The sex industry seems like a last resort or an only resort to me. I have to say that if I learned that a family member resorted to dancing nude in a strip club to put food on the table then with no hesitation I would feel ashamed and disgraced with this knowledge — heartbroken if it was my child. In fact If I learned that a friend of mine resorted to stripping for a living I would probably feel the same for a while. And If the convenience of labeling my reaction to this is slut-shaming, then the negative reinforcement that comes with that reaction to essentially something that begets despondency should also be considered in that argument.

We don’t need to talk about the good aspects of being a stripper because it pales in comparison to the bad aspects of being a stripper and for the most part those good aspects would be emphemeral or short lived.

But based on reading your piece I agree with the points you made here summarily in that it seems like a dead end job, one that for the most part offers a a miserable existence.

There are a few that seem to enjoy some level of notoriety and success with it and they in turn induce a feeling of envy from others when they define it as liberating. But liberating can broadly be applied to anything that is nonconforming or not status quo. The grind of which must be exhausting and and inconsistent. Besides to make it big in entertainment requires a great deal of luck, happenstance and sacrifice — just like being a rapper or a singer who is at the top of their game

Lastly, you would be hard pressed to say that strip club entertainment enhances your life, even as a patron. This is a form of escapism and you are met with a fantasy that is somewhat of a momentary illusion. You can choose to ignore the strippers unhappy faces and self-indulge in knowing that they have resorted to something you might never consider doing and therefore inadvertently celebrate that fact with them. All the while knowing that you are paying for this fantasy or escape.