I was an exotic dancer for 4 years. On one hand, too long... On the other, not that long at all. Would I go back to it? Absolutely, if I needed money quickly or that were the only schedule I could work!

Exotic dancing is not for the faint-hearted, or those prone to alcohol or drug addiction/abuse. Unfortunately, the reality is, there is alcohol in just about every club...

and there are also drugs in almost every place you go these days, not just clubs.

I initially started dancing as a way to pay for my second divorce (unbeknown to my ex-husband!)... My second husband was very abusive, controlling and wouldn't work. He pretty much talked me into dancing, because he knew I'd make very good money, so, therefore, wouldn't nag at him to work... He prided himself on being a "Stay At Home Dad", when the reality was, he was a lazy bum! So anyway, He convinced me to try it, and so I did.. after a month of working in a club as a cocktail waitress to get my courage up to dance!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, yes, the money was great! It was relatively easy work! (If you call dancing in eight-inch stiletto platforms for seven hours easy!) I could work three nights a week, and make more in those three nights than I'd been making in TWO weeks as a waitress in a restaurant! And, I'll admit, the men thinking I was attractive was appealing to me as well, as my third child had just turned one! Alas, it was a short-lived good experience... My ex-husband would scream and accuse me of cheating (merely due to the fact I was a dancer!), and he would take all my money at the end of the night.

Fast forward another month later, I was divorced, and discovering that the exotic dance scene definitely had it's pitfalls! I became room-mates with one of our bouncers at the club, He is now my wonderful Husband! BUT..
Even in the best of clubs, you're going to have dancers who are strung out on drugs, no matter how well they hide it from management (so they don't get fired!), you'll always have at least one dancer in each group who does "extras" during lap-dances, there are always customers who will ask, or even DEMAND, "extras", there's always another dancer you'll have problems with... It's NOT easy!

Fast forward a few more years... I never got into the drugs or the drinking excessively at work... But, last year, I managed to get a DUI driving home from work (that was an expensive lesson I'll NEVER forget!), I ended up having to work in "Lower End" clubs (where there are more drugs, "extras", drama, out in the open!) due to the fact that after my 5th child, I gained a few extra pounds! (I'm not fat, but I'm not as thin as I was before!), and found it harder and harder to make money... Because I did NONE of those things! I was just completely burnt out! So, I gave it up to become a stay-at-home Mom, while trying to get back into school.

I won't say NOT to become an exotic dancer, and I won't say DO IT, either. It's not for everyone, and it's not as easy as it sounds! It can be stressful, it's hard on your body and your mind, it's very competitive, there are a lot of unsavory "sorts" in those places, and it can be dangerous! On the other hand... It's usually great money and a very flexible work schedule...

To anyone considering it, Please use your own judgment... But be aware! It's not anywhere near as "glamorous" as what it's made out to be, and it's not worth losing your life (in more ways than one!) over... But it can be a helpful stepping stone to get somewhere else in life, if it's treated as merely a job, and you don't take on the lifestyle along with the job!

Learn more about this author, Samantha Vincent.
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