FEMINIST. STRIPPER.

This is Bronnie. She is 100% half Asian but I cannot see where and it’s not just because I drank all weekend. Her dad is a Vietnam veteran who went to live in Cambodia in 1997 and Bron and her sis grew up with their ferociously independent feminist Chinese mama inbetween Sydders and The Can riding bikes and being rad bandits.

The good Catholic school girl got a degree, moved to Melb and started working as a lady who dances around poles and takes money from ogling strangers, because waitressing was paying jack all and dis kwain has expensive tastes. Nah not really, she just has a dog with big vet bills. She began writing about her #striplife and since, has been offered a book deal by a NY publisher.. read her blog Stripper Monologues here.

So, do you have daddy issues?
I reckon you would be hard pressed to find a woman, gay man, or gender fluid person who does not have daddy issues. It is more likely for violence to be brought into the home by a man, and for the father (rather than mother) to run for the hills when shizz gets real. It’s a pretty damning reality that isn’t limited to Australia.

Ok, fine. Are you a drug addict?
I definitely have had addiction issues that I have had to address. However, I don’t think that my struggle with drug use sets me aside from the many people who self medicate, regularly binge drink, smoke on the daily, or attend fancy corporate events flying high as kites. The only real difference is probably that I am open about it, and the drugs I can get are better. Soz bro!

Do you love to go out and party?
No, that feels like work to me. The last time I went to a normal night club I was shocked to be treated as poorly as I have been at work. I literally walked through the crowd with my bag covering my arse because I got groped. Also, small talk sucks if I’m not getting paid for it.

How can you be a stripper and call yourself a feminist?
To suggest that a woman cannot use her body as her agency toward bettering her financial position and overall independence is anti feminist. If I had a peen I might charge people money to watch me make shadow puppets out of it. Fortunately for me, I have a vagina and really nice boobs so I can charge a whole lot more to get naked and dance to music I like.

What are your favourite songs to strip to?

It’s A Mans Mans World – James Brown, Glory Box – Portishead, Hip Hop – Dead Prez, Gemini – Whats So Not

What is the worst day to strip?
Tradie breakup is my least fave. The aggressive behaviour is probably the most intense of the year…not to mention the stench. Trying not to scrunch your face up as you walk into a thick, hot cloud of beer f*rt is as impossible as keeping your face straight when you sneeze.

How do you get paid?
Clubs will usually either take a commission (usually between 30-50%) or a door fee which varies from night to night. The super mean clubs charge both. Us dancers only earn money when we are booked for shows or tipped on the stage. That’s why it’s important to respect us as performers, counsellors, relationship advisors, or even the hot funny friend that you don’t have, and pay us for our time.

What are the clients like?
Any adjective you have ever used to describe someone is applicable here. But some times you get someone fun who understands that my time, attention and sass should be enjoyed for payment. Drinks don’t count. Invitations to hotel rooms to “hang out” don’t count.

Who is this guy? 

       JACOB – A SUMMARY

• Behaviour: that of a good-looking 35 year old male who hasn’t yet figured out that being cool for being an obnoxious jock in high school doesn’t make you cool for life.
• Physique: Attractive. Abs. He would want everyone to know that he has abs. Onya mate.
• Endurance: All in all a poor performance, finally done in after two consecutive shots of tequila. His silence was a relief to all.

What do you think is the motivator behind people coming to watch?
Sexy time is the most obvious reason. Really it’s everything under the sun. Here are some of the nicer stories:
– A man is about to get married but is secretly a homosexual and a cross dresser. He will have to throw out all of his female attire soon. Whenever he is in Melbourne he books a particular stripper in a private room, he dresses in women’s clothing, and she teaches him how to walk in heels.
– An old man lost his wife of 40 years and does not know how to meet/talk to women. He is lonely and just wants to see a woman’s body, and hear a woman’s voice.
– A dancer is booked to go to a hospital and give a dying teenager a lap dance. I believe that dancer’s name is Suzie Q.
– A guy is engaged to be married in 2 months and he wants advice on how to get out of the relationship.

Tell us about the girls and what they are like?
The girls are the best part about working in a strip club. The cultures between clubs differ. Some are nasty and unfriendly but when you get a good one, it’s a real sisterhood and an eclectic collection of strong, beautiful, clever, compassionate women. The last couple of years have been really tough and some of the friends I’ve made at work have been there when I didn’t see a way back to happiness.  My darling friend pictured below is one of them, you can read about her here –  LOLITA. Of course there are money hungry back stabbing bitches. But a bitch is a bitch, no matter where you are.

Top memories
– One time at band camp a girl was on center stage and completely #2’ed herself. Not so much a Peking Duck as a flock of ducks. I have entered ‘best story’ comps and won prizes for that one.
– There was a dancer who stole a customer’s phone and when management were looking for her she locked herself in the toilet and denied all knowledge. When they called the phone and she had shoved it in a sanitary bin.
– My friend Lara standing in the middle of the locker room dressed in cowboy boots, a pink cowgirl hat, pink gingham and a short denim skirt. Playing the ukelele she sweetly sang “Baby, It’s You” by the Shirelles. It was one of those moments…so beautiful for its unexpected vulnerability. She plays gigs around town these days. It’s hard not to cry during her set.
– I have video footage from the locker room of two friends explaining and demonstrating to another dancer how to have sex on top. Apparently her boyfriend said it hurt him, so she thought she was no good at it. She was recently on The Bachelor.
– I got punched in the vagina by a dwarf once. You can read about that here. (NSFW)

What do women say when you tell them what you do?
It varies. A lot of women admire it. Think it’s glamorous. Others think I’m wasting my potential but that’s ok. I’m happy with them sitting at their desks posting pics of themselves on last years holiday captioned with #livefree #liveauthentic #wishiwerethere #takemeback while I make my own decisions and ask myself if it’s ok that I have tomorrow off.

What do men say?
These days I make an assessment about who the person is, and whether I can be bothered dealing with any issues they may have about it. After 12 years the debate is a snore for me and it disgusts me when they all of a sudden get sleazy.

Has stripping changed you as a person?
Without a doubt. I am far more accepting and tolerant of others, open minded. I’m funnier, less judgemental and the idea of difference now excites, rather than scares me. I’m a better person than I was after 13 years in the Catholic education system, that’s for sure.

What are you up to and are you done with the pole?
I just got back from 3 months in the USA visiting my sister and her family. Now I am in the beginning stages of writing a book. I’ll never say never when it comes to finishing with dancing. I’d rather go back than hold my hand out to others.

What is next?
I would like to be a contributor and write articles about sex, sexuality and feminism. Women in the sex industry have an important and unique perspective. We see the raw and the real of men. They aren’t afraid to show us who they really are because the unfortunate reality is that there are few consequences for men who behave badly, especially in a strip club environment. I might yell at a guy for groping my arse and he will argue with me that he is a ‘nice guy’ and that I’m ‘over reacting’ because what do I expect working in a strip club, being so beautiful and walking around with my butt cheeks hanging out of my skirt?

The answer is that I expect people to maintain their integrity, even when no one they care about it watching, even if they aren’t going to be held accountable. Don’t digitally rape my friend on Friday night and then go to Nana’s for Sunday lunch with the family and be idiot enough to believe that you’re a good person.

The scary part is that women come up against this EVERYWHERE. Not just in strip clubs. It isn’t about women changing what they wear, their occupation, making themselves look less attractive in order to avoid being violated and abused. These defence statements are pervasive, from your everyday cat caller to your every other day rapist. It is not ok. There is no defence for this behaviour, nor the underlying attitudes.