Seattle has no shortage of "exotic nightclubs" with "exotic dancers" stripping their way through a show onstage. The insides of the clubs are seedy, dirty, and not so nice, but I'm not here to complain about the decor. Instead, I'd like to talk a little bit about the girls on stage. 

Almost every guy I know has a "bachelor party" before the wedding at which copious amounts of alcohol are consumed and "girls' are almost always brought in. The reality is most guys watch so much porn on the net that they see little or no ethical dilemma in watching the girls live and in person. Lots of thought is given to offended brides and girlfriends, but little consideration is given to the actual dancers.  

Way back in the day, I lived in a house with a bunch of strangers of varying professions including a carpenter, a hairdresser who left her own hair clippings all over our shared bathroom floor, and an "exotic dancer". The dancer did it for the cash, which came in the form of tips, and hated herself for dancing in front of the pervs in her particular club. Despite our different backgrounds, we became friends, hiking partners, and drinking buddies.

I was not invited to any of her "performances" and I hated to see her so down and out. Most of the girls at her club were on drugs, with cocaine being the drug of choice with the occasional spin into heroin, Seattle having had the dubious distinction of being the heroin capital of the world. I didn't ask her about lap dances or how she felt about herself as a woman. Her daily life consisted of her working late into the night, coming home with large tips of between 200-600 bucks a night, snorting cocaine, and complaining about her on and off again boyfriend. She was often suicidal, and the combination of her career choice, her troubled relationship, and her drug and alcohol use didn't help her mental health.

I had the chance to meet some of her friends who were casual about dancing and more than confident enough to take their licks on the dance floor, with little or no shame. One particular girl had been to Japan as a hostess, which is halfway between an exotic dancer and a prostitute. Again, I didn't ask her how fine the line was between prostitution and hostessing, but she did tell me the money was even better there.

Another friend of my roommate's admitted to dabbling in prostitution with a Japanese customer back in the states. At $600 a pop for oral sex, it was quite big pay for a single mom. She never complained about it or felt dirty, but she definitely lacked the confident and empowering attitude of the hostess.

At one party, I met a girl from her hometown who was going to dance for the first time that very night. Everyone else at the party was drinking beer, but she was downing tequila shots in preparation for her performance. I've been nervous before the first day on a new job before, but never so much that I would consider a tequila popper as the best way to prepare.

Later in life, I met a nurse and a lawyer who each put themselves through school using their bodies instead of their brains to finance their educations.

The story about my old roommate does not have a nice end, and I am going to save it for a later day.