MYTHS STRIPPED AWAY

BY DAN VEREL
Editor

City College student and former stripper “Lucia” worked at the Hustler Club for almost a year. PHOTOS BY LESLIE HICKS

Students struggling financially will ultimately seek an alternative method of economic livelihood. Some look to loans and financial aid, while others get part-time jobs throughout the city.

For others, the conventional job hunt will not suffice. Instead they become strippers, hoping to fund their academic careers without having to compromise financial security.

Many student strippers declined interviews, but one such student was willing to discuss her time as a stripper, although she chose not to reveal her real identity. Instead, she asked that her former stage name, “Lucia,” be used.

Lucia said that she derived her name from Lucifer, a result of the devilish line of work she was involved with. The ex-stripper said she was confronted with an array of problems that came along with her former profession and needed a way to earn cash.

“I only did it to make ends meet,” she said. “Throughout the whole thing, I would make a certain amount of money and not go over that. After that, I would just start to feel bad.”

Lucia preferred not to disclose exactly how much she earned, but she said as much as $300 could be made in one day. For her, though, it was not about turning what she did into an even more lucrative endeavor.

“I had my limits,” she said, citing safety and personal integrity as the main reasons she kept to just stripping.

A guy might think you want to have sex,” she said. “When they put money on it, they think they own you.”

Dispelling the notion of promiscuity that can often be wrongly interpreted by some customers and judgmental outsiders, Lucia emphatically said, “When it comes to sexual relations, I’m not casual.”

Other girls, however, did not show the same amount of constraint, succumbing to the pressures and opportunities to extend their income. Without being explicit or graphic, Lucia said many girls would push those limits.

Lucia, who comes from a traditional family, said she was not willing in any shape to entertain customers outside of the club, something several girls would do to establish a “relationship” in attempt to get more money.

“Some girls would go on dates or shopping. I couldn’t do it,” she said.

“Even when you’re outside, you still have to worry about your safety. One girl got robbed and the manager of the club said, ‘What are you, stupid?’” she said, referring to how some managers would place blame on the girls.

City College student John Smith, who said he had several friends strip while in school, related to Lucia not wanting to have her identity revealed, even though he himself sees nothing wrong with the job. “It’s not something I think they would want to advertise,” he said. “It becomes a sin only if the person gets caught doing it.”

When Lucia looks back on her time spent as a stripper, she said that overall she enjoyed it, and despite the sometimes seedy work environment, she would not change things.

“At the time, I would stress about it,” she said. “But now when I look back on it, I don’t have any regrets."

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