Sexy ladies sexing ladies: women as consumers in strip clubs. 2008

Kassia R Wosick-Correa, and Lauren J Joseph
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA. kassiaw@nmsu.edu

Recent shifts in the consumer base of the sex industry have involved greater female attendance in strip clubs. This article examines how strip clubs and dancers incorporate female patrons into a sexualized space traditionally designed for men by identifying three interactional processes: passing over, sidestaging, and tailoring. We suggest dancers pass over women because they perceive female patron behavior to include resistance to "buying the game" and spending patterns that diverge from male customers. Drawing on Goffman's dramaturgical analysis, we suggest the dynamic relationship between dancer and female patron involves what we term sidestaging, which refers to both dancers' disclosure and how the club's spatial organization inhibits the construction of women as customers through sharing gendered spaces, such as the bathroom. We argue that when a dancer tailors her lap dance for a female patron, she succeeds in acknowledging the female customer's sexual subjectivity and potential same-sex desires by providing an individualized avenue for exploring an erotic experience. Finally, we discuss data implications for understanding how same-sex desire and sexual identity operate in an environment that eroticizes the female form, and how the strip club becomes a potential space for engaging in same-sex eroticism that includes elements of play.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D003615 Dancing Rhythmic and patterned body movements which are usually performed to music. Ballet,Dance,Hip-Hop Dance,Jazz Dance,Line Dancing,Modern Dance,Salsa Dancing,Square Dance,Tap Dance,Dance, Hip-Hop,Dance, Jazz,Dance, Modern,Dance, Square,Dance, Tap,Dancing, Line,Dancing, Salsa,Hip Hop Dance
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D012725 Sexual Behavior Sexual activities of humans. Anal Sex,Oral Sex,Sexual Activity,Sexual Orientation,Premarital Sex Behavior,Sex Behavior,Sex Orientation,Sexual Activities,Activities, Sexual,Activity, Sexual,Behavior, Premarital Sex,Behavior, Sex,Behavior, Sexual,Orientation, Sexual,Sex, Anal,Sex, Oral
D012928 Social Desirability A personality trait rendering the individual acceptable in social or interpersonal relations. It is related to social acceptance, social approval, popularity, social status, leadership qualities, or any quality making him a socially desirable companion. Social Worth,Desirabilities, Social,Desirability, Social,Social Desirabilities,Worth, Social
D017149 Private Sector That distinct portion of the institutional, industrial, or economic structure of a country that is controlled or owned by non-governmental, private interests. Private Enterprise,Enterprise, Private,Enterprises, Private,Private Enterprises,Sector, Private

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