Stripping is just another way to pay the bills

by Sarah Jenkins
illustration by Annegret Richter

It's Friday evening, and the show is just getting started at Chaser's Country nightclub in Rootstown. Multi-colored stage lights penetrate the thick cloud of smoke hanging in the air. Scantily dressed cocktail servers weave their way through crowds of boisterous men. The bouncers, dressed in T-shirts and jeans, keep a watchful eye on the stage.

As the first strains of bass-heavy music pound from the speakers, the room erupts into cheers.

 

"When people ask me about what I do, I'll tell them - And if you want to judge me for what I do with my life, that's entirely up to you."

Forming a semi-circle around the stage, the women model seductive, form-fitting outfits while each dancer is introduced. Audience members then pick their preferred entertainers for the evening.

Jane, a 22-year-old fine arts student at Kent State who doesn't want to use her real name for privacy issues, says being a successful dancer depends on attitude.

"You can be beautiful, or you can be marginal," she says "It really doesn't matter, but you need to have a good personality to make money."

Jane has been working at Chaser's for eight months. After her four-year scholarship expired, she needed to find another way to pay for her last year of college.

"Dancing is always something I have been curious about," she says. "A friend of mine had a good experience at a nightclub, so I took her advice and decided to try it. So far, I like it a lot."

On a weekend night, Jane can make as much as $220. The weekdays are usually slower, so her earnings drop to about $100 a night, which is still more than enough to pay her bills.

"My parents offer me no financial support," Jane says. "I pay my tuition, rent, books, insurance and my car."

Mary Anne Anderson, who owns Chaser's, says she tries to give college students no more than three shifts per week. Since six of the 18 women who work at Chaser's attend college, Anderson says she understands when her dancers need extended periods of time off.

"I had one girl request off the entire week because of tests," she says. "I'd rather work with their schedules so they don't get stressed out and quit.

Despite the financial security and flexibility, dancers also have to deal with the negative reactions of others.

With the exception of her closest friends, Jane says she was initially reluctant to reveal her occupation to anyone.

"When people ask me about what I do, I'll tell them," she says. "And if you want to judge me for what I do with my life, that's entirely up to you."

Jane says even though she isn't ashamed by what she does, she prefers to keep her job a secret from her family.

"I think they have figured out what I do, but they've never says anything to me," she says. "They aren't stupid."

Anderson says the safety of the dancers is always her first priority.

"We have a touch-and-go policy here," she says. "You touch the girls, out you go. Period.

"Just because they dance here doesn't automatically make them whores. They are here to work, and they will be treated with respect."