Thicke.org

First off, read this story over at Yahoo News.

He’s probably right when he says the following:

The truth of the matter is you can earn a tremendous amount of money as an exotic dancer, if that’s your desire.

But, not only was this an inappropriate thing to bring up in front of a bunch of 8th graders, it was also not in keeping with the discussion which was titled “The Secret of a Happy Life” and I’ll tell you why. The women who take this job rarely have a happy life. If they do, it’s only because they have managed to completely disassociate their past with the present and the future. This particular niche in the adult industry, just like all the others destroys women. I’ve seen it with a few of my own loved ones. some of them could not leave the things they’ve done in the past. I know person whom I’m close to who has multiple health problems related to the excesses of her time as an exotic dancer. But don’t take my word for it. Read this account from a friend of mine who used work as a doorman at one of the clubs here in Memphis. I have to warn you, the depiction of what goes on in these places is very graphic. Some of the language used is also not for everyone.

To preserve anonymity, I have edited anything that might identify my friend.

1. Itís more than just bust size. Itís also got a lot to do with the skill of the dancer and her reputation for mischief during lap dances (and I am not talking about prostitution here). A dancer with a ëYou touch, I touchí attitude will always do better than one that only grinds in your lap and threatens to leave or call management when your hands start to roam.
 
2. I would say that $250,000.00 would most likely be a low-end estimate of the money potential for a career stripper however they typically spend it as quickly as they make it on luxuries that leave them with nothing to show for (a bag of blow for not just herself but anyone attending a party of hers after closing, for example). Also, that money amount IS directly proportional to their age. A stripper that is 15 but can pass for 18 in a club will make more money than the 18 year old stripper. A stripper that is 18 will make more money than a 24 year old stripper, etcÖ A 30 year old stripper, no matter how pretty, is a has been and you see those stories all over HBO documentaries about how they lament their lost money that they thought would never stop coming in and how they didnít plan for that eventuality and that now they are at the bottom of the ladder working for beans. By the way, they still are addicted to whatever vice the clubs got them hooked on in the beginning, so to support their habits, theyíve often started hooking for some extra $$.
 
3. If youíve ever bought a lap dance or a table dance and had a conversation with the stripper, they all have a story. It usually goes something like this: I am not going to be doing this forever; Iím just trying to save money for school. Bullsh!t, plain and simple. I have only known one stripper that left the scene to become educated and have a better/cleaner life. Those are just not odds I want to bet against.
 
4. I hinted on it in the second statement above, but the girls make too much money ($250,000.00 is really a conservative figure for a good dancer) so the clubs, knowing that a 15-30 year old stripper with a lot of money on their hands is not likely to show up for work tomorrow so they have strategies to prepare for this eventuality. By far, the most common, is to get the woman addicted to a drug, usually cocaine. This isnít hard to do, and itís impossible to implicate the clubs themselves because they donít sell to the girls directly, but instead control the door and remove competition from the drug dealer that they do allow (unknowingly, of courseÖheheh) in the club. The drug dealer, appreciating the monopoly, understands that it is his duty to keep ready supplies for the girls. The club doesnít even have to push the drugs on the girls either, the other girls (peer pressure) will eventually get them to crack. So, a girl that just made 2500 on a good night will often spend 1000-1500 on drugs that night for after hours partying. The great thing is that the club managers get a kick back from the dealer (a token of his appreciation) so much of the money that the girls made comes right back to the club anyways.
 
5. For all of this abuse, the girls actually think youíve done them a favor. So, as club management, you never have to buy your own drugs; the girls are more than happy to share theirs and to add insult to injury (to the girls though they still donít see it) the girls are more than happy to have abusive and perverted relationships with their peers (management) because they are the only normal folks (co-workers) that they know while any other fellow that walks in the door is seen as a ëJohní. I canít even begin to tell you some of the things weíd make the girls do if they wanted to leave their shifts early for one reason or another.
 
6. I can ramble on forever about all of the favors that a club will do for these female breadwinners but Iíll stop with this one for now. The clubs provide certain services to the ladies that become pregnant; If an unfortunate gal gets pregnant, say by myself, or even a john she pulls a trick for, the club is all too happy to provide the girl with all expenses to get the abortion. A 17 year old girl can only see her fears of becoming a mom and will jump at the chance for you to remove this burden. The clubs are all to happy to play on these fears because 1) they donít want to loose a money maker, 2) if the girl were to have the baby and stayed with the club, she would not be attractive for some time and 3) she might actually find out that kids are a joy and never come back and that would hurt business.
 
I would beat the life out of the financial adviser that was responsible for *my daughter’s* career choice as a stripper. I would cripple him if I found out that he just recommended it to my 8th grader. Believe it or not, thatís actually when they start getting recruited.

Another news article on this subject was emailed around in a discussion my friend and I were both in on. He’s not the regretful type, but he has many regrets about being involved in this business. I don’t blame him. He was also dead serious about them starting as early as 15. Not only has he seen it, he says it’s more common that you would think.

After knowing all that, try to tell me this would be a good career choice for a young lady just hitting puberty to be considering.