Spectacles of Agency and Desire: Dance Histories and the Burlesque StageMain MenuKatherine Greerfc295a655478c83ef28fbc5d88f44e832ee8ba0bLilianna Kanec453f3fcecc1717732f04f989f34f22e5a4d4903Maddie Leonard-Rose7795fc6919b777a978ec7bda4587e47146d4272eMargaret Morrison70f833738ab191151c82af514f5ee008e3ec05e1Claire Staveskifd4448269ba1d9180643996c497c3b954e2e9635Rachel Sigrid Freeburg19a18a24de8629654b230af3d38b9d4e018fd92aNena Couch011ed4d85d026b7c015f3ceb81e22a57b29b69c6Harmony Bench0272c6dce71da71c341d0dca5e4d21947d1ad231
Exotic Dancing in 2003: Identity and Compromise
1media/stripper-heels.jpg2015-11-16T14:02:32-08:00Katherine Greerfc295a655478c83ef28fbc5d88f44e832ee8ba0b59772Katie Page 2 pathwayplain2015-11-23T02:48:44-08:00Katherine Greerfc295a655478c83ef28fbc5d88f44e832ee8ba0bA dissertation titled “Where am I going to stop?: Exotic dancing, fluid body boundaries, and effects on identity” provides research based on interviews with female exotic dancers in 2003. Author Jennifer K. Wesely explains that “female exotic dancers earn a living through particularly objectified and sexualized constructions of their bodies. In order to increase cash reward, dancers may allow their body boundaries to be "fluid," deciding on a customer-by-customer basis how they will interact physically. These body compromises can lead to a variety of identity problems for the women.” She explains that “a need for early independence” was the most influential factor in choosing an exotic dancing career and that the alternative for most dancers would have been homelessness. Dancers explain that once they turned 18 coming out of foster homes, their options were either homelessness, prostitution, or dancing. Many of them had intense pressure to earn money to support themselves or family members. Some side effects that emerged out of the industry were dancers turning to alcoholism as well as self-resentment and shifts in the way they viewed their bodies. It was the quick money that compelled them to remain in the business and the financial reward which became both comfort and justification. Wesley explains that when “money and body are linked in a transactional relationship” identity problems occur when separating the work from the body from the self. This dissertation gives a lot of insight into a dancers’ justifications for entering the business as well as identity problems that came about from separating their body from self and the body from making money.