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“Everything I do isn’t just for money, this issome^ing I ve
tarted and really haven’t felt a need to stop," said Carmel
'johnson, an exotic dancer at the Peart Necklace in Fay
etteville, NC. Johnson attends Fayetteville Technical Community
College and is pursuing an associate degree in Criminal Justice. Johnson and
he other interviewed strippers’ names have been changed to protect their privacy
ohnson is a 24-year-old female Who has been stripping on and off for five years.
claim they ^strip because it is a lucrative job.
Johnson explained that stripping and dancing was her escape from being a
shy girl and she believes being a stripper has made her who she is today ‘Tm
24-years-young! I’m beautiful, and this job is one that I know can pay my bills.
It’s even helping me get through school, books aren’t cheap,” said Johnson.
Many women turn to exotic dancing at hard times to stay financially sta-
ible. College can be a financial roller coaster for anyone attending it. Stu
dents have to worry about going to class and getting work done for each
class they are taking up. Some jobs aren’t easy to work^with a full time stu
dent schedule. Exotic dancing has become the answer for some college students, male and female.
Lemondrop.com states that one in, four strippers has or is working towards some type of degree
Melissa Lyons of Fayetteville State University wrote her rilaster’s thesis on “Exotic dancers in Fay
etteville” for her graduate program in psychology. Lyons explained that dancers deal with emo
tional work with their clients and themselves and exotic dancing can be a demanding and emo
tional job. She said that while doing her research over the two years many of the dancers said tha
the media influences vcertain stereotypes about strippers. Lyons also said that out of the 10_danc
ers involved with her research none of them said that they would dance, without the money.
The cost of living has gone up significantly in the last decade and this is a hard time for any
one trying to find a job. Many places are downsizing and not doing mueh hiring. The holidays
are approaching and usually seasonal workers are needed for places but
this year the need for seasonal workers is not as^hig because some busi
ness just can’t afford it. Unemployed students who thought that maybe they
could earn a little extra cash during the holidays might be in for a surprise.
“I have eight children who always are going to need me to^* provide income in
the house until they are old enough to work,” said Marsha Carson, a strip
per at Platinum Cabaret in Fayetteville, NC. Carson said she even goes to
South Carolina a couple times a month to strip if money is too slow in Fayetteville.
Carson is a first year student at Fayetteville Technical Community College and has lived in Fay
etteville her entire life. “I have several things on my record from when I was younger and it’s hard
for me to find work. I don’t agree with getting paid minimum wage and there is no way I would
^ be able to support my kids off of $7.25 an hour,” said Carson. Carson has been stripping for over
8 10 years now and explained that if she wasn’t a stripper she would not be taking classes and
working towards a degree. “1 can’t get a loan, my credit is horrible but my job allows me to pay
my tuition out of pocket and still be able to take care of my kids. Am 1 happy? Yes,” said Carson.
■'2.
Both Johnson and Carson claimed they could make between $100-$300 on a week
day and up to $500 or more on the very busy weekends. Any college student would love
to have that amount of money coming in daily but the option of stripping is not just for anyone.
Past criminal behavior, other psychological factors also contribute to these highly debated types of careers]
Jessica Jones, a sociology major at Fayetteville State, explained that some women don’t strip for just sim
ply stripping but their past experiences affect their decisions to strip. “Some of these women have beer
abused, raped, and have had traumatic experiences in their past. Some women use stripping as a release
to feel important to someone. The money is great for them, but they also love the attention too,“ said Jonesj
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