It may be mind-boggling to some to imagine a student getting out of class in the afternoon, finishing homework in the evening and putting on lingerie to go to work in the late hours, but for some students, stripping can be a viable way to pay for school.
Although stripping can be a lucrative career for some, sometimes personal and professional lives collide in a catastrophic standstill.
Ross Nagler, a current undergraduate student at the University of Memphis, was an exotic dancer at The Pony for six months while he attended Southwest Tennessee Community College. Nagler said he was nudged into the industry by an ex-girlfriend.
"My ex was a stripper, and the opportunity presented itself to work just two nights a week," Nagler said. "I didn't have a job at the time, and working for only five hours to get $120 plus tips didn't sound like that bad of an idea."
Nagler said he somewhat glamorized the lifestyle before he took the job, but after working there for a few weeks, he realized just how demanding it was physically.
"People are not just throwing you money because you look good - like you see on TV," Nagler said. "At first, I liked the attention I was receiving, but all of the dancing was very hard on my body."
While working as an exotic dancer, Nagler took a job waiting tables at Ruby Tuesday. Eventually, the unrestrained behaviors of his fellow dancers rubbed off on him.
"I got into drugs real bad, mainly ecstasy and cocaine - basically, whatever I could get my hands on," Nagler said. "It didn't matter how much money I was making anymore, it all went to dope."
Emotionally, the life of parties and pills took its toll on Nagler.
"I cheated on my girlfriend, even though I tried hard not to," Nagler said. "I was geeked out all the time, sleeping with girls who were married, and I kept thinking, 'Is this all there is?'"
Nagler ended up dropping out of school shortly after and ended his stint as an exotic dancer. After much introspection and self-examination, Nagler changed his lifestyle and got off drugs. A decade later, Nagler said he has reflected on that part of his life and thinks about it differently.
"I have come to value integrity and loyalty, and I do not think I could return to that industry, even if times were tough financially," Nagler said. "I am hoping someone can learn from my story."
Nagler has two daughters and said he does not want them to follow in his footsteps.
"I think the industry is more demeaning toward women - I wouldn't want them involved," Nagler said. "If they find out one day, I will just come clean and tell them the truth."
LaShondra Davis, a security guard at the University Club of Memphis, started dancing as a 19-year old at New York New York Gentlemen's Club and Pure Passion in Memphis while enrolled in cosmetology school at New Wave Hair Design. Davis said during an average shift she would make around $600.
"I went to school during the day and danced at night. The money was slow at first, but after I worked there a while it started coming in," Davis said. "I eventually dropped out of school, because my boyfriend left me with all of the bills, and I could make ends meet stripping."
Davis said some common problems for the dancers were males trying to solicit sex from them and competition among dancers for clients inciting violence or upsetting customers.
"Girls would see you making money and become jealous and want to fight you," Davis said. "They would become very manipulative - if you were with a customer, and they saw him tip you a lot of money, they would wait until you got up to go the bathroom or leave, and start telling him things like, 'she is dirty,' or 'she has a boyfriend,' to convince him to get away from you."
Some of the clientele would see the fighting and become frustrated with the dancers and express their irritation by ripping up dollar bills and throwing them at the dancers, Davis said.
Davis got a job at the club for a close friend and quickly saw a drastic change in her behavior.
"She was quiet and sweet before dancing, but after she started dancing, she began drinking heavily and would fight someone at the drop of a hat," Davis said. "One time, she was fighting with a girl, and the girl stabbed her - I think out of jealousy."
Davis had her share of violent escalations while working, but she never had any quarrels with her coworkers, she said. Some of the customers could become aggressive, especially after drinking.
"One guy got so drunk one time, he reached in my g-string to tip me and ended up scratching my privates," Davis said. "I ended up having to go to the hospital."
Davis said occasionally shootings would break out at the club but not while she was working. She said one dancer left with a client one night and was found dead the next day. Davis said the murder was never solved.
Many of the dancers were in abusive relationships, and their boyfriends would demand they strip and then take the money they earned for themselves, Davis said. The men would lure the women into a relationship with promises of meeting all of their needs.
"I knew one girl that was living from one hotel room to the next with her son each night," Davis said. "It turns out, she was getting beat up at home and trying to get out of the situation."
Davis experienced a tragedy of her own - miscarrying while dancing pregnant. Due to the vigorous dance movements such as sliding up and down the pole, her baby separated from the placenta and died.
"This was my second daughter to pass," Davis said. "My first one died of natural causes."
Davis is currently pregnant with a boy. She said she hopes he never ends up attending a strip club.
"If he finds out about my career, I am going to be honest - I made some bad choices, but honestly I had fun," Davis said. "It is not somewhere I would want him to be - I would caution him against getting emotionally involved with a stripper."
Although Davis and Nagler were able to get out of the industry by their own self-determination, others find it not so easy.
"Most women who start out stripping through school do not end up finishing, they eventually just strip full-time," said Carol Wiley, the director of A Way Out, a program started by the nonprofit organization Citizens for Community Values in an effort to help women exploited in the sex industry. "A good many of them become hooked on drugs or cannot - working the late hours - attend classes."
A Way Out was designed to help women involved in all areas of the sex industry, not just exotic dancing. To date, the program has helped over 500 women rehabilitate and restructure their lives.
"We provide them with housing, help with medical expenses and offer intensive outpatient classes on addiction and life skills," Wiley said. "Women can attend the program for up to five years, which helps out if they want to attend college or something like cosmetology school."
Wiley said the program is very individualized, and some women stay for as little six months. Wiley said most women stay for at least two years to ensure they do not relapse on substances or return to the sex industry.
"We allow women to stay for six months, but that is not the norm," Wiley said. "The success rate is higher the longer you stay."
The women are assigned a mentor two months into the program. Most of the time, the mentors become life-long friends of their protégés.
"These mentors are great for the girls to call if something bad happens, and they need advice," Wiley said.
A Way Out is a faith-based program - the majority of the classes and programs are based on biblical teachings. However, Wiley said that the program does not require women to adopt the Christian faith.
The only factor that could disqualify a woman from the program would be her financial needs exceeding the program's budget. Wiley said if this happens, they will refer her to other programs that can assist, like The Exchange Club Family Center.
Davis said it is important not to judge someone for choosing a career as an exotic dancer, because there are a number of confounding factors.
"You do not know why people are stripping, maybe someone just graduated and can't find a job, maybe the homeless shelter kicked them out or maybe they are sick of sitting at a minimum-wage job for $7.50 an hour when they can make $300," Davis said. "I did not let the industry change me, and I think it gets a bad reputation. I had fun dancing, it is just something I liked doing."
