Stripper 101

The other day, I was asked to write down a list of what it takes to become a stripper for a author friend of mine. Let's face it, I'm not a stripper, nor do I play one on TV. However, I do sell a ton of stripper's clothing and supplies and have talked with thousands over the years and I have a pretty good idea of what you should do and shouldn't do when choosing the glamorous career as a bar room nudie dancer. 

I've divided this post into a few sections: Tools of the Trade, Aesthetics, Attitude, Making Money and Keeping Money.

Tools of the Trade

3" + Heels. That's right, first off all you're going to need is a few pairs of really good heels. They're going to cost you. Typically a pair of stripper shoes runs between $75 and $100. I would recommend that you purchase two pairs. The best shoes are plastic one-piece construction. You're going to be putting quite a bit of pressure on them, so you don't want them breaking while you're shaking your money makers. Make sure that you also pick up a few Non-Slip rubber pads for the bottom of the shoes. You don't want to be dancing for someone and slip up and fall (unless your trying to go for sympathy tips).
 
Clothing; You should pay particular attention to the clothing that you need. In some cities, the right wing evil bureaucrats have made many rules that you need to follow from size of pasties that you may or may not need, to the size of your thong (yes, some of us perverts would really like that job).
 
Pasties: If you're not dancing in a nude bar, you're probably going to need pasties. You may even have requirements on the size of bikini that you can wear that will keep you out of jail (I’d like to see the mug shots on that one). There are many different types that you can use, from the standard sequin pasties, Pastease to the great old standby-- black electrical tape.
 
Outfits: In my town, being a stripper isn't competitive (Is there actually stripper competitions that can be taken seriously). You're lucky to have to compete with no more that 6 other girls on the weekend. So most of them don't have to be very creative with their outfits. The strippers just wear standard stripper wear (bikini and thong) and don't do any routines/outfits that use much imagination or creativity.
 
However, I would recommend that you pickup a few costumes to enhance your routine. What do men like? I'm glad you asked. We've sold thousands of costumes over the years, and you won't be surprised to see that the most popular outfits are Naughty Nurses, Sexy School Girls, Sexy Police Women, Pirate Wenches and Bunnies. Use your imagination for Pete’s sake.

Music; Whatever you get, you should match it to your routine to music. I'm not saying you have to do this 100% of the time, but it helps to get you a few more dollars in tips. Most clubs will allow you to bring in your choice of music. Many strippers play what's popular for that day. That's a bad idea. You want to be unique and stand out from the harem of strippers at your club. Don’t just play today’s trendy techo pop crap. Use the freaking internet. Find something unique that totally you. Don’t be a mindless Zombie Stripper.
 
Dance Routine: Every stripper has her routine. A stripper that I know used to dress up in a Pin-Striped suit and she would come out on the dance floor playing Lords of Acid, "I Sit on Acid." As she told me, it would make the crowd go NUTS. Learn it well and practice it. Nothing will turn off your potential customer more than when you wither and die on the stage. Do something original. Dance stripper dance…Dance for those dollars…
 
Accessories: Perfume and body dust are a must. You'll get extra tips if you invest in some Kama Sutra Honey Dust. It smells great and gives you a sexy sweet smell. Guys really dig this. Try to pick a perfume that complements it-- I prefer Chanel No. 5. Don’t be wearing that cheap ass grocery store perfume. Take some time to invest in a complementary scent at a real department store.

You might want to pick up some boas, whips and chains for added BDMS appeal. Liquid Latex adds great dramatic addition to your gear. Wigs, extensions, eyelashes and sparkle makeup add to the details of your outfit/fantasy. You can’t spend all of your money on meth.

Money Purse: A purse is needed to store all that $ you've made off your last dance. I really recommend that you purchase something opaque. You don't want your other stripper associates to know how much money you've made. Keep your stripper friends close and your money closer. 

After every set, I would recommend that you have some secure place to store your cash. I've heard strippers whine one two many times about how some other stripper whore has stolen her money. If you don't you'll be sorry. I personally think that it’s funny after all the items I’ve had stole from our store from some cracked out stripper. Make sure your dollars are secure!

Aesthetics

Manicure, manicure, manicure. You've heard the phrase, "the devil's is in the details." I recommend that you not only get a manicure, but a pedicure as well. Nothing is going to turn off a guy more than when you slap your fungus-encased toenails up in front of some his face. Get it professionally done. It’s despicable when you manicure could have been done better by a 14 year old girl…
 
Genital Hair: Let's face it, there is nothing grosser than seeing a forest of pubic hairs sticking out of your bikini bottom. Get yourself to the nearest salon and have them wax you poetic, or maybe Brazilian. If' you're dancing at a fully nude bar, get yourself a shaving kit and shave a cutie design above your sweet spot. If you're going to self-shave I would recommend Coochy shaving cream and a shaver.
 
Makeup: No Grocery store makeup for you! Take some lessons from the Mac counter at Macy’s! Get good modern style makeup. Patrons want to see bedroom eyes. Learn how to create the fantasy. That cheap ass lipstick that you wear is going to only make you look like a whore.
 
Hair: I know that this is basic, but get an appointment with a real salon. Make sure that your hair is pristine. Purchase product that will keep your hair soft, silky and smooth. Split ends, dark roots and color-in-a-bottle tell your customers that you don't care about yourself and they shouldn't either. Cracky, bed-head meth look is not appealing, expect when you’re high. Make it look like you have a sugar daddy who takes you to nice salons.
 
Body Build: Nobody said that stripping is easy work. The best legs that I’ve ever seen come from strippers. However this isn’t a guide for the old stripper, it’s a guide for the young and dumb. I would recommend that you get a gym membership and do some weight training along with some cardio workouts 3-5 times a week. Nobody wants to see cottage cheese on your thighs.
 
Legs and armpits: Either shave EVERY freakin’ day or get a weekly waxing. How about doing both! Nothing is going to turn off a guy more than your European values on body hair.
 
Weight: Let's face it, if you're going to become a stripper, you need to weigh less than your potential customers. Loose the weight first. This doesn't mean going on the "Jenny Crank Diet", just stop eating that crappy fast food and high fructose corn syrup food stuff. You’ll be better off going vegitarian and eating healthy. Not only will this give you a health glow, but you’ll loose the few extra LB’s you and I have been wanting you to lose.
 
Hygiene: Let's face it, bitch, wash your panties. I know a ton of strippers who don't ever wash their outfits. Patrons don't want be rub up against clothing that has never seen Tide. Make sure that you actually know how to use a washer. This means that you should probably find a good dry cleaner. Take your smoky stripper outfits and get them professionally cleaned.

Attitude

The Customer: You are there to fulfill someone’s sick fantasy of hooking up with you. That’s it. However, there's a line that you don't want to cross. You want to seem sweet, approachable and available. If you come off as stuck up, bitchy or snotty, you're going to loose money that night. I’ve ran into a few drunky and cracky strippers that didn’t know how bad they were turning off their customers. Every night you should psych yourself up to be the best stripper that you can be. This means, be NICE to everyone! (Unless they show/tell you what sort of sick bastard the really are).
 
Student Tales: Actually I love this one! Don’t tell me that you’re the urban legend of the PhD student stripper who is going to be your doctor one day. Don’t tell me that you’re going to be working here for a little while you pay your tuition. I’ve heard this a million times. If you’re going to tell someone that, pick a major that doesn’t make you look like a morn, like underwater basket weaving. Now I don’t want a million emails telling me that you’ve met the real thing, I’m not saying they don't exist, but they're just elusive like the Hairy Rhinoceros.
 
Acting stupid: This is just a given. Most men I know hate stupid women. Many men who patronize strip clubs are smart up-and-coming businessmen. Just don't act stupid. Your patron are not, neither are you. Enough Said. 

Your Local Boutique Sales Staff. I've had enough employees to know that they rarely enjoy waiting on a stripper. A Typical stripper comes in the store and destroys our sales associates' merchandising. Not only that they are also usually rude and sport a better-than-thou in their attitude. They treat the sales staff with absolute no respect. Take the time to get to know the girls. If you do, they'll take care of you. They will make sure that your custom item comes in the next order. This means when there's a new order of stripper clothing and costumes, they'll put it aside just for you. Remember: BE SWEET. They'll take care of you if you take care of them.

Making Money

Choice of Clubs:  This is going to probably be one of the most important decisions of your stripper career. Many clubs have pervy, shady owners. Why do you think that they opened a strip club? They wanted to try and have sex with young & dumb girls. Before you go to any club to audition, I would suggest that you invest some time to talk to the strippers at the potential club. Most club owners will hire you on a contract so they're indemnified from everything. This means that YOU are responsible for paying taxes, insurance, etc for yourself.  Many of these clubs charge you a "Stage Fee" along with taking half of your "lap dance" money. You're usually responsible for selling over-priced drinks to the patrons and lastly, you are going to have tip out your DJ and bouncers. Most clubs get away with running this way because the strippers that work there don't seem to be smart enough to unite into some sort of stripper union.
 
Pay Attention: I really shouldn't have to explain this. In the club, pay attention to who your patrons are. Many times, there will be a group of men celebrating something like a bachelor party, big promotion, etc. Cater to these men and you'll take every penny that they've come to the club with.

Keeping Money

Deposit your Money. Need I say more? Get a bank account and before you go to your house each night, deposit all of your $1 bills. I've been around enough strippers to know that 99% of them really don't know how to manage their money. I've known strippers who make $500 a night, four nights a week and drive a 1990 Ford. Think about this, $500 a night translates into over $100,000 per year if you can keep your cash. Don't be one of those strippers who tells me that you make tons of money doesn't even have a decent ride.
 
Learn how to Invest. That's right, with all your new found riches, get with an investment banker and put away 25% of the money you make each week. You could also set up some sort of Scottrade account or E-Trade account. If you do this, you should be able to live comfortable after 5 or 6 years of work. This translates into having $300,000+ in the bank. Not bad for shaking your booty in front of some blue-collar worker's face. You have a maximum of 10 years to get it done. If you're smart, you can retire at 28. Don't be stupid, your beauty will fade as you get older.
 
Boyfriends. If your boyfriend doesn't make as much or more than you, he's just a Gold Digging BITCH. Dump his sorry ass. You're a fantasy, so be one in the real world. Don't give some guy a lap dance and talk about your boyfriend all night. Your customer wants to think that you're perfectly available, even if you really hate men.

Conclusion

Being a successful stripper doesn't require a PhD in business. You have a limited amount of time before there is someone upstages you, being prettier and completely hotter than your ass. Unless you plan on buying the joint, you're not going to be hanging out at these establishments at 40. Learn how to make your money work for you and not how to work for your money. 

Some thoughts for the road:

• How many fucking pairs of 6"+ heels do you need?
• Buy a house, a car or invest your money…put it under your mattress, don't buy any more clothes that you won't wear when your 30.
• Don't become a cracked-out whore like your associates...
• Treat your local boutique employees like gold...
• Your Body is a Business, not a methadone clinic…
• Why be the whore when you can be the Madam…
• If you make more than your boyfriend dump his sorry ass…