurrent theme: the people doing the scamming get to the point that they despise the desperate people that they scam. Women who have to "scam" men constantly at work, playing them for big tips, are more likely to develop notions of men being stupid-penis-led-brutes who can be led around by their ego at any time. Thats not a mental frame for a gal to fall in love with a man.

I guess If I were searching for a game equivalent, it would be of a man who used game to get women to fall in love with them, so they could play them for money like that Swiss guy did in Europe who turned around and blackmailed all those wealthy women. THAT would be "the same thing" in my mind.

But hey, if you disagree thats great too.

Ty, if you have some spare time some night, I hope you take the opportunity to read the "Mystery Method E-book" online. Its an interesting read from a psychological standpoint, even if you are happily married man. Its not a very big book, but it was quite insightful to me.

Posted by: miles on March 23, 2009 8:54 PM

Miles, what I mean is that the methods or feminine wiles you described - ego-stroking, damsel in distress behavior, touching the man, artfully handing him compliments, along with other "classics" like playing hard to get, coyness, etc. - work on men because they appeal to certain aspects of male psychology, the way Game appeals to certain aspects of female psychology.

I see no reason why any woman can't employ these methods to help her be more appealing & intriguing to a man she genuinely likes for the purpose of drawing & maintaining his interest or why it should be assumed that women who do behave this way have nefarious intentions. I, for one, am a fan of women who know how to be seductive.

Posted by: ty on March 24, 2009 10:28 AM

Michael,

NOT TRUE! Lap dances at my favorite ballet are DOWN precipitously!

Posted by: Tim Price on March 24, 2009 3:22 PM

Regarding what miles said, I remember reading in a college sociology class how many women who worked as strippers were often practicing lesbians for the while they were working as strippers, but they returned to their former preference sometime after leaving the field.

Posted by: Bradamante on March 25, 2009 7:24 PM

As also happens with many females in porn; which is also kinda like what happens with men in prison.

Goes to show, it's not always nature; sometimes, it's nurture. And thus not necessarily genetic, always.

Posted by: anon on March 25, 2009 11:52 PM

Rich Rostrom at March 22, 2009 --

Guys spend money in strip clubs when they have money to burn. When they are out of work, or facing reduced hours, or trying to make the next month's rent, how much are they going to stick in a stripper's G-string?

The stock Rick has been going up. Nationwide chain of upscale places.

Guys who are actually out of work might not, but you'd be surprised that some who aren't on the edge might. Guys who are just worried about it do. They're both stressed and want to take their mind off it, and reward themselves for having to deal with the stress.

Posted by: dougjnn on March 27, 2009 12:31 AM

Anon --

As also happens with many females in porn [going lesbian while in the biz, but not after

The reasons for the prison and porn phenomenon are entirely different. The prison one is about no other alternative to have sexual release. The submissive of the pair is often coerced at least as first by feeling week and needing a strong and connected protector, and or directly.

The porn whore has a hard time keeping the sorts of men she's attractive to, which are usually sexually high performing and at least somewhat dominant types. Those can't usually take the fact that his gf or wife is banging other men with bigger packages several times a week, or more often especially for out of towners in a marathon once or twice a month. And yes enjoying her self some of the time and having real orgasms some of the time. Most may be faked but they all aren't. This from a few porn related blogs -- this whole issue of living with one's SO having that degree with someone else and how sexually exciting that sex actually is for the porn starlet has long interested me.

Oh and then many of them go off and screw a male lead they particularly like on the sneak tip off camera, where they won't be interruped for a different camera shot or body position, and directed.

After all a lot of porn starlets are sluts chronologically first, and porn whores second. ("If I'm gonna have sex with a lot of different men I might as well get paid for it. And in porn unlike hooking, they're hung and macho.") So it's constant breakup.

Some bi type lesbo relationships esp. with other female porn stars aren't so directly competitive, or that's the theory. But aren't necessarily so stable either.

Some porn starlets really do hate the non relationship sex and try to not let it effect them. Tall and very pretty types who try for the classy look, typically. It usually shows on screen. Vivid contract girls often, who get featured but don't have to work too many scenes a year. I've read those bf or husband relationships are often more stable. The sex freak gonzo porn star ones, not so much. After all, they're playing hyper slut and try for method acting.

Posted by: dougjnn on March 27, 2009 12:56 AM

Thanks, dougjnn. I've also heard some porn starlets discuss that since sex has become work for them, it's the last thing they want to do on their own time. This may lead to some, who normally only or mostly do straight scenes, to develop same-sex relations, as an alternative. (This is the flip-side of those who only do girl-girl scenes on camera, who probably aren't into that in the least, who have straight relationships in their personal lives.)

Certainly, some porn actresses (e.g. Jenna Jameson) are known for having gone queer, in their personal lives, notwithstanding their straight on-screen roles.

I agree that the reasons are different; my point was about the fact that different situations may induce people who would otherwise be hetero into going homo. Something the most rabid gay-rights activists don't like to call attention to, since they'd rather claim it's all nature, and not nurture; e.g. a girl who used to live in my residence at school, claimed she knew she was bi since she was five. Yeah right; I didn't know I was straight at age five; how could she have known that? Bullshit.

Porn / strippers and prisons, and for that matter, the British public school system, and the "crossing the equator" ceremony and other long-standing "naval traditions" (remember Churchill's comment: "Rum, sodomy, and the lash; that's naval tradition."), for various differing reasons, all show sexuality can be 'nurture', and not always completely 'nature'; it puts the lie to the claims of the most vocal gay-rights activists. (Who don't want to explore certain logical implications; e.g. if it can be 'nurture', why can't those whose 'nature' it is, be 'nurtured' straight? It wasn't so long ago that that the mainstream view in psychology and psychiatry, was that it was an abnormality, that could perhaps be cured. But that is considered a horribly repellent doctrine today, in the minds of much of our society, thanks to the work of gay-rights activists, so that view has fallen out of favour, except amongst some Christians, and fringe psychologists / psychiatrists.)

Posted by: anon on March 27, 2009 11:29 PM