Stripping the Illusion Lap Dancing: Exposing the Reality of ... - Object

Object: Challenging Objectification
“All the way through dancing I had used alcohol, to the point that I could not work
without a drink... I was told by customers that my dance was shit because I was not
touching myself or them. It was unbearable and mentally difficult to deal with... At
the end it was dehumanising, soul destroying and filled with desperation.”
„Liz‟ 49
“I had started seeing a therapist while I was in the club, and was beginning to work
through some of my problems and realising that I could do something better with my
life [...] I now realise that lap dancing is one of the hardest things I ever did. I found
it tough, soul destroying and it had begun to strip me of my humanity. I began to see
everyone in terms of how much I could get out of them. I had begun to really hate
men... I stopped caring about people around me because I was surrounded by this
atmosphere of constant mistrust.”
„Lucy‟ 50
“It made me have a very negative sexual image for a long time. It made sex seem
unconnected with anything that could be loving and safe. It made me devalue myself
in what I could do outside of the industry... I felt I‟d failed myself in terms of
ambitions for my life, my work, my career.”
Ex-Waitress at Lap Dancing Club 51
External Effects of lap dancing clubs on Society:
Contrary to arguments claiming that lap dancing clubs provide a closed space for men
to ‘let frustration out’ 52 , the following sections show how the attitudes outlined above
are not confined to the parameters of lap dancing clubs but expand into wider society.
49 OBJECT interview
50 Ibid
51 From the forthcoming book Stripped: The Reality of Lap Dancing. Jennifer Hayashi Danns with Sandrine Leveque.
18