Because I Have to Hate: Stripper Chic Culture

This post is not about strippers. I know women that work in the sex industry. They have my complete respect. I have listened to and understand how their circumstances and life experiences have contributed to their choice - albeit a forced choice - to work as strippers or in adult film. I use the term 'forced choice' to indicate that a choice can only TRULY be a choice if opportunities for a different path choice are present. Think of it this way: a bank manager who was laid off from work and now "chooses" to take a job working part-time at Home Depot just to bring in some money. This is not a TRUE choice, but a forced choice. This person would not choose this path if his financial needs did not dictate that he had to do so. The same applies to many people (not all, but many) who work in the sex industry. If women could make the same amount of money and garner the same accolades for their work in traditional jobs as they do at a strip club, I guarantee you that this would not be their true choice for work.

Well, I think I could have guaranteed that prior to the "stripper chic" culture that has taken hold in recent years. So, this is what we are all aspiring to be now, huh? I guess just randomly hooking up with guys with no strings attached has stopped being satisfactory enough. I guess lifting up our shirts for the camera or for random men is boring now. I guess being faux lesbians on the dance floor just isn't intriguing anymore. Nope. Now we need to ascend yet another rung on the ladder of self-exploitation in deafening clammor for male attention. Or rather, ascend the stripper pole.

Here is (loosely) what happens in our culture for many women who start seeing other women getting male attention for a previously unacceptable behavior: we go crazy. We become desperate out of this weird mix of jealousy and fear. This is what drives women to contemplate bringing another woman into bed with her husband to fulfull his fantasy. This is why women are flocking to stripping workout classes. This is why women make out with other girls at clubs. This is why women are buying stripper poles for their bedrooms. I could go on and on about the less obvious ramifications of the stripper chic culture (plastic surgery, obsessing over weight loss, etc.) but for the purpose of this rant, I am limiting it to direct male attention seeking behavior that only serves to benefit male fantasy or garner immediate attention for the woman.

Unfortunately, many of these behaviors are placed under this weird umbrella of "liberation" for women. Really? Liberating? Liberation could only be argued if we removed the aspect of male attention from the equation. Liberation is finding the freedom of sexual expression for your own pleasure and ONLY your pleasure. There will always be, on some level, a sense of being shackled to your own need for male attention if any of these behaviors are done in hopes of gaining acceptance or feeling desired by a member of the opposite sex. If you engage in a behavior that you would not otherwise engage in and brings you no direct pleasure, this is not liberation. It is participation in your own exploitation... you're just trying to convince yourself otherwise.

Oh! And don't forget that we need to make sure that our daughters and sons know just how these new "liberated" women are supposed to act and be seen! By all means, buy a stripper pole and bring it into your house! Make sure that you encourage your daughters to think of boys as something to be competed over - even amongst each other! Be sure to laugh about the fact that your son is a "player." And be sure to encourage them to emulate what they see and hear on TV and in music.

This is a great example to help you inspire your daughters:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3c1fm_keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-gir_shortfilms

Or this!

http://www.lilmynx.com/

And, of course, Miley Cyrus' latest "stripper chic" moment dancing on the ice cream cart complete with stripper pole... her slide down the pole appropriately coinciding with the song's lyrics Get to the club in my taxi cab/Everybody's lookin' at me now. (As one blogger put it, "I'd rather young girls be fans of Death Metal, than listen to the teen queen." I agree.) It seems that in our current culture, everything is all about getting as much attention as you can possibly get - especially sexual attention and especially at the cost of your sense of self.

Why, I can think of nothing more appropriate than to have our children get an early start on learning how to make sure that male attention is to be attained at all costs and that boys can expect to give nothing in return for this kind of attention-seeking behavior. Oh, except for those $1 bills. They'll need a lot of those.