A Former Stripper Speaks On Being One For Halloween

Photo: 3rd Eye/WENN 

Intrigue around the profession of stripping, is American as apple pie.

Men and women are titillated by the idea of the industry, but probably have no idea what really goes on. Just this week the story of Zola, an Atlanta based waitress who gets caught in a insane set of misadventures, ignited the internet. Her journey, for most readers, was a peek into the world that’s so often mentioned but never explored in-person.

This leads us to Halloween.

The Oct 31 holiday has morphed into an fantasy day of sort, where women and men can become whoever they want– often exposing their more sexual side. For women in particular, the idea of being a stripper is cool. What’s more sexy than a woman taking her clothes off for money?

Apparently, a lot of things.

“There were times when all your regulars are there and everyone is being nice,” Kimberly Smith founder of StripXpertease told StyleBlazer. “But part of that job and environment are men that come in there specifically to make beautiful women, feel like shit. A beautiful woman will walk over and a guy will look her up and down, and say ‘No, I’m not interested, you’re too fat or too skinny. Or your boobs are too big or your boobs are too small.’ And all of the girls would hear that. You’re looking at a girl who would easily be a ten, perfect model. And there was always a guy who would make them feel like shit.”

For the past ten years, Smith has been in the business of striptease dancing, teaching women how to embrace their sexuality in a safe space. But before she became a boss, she was a stripper for ten years in Austin, Texas and New York.

“There were definitely some fun moments to it, but I felt overall that it was a bad space for women to be in,” Smith says. “It kind of eats away at your spirit and makes you feel crappy in the long run. The money puts a band aid over how it makes you feel about yourself. But I loved to dance, the actual movement was so much fun. Being able to share it in a safe space with a partner or someone you’re in a relationship with is still really great. I wanted to be able to share the movement, but not encourage people to go into the industry. We try to lead people on a path to explore other options.”

What’s surprising is her thoughts on being a stripper for Halloween –she’s quite liberal.

“I think it’s the one holiday when people can step out of their comfort zone and explore those things. People like to feel sexy. We all get to that age where we don’t get cat called anymore. So it’s fun and I think people should be able to explore it, while they still can.”

But there’s one thing women should know about the women they plan to portray, if they so choose.

“There’s a misconception that we’re all drug addicts or sex addicts,” Smith noted. “I worked where there were a lot of smart girls, in monogamous relationships who didn’t do extras– who didn’t go home with customers and clients. I think that’s a big misconception that they all do things on the side, and that they all are the losers of society. And that’s simply not true.”

To learn more about StripXpertease click here.

The post A Former Stripper Speaks On Being One For Halloween appeared first on StyleBlazer.