My First Foray in to a Strip Club

So on Saturday I ended up in a strip club. I wasn't my intention, and I feel like a little bit of me died inside, but I didn't really have a great deal of choice, I could have joined a group of people that I felt equally uncomfortable around and didn't like, or i could join the people inside where the like/dislike ratio was about even and if I'm blatantly honest I was a little curious. Basically, it was a close friends 18th, so we went out on the town. But then it took a turn for the seedy when said birthday girl decided it would be fun-times to go in to a strip club named 'WILDCATS', a small concrete building with a neon pink woman/cat sign plastered above the door and creepy men loitering outside. I was pretty apprehensive  but when everyone (around 15 people) decided to make a go for it, so instead of standing out side of a strip club, which would look a bit dodgy, I went in. And I just found it pretty disheartening.

I wasn't fazed by the nudity, perhaps because all my friends are pretty open, and I'm not a prude. I used to do a lot of swimming, like 7 times a week, and there was naked women foaming naked at either side of me, IT IS ALWAYS THE GROSS ONES and although it was a bit uncomfortable, I got over it. Although I've got to say holding a conversation with a very nude lady with the most pubic hair you will ever see is pretty distracting.

What I didn't like was the objectification, it just made me feel really uncomfortable when the boys that I was with (I knew they were twattish before hand such twats) were telling me to move out of the way (they were sitting down, I was standing up) so they 'could see it'. These boys in particular experience have always seemed to have superiority complex, but you could almost feel these girls walking around, and maybe it's because I'm female, but when looked around I just saw me. Well, I saw a girl wearing the same nail colour as me, and another who was obviously wearing a underwear set that I had seriously considered buying from Miss Selfridge, and remember feeling a wave of empathy.  I know that these women were here by choice, and that a few of them were probably students like myself.  But I remember thinking how horrid the 'patrons' were, they had a complete lack of respect for them, it wasn't like they went there and looked grateful to the strippers, they had complete disdain for them they are good enough to stare at naked but not to be viewed as a fellow human being. And I just felt uncomfortable there, on one hand I was all 'well it's their choice, I'm not going to come in here and act all high and mighty', but on the other hand I could never go to, lets say, a male strip club and feel good about watching it. I think that if someone was to strip for me I would want it to be because they actually wanted to, not because I was paying them. As I am sure many do, you minx, you.  But on the other hand, people can make money out of themselves if they want to.

The whole thing made me think about the way the night-life works, often girls are let in cheaper or free to clubs, and that's to get guys in who want to feel up a couple of girls and maybe get lucky. So much feeling up, I got a crotch grab on Saturday, crotch! How long has that been a thing!? Entirely not okay. I actually got into the strip club for free. The whole thing is about sex. And the desperation that these people obviously felt to see some vag almost made me pity them. Almost? Pity away my dear because it is sad, it is like those men that eat their sausage rolls whilst oggling page three in The sun, totally pathetic (not the sausage rolls obviously). Maybe it's because I'm not a really sexual person, but it just seemed so animalistic. Not in a creepy way clearly, but I would say that I am a quite sexual person and I refused to go on, payed or free, I just wanted to dance with my friends. I am not sure how I feel about strip clubs because I am not wholly against them but something about this place just looked so entirely seedy it made me very sad. And made me feel worthless, because I was surrounded by men objectifying other women. And I knew if I ever got naked up there, or even got up there with clothes on, that they could treat me like that too. I know some of my friends had fun, the birthday girl got a strip/lap dance thing, which she loved, and the experience was quite funny, in a 'that was weird' way. But it was a bit soulless, perhaps a 'classier' venue next time?

Dorothy and Daphne