Making sexuality academic

posted by Jeff | Wednesday, May 23, 2007, 7:38 PM | comments: 4

I saw a story today about a grad student working as a stripper for the purpose of a thesis. Her advisor seems to imply that exploring the issues around strip clubs and "sex workers" is largely unresearched.

For me personally, I've been to a strip club once, when a couple of the guys took me to one prior to getting married. I wasn't really enthused. Sex without touching just doesn't do it for me. I certainly love beautiful women, but it's such a cheesy cliche. Most guys seem to be OK with that arrangement, and of course there are a few who always think that the stripper actually likes them.

Anyway, the story is interesting to me because it does appear to be a subject that is never approached academically. We're so repressed in this country when it comes to sexuality, and it's still treated like something that is generally considered dirty or impolite to talk about, something particularly odd given the acceptance of violence in our entertainment media.

I'm reminded of the movie Kinsey and his real life namesake, where the main character endeavors into the sexual lives of people in the 40's to find that everything considered "dirty" or "naughty" was exactly what people generally did. So the question remains, decades later, if everyone does it, why is it so taboo?

Not only is it strange because of the comparison to violence, but every other TV spot is for boner pills. I don't know where I'm going with this except to say that our cultural attitudes are very strange and not rational.


Comments

freeze

May 24, 2007, 1:58 AM #

You read my mind. I was thinking the same thing. I thought about you and how fish out of water you were...

and that strip club sucked!!!!

Anyways...

This shouldn't come as a big shock. Stirppers are a rare breed. Yeah, society generally knocks them for their supposed "low IQs," but their EQs are through the roof (dealing with a discrete customer base, sales and marketing skill).

Next time you get married, Diamond's on the West Side of Flats!! If you aren't chicken...

Buack, Buaaaack :)

Neuski

May 24, 2007, 3:59 AM #

I would rather spend my money on a clean prostitute than on a stripper I can't touch.

freeze

May 24, 2007, 1:08 PM #

Sometimes, you guys are just TOO Spock-logical for your own good...

CPLady

May 24, 2007, 2:36 PM #

When I read that article and saw the news clip yesterday, it reminded me of a friend from high school, an honor student and a "nice girl", who worked at a local club. She was well aware of the stigma associated with the work, but said she made over $500 a week in tips alone and in the mid 70's that was a lot of money. She said she'd rather live with the stigma than to slave away making minimum wage while trying to put herself through college.


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