26 Strippers Sharing Secrets And Stories About The Job

18.

“I am now 70-plus years old, but I worked as a stripper in the early 1970s. Back then, most of those jobs were for ‘go-go girls’ or ‘bikini dancers.’ This was the most common and easiest way to get into the occupation. As a very young, divorced mom, I learned that all I had to do to make a pretty good living for myself and my baby was to sew some fringe and sequins on a bra and panties, then dance on a little stage each night. We didn’t have to actually disrobe, and in many places, we weren’t allowed to have any conversations or interactions with the patrons. You’d just go up there and dance your set from the 45 records on the jukebox, then wait in the dressing room — sometimes for an hour or more — until it was your turn again. In some bars, you’d put on a little coverup over your bikini dancer costume and sit with the patrons, who would buy you drinks, to increasing the club’s revenue.”

“I later got some real costumes and an ‘act’ together and went on the road as a stripper. I traveled with my then-husband and young daughter ‘on the circuit’ and was booked for a few weeks at a time at different strip clubs. We stayed in kitchenette motels near the clubs. The work was not too hard, and the money was enough to support us on the road, but it was never enough to take time off. We traveled constantly, mainly in the midwest and south.

After a while, I got pretty worn out and tired of life on the road. We eventually moved to LA, where I worked in a burlesque theater while my husband managed it. This was better because we stayed in one place and could have a regular home/apartment.

I got out of that line of work in my 20s, in time to place my child in elementary school. I later went to college and became a public school teacher, which I retired from in my 60s. I’ve told very few people about the life I had. I’m sure most wouldn’t believe it. I do still have one photo album from those years, though, with the photographer’s publicity shots for my act and some snapshots from the road. I suppose some would like to glamorize that time or see it as very exciting, but, in fact, it was pretty much just a job.”

—Anonymous