This work develops a new approach to female strip dancing as cultural practice by using methods of cultural history, ethnographic field work and theoretical critique in order to reconstruct the historical setting in which strip dancing emerged, the varied sites where it continues to evolve, and the diverse interpretations of strip by its different practitioners. / Toward this end, the dissertation is divided into five major sections which link such forms of body movement and display to wider socio-historical movements of theory and practice; sexuality; commerce; pleasure and power; and culture. / It is then concluded that such small-scale or "stripped-down" studies following this model may advance critical understanding of human bodies and subjects in cultural theory and practice, by situating non-mechanistic notions of communication, culture and dance within detailed investigations that emphasize the complexity and specificity of the practice of everyday life.

M.Phil. / While the highly successful business of the strip-club industry and exotic dancing that is yielding millions from customers, has received increased attention in the media and amongst social scientists abroad, local scholars have, as far as could be ascertained, paid little attention to it. It is also clear from the work that has been undertaken abroad that little, if any, was done from a human-resources or industrial-psychology perspective. People, and their inner experiences, are extremely important to me. This, together with the preceding, has led me to undertake a life-history study of the life of one local stripper, Casey. Believing that every person has the right and obligation to choose how to live his or her life to the best of his or her ability, the aim of this study was not to criticise her career, which many would certainly regard as “deviant”, but to explore and describe her experiences and perspectives of it, and to obtain an understanding of how she experienced her stripping, and thereby make a contribution to our knowledge of it. A modernistic qualitative methodology, based on symbolic interactionism as theoretical framework, was employed. More particularly, a case-study and lifestory method was used. Rich data was obtained which was systematically analysed by utilising various qualitative methods, relevant theoretical constructs and empirical findings. This in turn, led to the construction of a preliminary tool, namely a typology, attempting to illuminate erotic dancing by looking at factors influencing dancers’ behaviour and experiences. I would like to believe that in a modest way this theoretical concept will provide a building block towards constructing a human-resources study of exotic-dancing careers locally.

No description available.

Surfaces is a novel which explores the lifestyle of exotic dancers who live and work throughout Southern Alberta, Canada. Several exotic dancers were interviewed and many academic and creative publications were consulted prior to the writing process. Elements of power, jealousy, obsession, drug addiction and depression turned up frequently in the research, and all are prevalent throughout the story. A young woman faces several problems when she returns to the world of exotic dancing: her boyfriend's jealousy pulls him into a downward spiral, an obsessive patron with deep pockets stalks her relentlessly and the forgotten mistakes of her past come back to haunt her. Those outside of the dancing industry try to persuade her to exit the field, yet she is diligent about dancing for a living. She does have long-term occupational goals that do not involve dancing, but she chooses to pursue them on her own terms. / v, 298 leaves ; 29 cm.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-220).

This research explores the lives and experiences of female exotic dancers with the aim of gaining an empathic understanding of their involvement in the stripping industry. The stereotypes and generalizations of exotic dancers and the stripping industry undermine the exotic dancer's ability to be seen as an individual with her own story and her own experiences. The participants of this research were selected through convenience sampling and consist of three female exotic dancers. The researcher interviewed the participants using a semi-structured interview format and focused on the dancer's experience within the exotic dancing industry, her family history, her relationships, and personal life. The data was analysed using thematic network analysis. The thematic networks are often contradictory and inconsistent with the common stereotypes and ideas held about exotic dancers. The results indicate that some exotic dancers experience meaning, healing, gratification, and power within their work and live responsible, productive lives. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This research explores the lives and experiences of female exotic dancers with the aim of gaining an empathic understanding of their involvement in the stripping industry. The stereotypes and generalizations of exotic dancers and the stripping industry undermine the exotic dancer's ability to be seen as an individual with her own story and her own experiences. The participants of this research were selected through convenience sampling and consist of three female exotic dancers. The researcher interviewed the participants using a semi-structured interview format and focused on the dancer's experience within the exotic dancing industry, her family history, her relationships, and personal life. The data was analysed using thematic network analysis. The thematic networks are often contradictory and inconsistent with the common stereotypes and ideas held about exotic dancers. The results indicate that some exotic dancers experience meaning, healing, gratification, and power within their work and live responsible, productive lives. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study uses survey data collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students (N=89). A vignette survey design is employed to measure social rejection of striptease performers compared to a control group. Data is also collected on negative stereotypes held about striptease performers, which are correlated with social rejection. Link and Phelan's conceptualization of the stigma process provides the theoretical framework for this analysis. Findings suggest that striptease performers experience higher levels of social rejection and are perceived more negatively than the control group and that endorsement of negative stereotypes is associated with social rejection.

A lack of land use controls on sexually oriented businesses contributes to the unique configuration of Portland, Oregon's strip clubs: nearly fifty clubs are distributed throughout the city's neighborhoods. Considered a locally unwanted land use (LULU) by many, these strip clubs are regulated by a variety of formal and informal social processes in the absence of zoning. This qualitative study explores drivers and constraints shaping the spatial configuration of Portland's strip club industry as well as influences on land use conflict at strip club sites and working conditions for women who work as exotic dancers in the clubs. Data collection entailed review of documents (newspaper articles, legal and administrative decisions and records, and ballot measure pro/con statements); site observations; and in-person interviews with exotic dancers, strip club owners and managers, public employees who deal with strip clubs in their line of work, and people who live and work near strip clubs (n=43). Analysis follows Clarke's (2005) situational analysis methods. The study finds that strip clubs are not necessarily incompatible with residential locations and that such locations can confer benefits to dancers. The normalization of strip clubs in Portland decreases the place stigma associated with strip clubs but has a lesser impact on the person stigma of being an exotic dancer. With regard to land use conflict, the study finds that tolerance of sexual commerce is associated with urbanicity and that neighborhood socioeconomic status has a more complex relationship to community response than is suggested by the literature on land use conflict. Based on these findings, the dissertation argues that conflict resolution programs may be more effective than zoning at managing potential negative effects of sexually oriented businesses, and that improving working conditions for exotic dancers is a complex challenge. It proposes broader adoption of the sex work discourse, including the integration of labor issues in sex industry to advocacy efforts on behalf of other freelance and service sector workers.