Jillian Pratzner, Jackie Ramos, Quyhn Doan, Ashley Waldron

Gender and Communication

Ruth Hickerson
December 5, 2011
Strippers and Societal Condemnation
Strippers are sex objects in todays society. Because they are
viewed as such and are predominantly female persons it is common to
hear negative labels like slut, whore, or hooker coupled with the
word stripper. There is also a strong stereotype and stigma attached to
exotic dancers. Our group decided to look into the issue and figure out
if those stereotypes held true, why they are so popular and what the
negative implications are. I felt drawn to the issue as my elder sister
stripped in college and because I am a pole dancer. I dance and teach
pole dance for fitness at an all womens studio and often here
comments comparing what I do to stripping or teaching women how to
be strippers. The comments can cause strong reactions in me and I
started to wonder and question why. I discovered through this project
that it stings because being called a stripper is synonymous to being
called a slut or other words meant to shame female sexuality.
Our target audience is college students and especially those
actively learning about gender differences and communication. An
audience that is willing to re-think societal norms and the way they
view things is crucial. Ive heard strippers brought up in class a couple

of times and each time they were referred to as promiscuous women or

as a threat to the equality of the sexes. If opinions like these are voiced
all over campus then there is a good chance some students are being
offended and disrespected in class. Students make up a large
percentage of exotic dancers. Hopefully this presentation will aid in
more awareness throughout campuses and decrease the sexism and
stereotyping.
Strippers are generally considered to be trashy and low class in
societys eyes despite their financial status. They are also considered
sex objects and fantasy women. That means that they are not
considered real women with complex motives, desires and feelings.
Another common misconception is that they are prostitutes and give
sexual favors for money in and outside of the club. There are some
strippers and burlesque dancers like Carmen Electra and Ditta Von
Tease that are famous, however they are seen as adult stars only.
There are many other ex-stripper celebrities well known for their other
talents however, like Brad Pitt and Lady Gaga. There is a very strong
double standard regarding male and female strippers. During my
interview with a male stripper he believed that male and female
strippers display the same amount of sexuality while on the job,
however men are regarded with more humor and positive light than
women. There is also a notion that dancers must be sexually devious,
addicted or have something wrong with them in order to do their job.

Stripping clothing items off while dancing been noted since

ancient times, and in ancient times the art was highly regarded. Exotic
dancing was common in the classical world and in some, but not all,
instances dancers were lower class courtesans or servants. During the
middle ages the dances were suppressed due to the churchs stand
that womens bodies were evil and their sexuality repugnant. Village
women would raise their skirts to ward off demons as part of a
superstition that womens under parts would repel spirits. However
naked dancing persisted from the Renaissance onward until the 1960s
when it began to resemble the modern day strip club. Generally lower
class, working women made up exotic dancers and they were
considered to be in same social class as prostitutes. This attitude
persists until current times, although strippers currently hail from all
class ranks.
Moral and religious attitudes persist regarding stripping as wrong
or shameful. Other groups of people prefer to regard strippers as sex
objects. These views are what make the stereotype of the stripper.
Often when stereotypes are challenged many people feel threatened.
Maybe to regard strippers as people who are worthy of respect and as
voluntarily doing the job is too much for them. However another
problem is that dancers are easier blamed then the men who go to
clubs.

There are many negative implications that will continue to affect

society if strippers are being constantly degraded. Imagine being a
student and hearing negative comments about dancers in your own
classroom when you are a dancer. One would feel hurt and friendship
with those classmates would likely never occur. In some countries to
ask about someones job is considered rude. A job is just a job and
when people make it about the person doing the job they are making it
personal. There could be a majority of reasons why someone is a
dancer and to assume that it is because that person is promiscuous is
stereotypical and sexist. It is completely unfair to choose who is to be
protected from sexism and who should not be. This exclusion of
strippers as worthy of respect is alienating and destructive to an entire
group of people. In many cases it is the judgment dancers receive
rather then their own feelings that leave them feeling rejected.
Dont assume because someone is a stripper that you know
reason why. Use an open mind and take them for who they are. Be
aware when you or your friends are promoting gender bias by saying
one thing about male strippers and another about female strippers.
Also realize that a persons job does not make them who they are. It is
simply another part of the complexity that makes them unique
individuals. If one is to stand for respecting women then that applies to
all women.