Abstract
The stripping profession has a complicated history with feminism. Many feminists view stripping as the commodification of women’s bodies and sexuality, while others argue that it provides women with a slice of power within a patriarchal society. Siobhan Brooks situates herself within her writing as an African American, lesbian, feminist scholar who has experienced racism while working in the stripping industry. Her personal experiences formed her aspiration to raise awareness of how racism affects the stripping industry. Brooks used an ethnographic methodology to investigate the racial stratification in queer and straight strip clubs. The methods she used included interviews with dancers, customers, managers, and other club employees, as well as field observations of three strip clubs, two straight, and one queer.
Brooks begins the book with a narrative about how and why she came to investigate this topic, a literature review, and reflections on how she was demographically situated within the research. Next Brooks provides a historical and sociological overview of the “desire industry” in the United States. This overview is followed by an analysis of data that Brooks gathered from Temptations, a strip club in the Bronx, NY. Brooks provides examples from interviews and field notes she gathered at Temptations. The data reveal that the “erotic capital” that dancers command in this specific market is based on the color of their skin and body type; for example, women with darker skin and more voluptuous bodies wield lower erotic capital than do thin, white women. Brooks reveals similar findings in the next chapter through her analysis of a strip club in Manhattan. She interprets these findings as evidence that race and body type affect a dancer’s market value in the desire industry. This account unearths the covert racism that is embedded in how desire is conceptualized and commodified.
The most groundbreaking site of inquiry was Girlielicious, a queer strip club in Oakland, California. The findings from the investigation of Girlielicious reveal striking departures from the investigation of two straight strip clubs. Brooks explores how customers and dancers embody and perform a wide range of gender typologies. The queering of gender in the strip club community allows for a more diversified spectrum of race and body type, as well as erotic capital, among the dancers. Another salient finding is how queer strip clubs are used for community building. The lines between personal and professional are blurred; for example, one dancer uses a blog that provides a personal narrative about her daily life and professional experiences and offers tips to novice dancers.
Brooks concludes her analysis with “There are institutional consequences for not being viewed as sexually desirable and/or attractive, especially for Dark-skinned, Black women.” She goes on to say that the low erotic capital of black and Latina women affects these women’s labor/immigration rights, safety, ability to build community, access to education, and ability to provide for their families. Brooks used a rigorous study design, solid writing, and a compelling argument for social activism. This book provides a strong example of how social research can be used to inform political action.