Overview

What kind of woman dances naked for money? Bernadette Barton takes us inside countless strip bars and clubs, from upscale to back road as well as those that specialize in lapdancing, table dancing, topless only, or peep shows, to reveal the startling lives of exotic dancers.Based on over five years of research and from visiting clubs around the country, particularly in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Kentucky, Stripped offers a rare portrait of not just how dancers get into the business but what it's like for those who choose to strip year after year. Through captivating interviews and first-hand observation, Barton recounts why these women began stripping, the initial excitement and financial rewards from the work, the dangers of the life--namely, drugs and prostitution--and, inevitably, the difficulties in staying in the business over time, especially for their sexuality and self-esteem.Stripped provides fresh insight into the complex work and personal experiences of exotic dancers, one that goes beyond the ""sex wars"" debate to offer an important new understanding of sex work.

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9780814799321

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Reviews

aCompelling. . . . This accessibly written, matter-of-fact book makes important contributions to what is known about the lives and experiences of the growing number of women who adancea naked for money. . . . Throughout, the author listens attentively to the shifting, insightful, diverse voices of women with whom she has a palpably respectful connection. Barton uses the complex picture that emerges to engage longstanding debates over the meanings of commodified femininity and sexuality.a - Choice

The thrust of stripper scholarship is that both dancers and customers are more like your next-door neighbors. Some are your next-door neighbors. -Philadelphia Inquirer Written clearly with very little jargon, this volume sensitively explores the lives of exotic dancers. -Noralee Frankel,Archives of Sexual Behavior Stripped is a revealing book about a revealing (and controversial) trade that focuses on a philosophical clash between old--and new-school feminism. -Courier-Journal Compelling... This accessibly written, matter-of-fact book makes important contributions to what is known about the lives and experiences of the growing number of women who 'dance' naked for money... Throughout, the author listens attentively to the shifting, insightful, diverse voices of women with whom she has a palpably respectful connection. Barton uses the complex picture that emerges to engage longstanding debates over the meanings of commodified femininity and sexuality. -Choice Makes an impressive contribution to the sociology of work and its intersection with sex and gender studies at the theoretical and applied levels. It is an excellent examples of the rich data and critical methodological insights that can emerge in the course of engaged field research. -American Journal of Sociology Fascinating, insightful, and surprisingly balanced. This book will take you way beyond Hollywood's cliches and into the realities of stripping, and you'll emerge with a deeper understanding of the pleasures and the costs of being the object of male fantasies. -Susan Bordo,author of Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture and the Body

<p> The thrust of stripper scholarship is that both dancers and customers are more like your next-door neighbors. Some are your next-door neighbors. <br>

Author Information

Bernadette Barton is Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Morehead State University. She is the author of The Pornification of America: How Raunch Culture is Ruining Our Society, Stripped: More Stories from Exotic Dancers, and Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays.

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