In Strip Club, Kim Price‒Glynn takes us behind the scenes at a rundown club where women strip out of economic need, a place where strippers’ stories are not glamorous or liberating, but emotionally demanding and physically exhausting. Strip Club reveals the intimate working lives of not just the women up on stage, but also the patrons and other workers who make the place run: the owner‒manager, bartenders, dejays, doormen, bouncers, housemoms, and cocktail waitresses.
Price‒Glynn spent fourteen months at The Lion’s Den working as a cocktail waitress, and her uncommonly deep access reveals a conflict‒ridden workplace, similar to any other workplace, one where gender inequalities are reproduced through the everyday interactions of customers and workers. Taking a novel approach to this controversial and often misunderstood industry, Price‒Glynn draws a fascinating portrait of life and work inside the strip club.
Kim Price-Glynn is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Urban and Community Studies at the University of Connecticut.
Table of Contents
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: A Typical Shift 1 Studying Strip Club Work: Context and Perspective 2 “Keeping the Dancers in Check”: The Gendered Organization of Stripping in The Lion’s Den 3 “It’s a Nice Place to Hide, and It’s Safe”: The Making of Masculinities in The Lion’s Den 4 Tradeoffs and Troubles: Managing Stripping Labor 5 Dollar Dances and Stage Dances: Strippers and Economic Exploitation Postscript: The Lion’s Den, 2005–2006 Appendix 1: Researching The Lion’s Den Appendix 2: Participant Descriptions of Life and Work Notes References Index About the Author
