The Strip Clubs of Memphis

The other night I had a chance to do something I never would plan to go out and do, but am so glad I decided to go- I went to a strip club in Memphis. We've talked about the different sides of Memphis, and Krista, Faith, and I have spent many discussions talking about the little seen side of Memphis. This is the side my mother tried so hard to protect me from, but is very much a part of what Memphis is. I didn't realize what a draw Memphis strip clubs could be to travelers. The laws here are not as stringent as in other areas, so people enjoy the experience more. Until Platinum Plus was shut down, the law were almost not existent and the laws we had were not enforced. Some people may not approve of strip clubs, but I found my trip to be a great experience. Everyone was extremely nice, which surprised me since I'm a woman in an atmosphere designed for men. Some of the girls there seemed more at ease with me than the friend who was with me, which made me think of exactly what brought them there. In a profession where they strip in front of people everyday, was undressing in front of a woman really that much easier. I had blindly assumed that these women would build up a tolerance to that sort of thing, but maybe I'm wrong. What exactly goes through the mind of a stripper? Do women in these type of sexually driven professions not become hardened to what they do by the nature of their profession. There was one girl in particular you could tell was not very comfortable on stage and stayed fully dressed the whole time. I started to think of what had brought her here and why she was doing this job she obviously disliked. Are there no other alternatives for young women in Memphis in whatever situation she was in to think stripping was her only option. You also hear about how a lot of these girls are doing it for the money, but it didn't look like to me these girls made much money. In the almost hour and a half I was there I never saw the same girl twice, so I don't know how many times on stage they get a night, but it can't be much, and they don't make a lot of each money on each pass from the amount of money on stage. I only spent $20 while I was there and that was mostly on the two beers I drank. I think my friend spent more, but not a massive amount. I'm sure more money is made behind the curtained area where I didn't see or go. I would be interested to learn more about the economics of strip clubs. Someone is making a lot of money of these girls. Are the girls played hourly and where does all the money go? The most surprising outcome of my trip was that I had a wonderful time and would go back with the right group of friends. I've done a lot of thinking about my religious beliefs over the course of this class and as a means of expressing myself as a person. I am a spiritual person despite what others may think after this post, but there is a difference between organized religion and spirituality. Memphis has a lot of different organized religions, but it also has a lot of deeply spiritual people with no religious affiliation. I am a Catholic, but one who goes to strip clubs. I think this makes me very Memphian and a good analogy of what the city is like. All the draws and drawbacks of a big-city in the heart of the Southern Bible Belt.