Dare to Ask: Strippers: Living the high life?

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

Why are so many strippers into dope?

Deanna, 27, Irvine, Calif.

Replies

I think the reason they do drugs is to numb themselves from the humiliation of having men act disgusting around them.

Dwanny, 51, female, Fort Worth

I have been in the exotic dancer business for nine years; most of the girls are actually in college, or they are supporting their families. It's not all about drugs. I won't lie to you; it is all about the money.

Mary, Austin, Texas

Two reasons: 1) to numb themselves from bad feelings, and 2) they get mixed up in other fast-cash enterprises.

Anonymous female, New York

It's all part of the business, the hype and the "glam." It's the same reasons movie stars get tied up in drug problems, too.

Ryan D., 20, Dallas

I think you can look at it the other way around. Why do so many dope heads become strippers? Stripping provides quick, easy money for people with no job skills.

Sheila, Dallas

I think some dancers use drugs for the same reasons other people use drugs: escape, not thinking about the future, inability to resist temptation, to be cool. Dancers (we don't really use stripper that much) tend to do OK with money, and it is cash, so maybe they have more access or opportunity. Generally the girls at the better clubs don't as much as the girls at the not-so-nice clubs - not sure what is cause and what is effect, because once you start abusing drugs (including alcohol) regularly, it's usually a slide down to the bottom.

Kiana, 37, dancer, Atlanta

Expert says:

Stripped to its bare essence, this is really about whether someone can drink alcohol and smoke pot and still maintain their pole position.

Viewed from that angle (or multiple angles, if you prefer), exotic dancer expert Bernadette Barton says yes, they can - to an extent.

"Dancers are encouraged to drink on the job; the boss and the customers want them to drink. They don't want them so intoxicated that they can't function, but just enough to loosen them up. The more they drink, the more money they make," said Barton, a Morehead State University sociology professor who researched dancers for 12 years and wrote Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers.

"Weed is also commonly used, but other forms [of drugs] are really frowned upon by management. Weed is less compromising in terms of their ability to function, and there are less penalties, so management winks at weed use."

Because they are usually working in a bar to begin with, there's more access to alcohol and marijuana, Barton noted.

"One dancer I interviewed said it was typical for the 'pot guy' to come into the club, the 'cocaine guy' to come into the club . . . you probably won't get that in your accounting office," Barton said.

Because sex work can take a toll on a person over time - with rude and abusive customers, intrusive touching, insults, poor relationships, jealous partners, a stigma that encourages hiding the work, and even a reduced sex drive and general disdain for men that can develop - it can cause mounting pressures that lead to abusing drugs or alcohol.

Still, Barton cautioned against singling out exotic dancers for being users.

"Yes, some portion of dancers do get high at work, but also a significant portion of Americans in general use substances at work. It's very easy to stereotype and say these [dancers] are bad people, or that they're unusually deviant."

So it's important not to demonize them, she stressed.

"We as a society are all doped up: People are on caffeine, anti-depressants, sleeping pills, drinking six-packs when they get home," she said. "As a culture we use a lot of drugs, because we have a difficult work world right now."

That world has not exactly put strippers in the lap-dance of luxury lately.

"With the economy tanking, it's affecting dancers, and not in a good way," Barton said.

"It's harder to make the same amount of money. There's more sexual labor involved, and they have to push it more. . . . The women who end up remaining exotic dancers might be those most vulnerable, those who are most addicted. I'm speculating, but it could be that the percent of the dancer population on dope may be increasing because of the economy."

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers. Send general column comments to phillip.milano@jacksonville.com. You can also hear his podcasts or watch his TV spots.