Our class was fairly small, less than 20 students overall, but what a diverse group it was! As this was our first meeting, the instructor asked us to go around the room introducing ourselves before we gave our opinion on the topic. Almost every person in the class responded, most in length, and the answers were not always predictable. I remember one particular comment by a girl who shared my name. When called on, she began with, "Hi, I'm Megan. I'm a feminist," in what I can only describe as a vocal tone out of the movie Clueless. You could feel the collective eye rolling as she continued on to explain she was also a female studies major. Quel surprise. She managed to really befuddle me with her answer to the professor's question though. She launched into a grandiose speech about how the stripper is the one with the power. By her estimation, these women were comfortable with their bodies and in using them to get the most gain. They didn't have to do what they were doing, nor did they force any of their patrons to be in their establishment. These women know what the men want, and they give it to them in exchange for money, and money equals power.
Up until her comment, I was a little up in the air about who had the power in this scenario. Each person who imparted their stance on the rest of us managed to sway me ever so slightly to their side; but her opening line made me immediately contradict her (I know, I'm terrible, but that is the truth). I began to think harder... is money really power in and of itself? Or is it all just a paper that we have generally accepted as having a value?
After the rest of the class made their introduction and blurb, the teacher gave us a little more information. He wanted to know if they have true power. Power just for being who they are before any service is given. He brought our attention to strip clubs that don't use actual money. Like gambling in Las Vegas, the men purchase chips with their money as they enter and give these to the strippers instead of actual money. The strippers then cash in their chips at the end of each night to receive their pay.
I'm proud to say, this tipped me off. I was the first person in the class to give a plausible argument that true power does not lie in the hands of the strippers. The strippers want something. Sure, some of them do it for the sexual thrill or what have you, but I would say the vast majority do it for the money. That is the whole reason they are there, even if they try to say its for something else. If they didn't want the money, they wouldn't be there; so if they really do it for a mental tweak instead of a physical payment, they are exploiting themselves for no reason.
At first, everyone in the class was arguing against me, especially Miss Feminist. They still equated money with power and said the strippers held both. The more I argued, the more people came to my side. Eventually, the professor called an end to the argument, telling the class that I was right. I was elated and also disturbed. How can a feminist dilute herself into thinking that sexual power is true and free power? The stripper is not just receiving the money for being herself. If it was just a woman standing fully clothed in front of a man holding out her hand for money, she wouldn't receive anything. She is receiving this as payment for a service. The man however, is respected even with his clothes on (in this scenario). Let's say he's a middle-aged businessman stopping by a club on his way home from work. Do the strippers scoff at his receding hairline and paunch? No, for the simple reason that he then would not spend his money on them. The man has complete power in the given situation.
Now, why am I blogging about this? This post must seem very random, but it was inspired by a book that popped out at my in the sociology section of Barnes and Noble. It was called Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and The Rise of Raunch Culture." I glanced at the back and then wrote the title down so I could look into it later on, and I just pulled it up on Amazon tonight and took advantage of their "Look Inside" feature. I was able to read the introduction, part of the first chapter, and the whole conclusion tonight and now I want to buy this book. The author, Ariel Levy, is by no means someone who I would agree with on many other points. In fact, if we were in the same room, I would probably try to stay on the other side of it to avoid a huge argument. Her moral and political views are extremely polar to mine - I know this due to her constant reiteration in the book - but her writings personified a mental debate I've had going on for a long time. Why has being sexual become equivalent to being "free" or "empowered" or "equal"? She even makes reference to the same figures and organizations in the popular culture of our generation and the next that caused these questions in me. Reading what I did of her book immediately reminded me of this anecdote from my college days and I had to write it down before the mood left me.
If you are at all interested in this topic, I highly suggest going to amazon and looking at this book for yourself. She writes very well, it is easy to read yet educated. She engages the reader because it's more like she is talking to you that having you read something. It is open and honest and calls out the current world on its crap. Therefor, I love it. So go to Amazon and give it a bit of a read and please give me your opinions. It's been a long time since I had an open and educated debate on such a throbbing topic :) I've been PC too long, now I want to hear the truth on this one.
If you ever had to spend ten minutes with a stripper outside of her work, you would understand she hasn't got a life much less power.
ReplyDeleteWhew, that's a lot of typing. A woman I used to work with was a stripper in her moonlighting job and did not mind talking about it. One of my brothers wives was a stripper. (No, he did not approve. She kept it from him.) As near as I can tell they both did it for the money. The first had to get herself drunk to perform which tells me she knew in her heart it was wrong. They both appeal to the lowest elements of the male gender and allow themselves to be used for money. Not much different than a prostitute. But then again, lots of feminists call marriage prostitution.
ReplyDeleteCareful what you allow to take up space in your brain. When Lucifer tries to make his sophisticated arguments, take a cue from Peter: "We will dismiss you without further argument."