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Writer's pictureValentina Fellina

How I became a stripper

“Gurl, you are way too nice. You can’t be like this here. Girls are not gonna be nice to you”


My actual first time at a club was to look for a job. I was frustrated with the intense decrease in activities on the platform I used to work for, as a camgirl. My then-partner was the one to suggest and encourage me to go check some strip-clubs personally, so I could deliberate on the possibility of a new job. In my province, Quebéc -Canada, strippers perform topless for the private dances, and fully nude on stage. Also very important to note that the private dances are contact dances, meaning the strippers really perform on the clients’ lap and they get to touch their bodies with the exception of the genital area. Therefore, that was the biggest concern of mine, since camming was very explicit, but also very safe in terms of physical distance from the customers.

So there we went to Wanda’s gentlemen’s club. My then-lover, I, and a group of probably 5 other friends paid the 5$ fee and went upstairs to the main floor. I didn’t really know what to expect, for instance, I had no clue the dancer would approach us and try to sell the private dances, or even: how the shows would look like!

I ended up connecting with a dancer that had really similar looks to mine, so I mentioned I was there to figure if I could get a job and she was extremely supportive and explained a bit of the club rules and dynamics. That same night I approached the manager and scheduled my first night as a performer for a few days after!

I remember that Tuesday very well. Seven pm. I was the first performer to arrive and one of the bouncers welcomed and took me to a house tour while talking unceasingly about the club floors, politics, rules, and dynamics, which I absolutely didn’t absorb right away, so I went straight to the dressing room, feeling a tad anxious and couldn’t wait to get ready and meet the other girls. I also remember buying a pair of cheap used heels for that night since I was not a “high-heel kinda gurl” and I was quite insecure regarding my costumes and attire.

The dancers slowly arrived and I was quickly warned by one of them “Gurl, you are way too nice. You can’t be like this here. Girls are not gonna be nice to you”. I have to admit that was not how I was expecting it to go and if I felt nervous early on, let alone after this comment.

I didn’t know if I was supposed to be called on stage, so I kinda hoped it would be something that only the very experienced girls would do. I didn’t have a clue that performers are needed on stage as long as there are customers in the club. Neither did I know that on a busy night, I would need to abandon my client in the middle of a private dance if the DJ calls my name so it keeps the stage going and entertaining people! So many things baby stripper “Luna” had to learn yet!! There I was though, wondering if the club would dare call a dancer on stage for her debut night. First customers start entering the club and the DJ calls me at his booth “what songs are you gonna dance to?”. Oh well, it seems like they will call me on stage and I’m gonna be the first of the night! “Stroker’s Ace by Lovage”, “...and your second song?¨ “... Closer by Nine Inch Nails”. And then he announced Luna would be on stage in a couple of songs. I was nervous! Bought a couple of shots to try and cope with that anxiety!

My songs are on and the DJ calls my stage name… it’s time!! I am definitely not athletic, nor a dancer even though I did take dance classes back in the day… but I am for sure a big tease and the moment I went on stage and decided to seduce the customers, I felt in my element! Rules are: by the end of the first song you get topless and by the end of the second, fully naked. After my second song, I picked up my costumes on the stage floor and while I walked down the stairs I thought “I love this!!”

I am for sure feeling a bit less nervous about it, but also, I realize it’s time to approach clients and that means competing somehow with other girls in the club. There’s a “first arrived first served” kinda rule between the performers. The only house rule is: you can’t approach the client until they have received and paid for their drinks. But not always the dancer would respect the rules. Besides that, I learned that when a dancer waits next to a table, it’s a sign that she is in line, and as soon as that table gets the drinks, she will approach them. After that warning about “being nice”, I felt extremely intimidated by the dancers and feared to get myself into some sort of stress or drama. Luckily, that first dancer I met, that one night I was only checking the club, was there for that Tuesday and she grabbed me by the hand and mentored me. Later in life, I understood this is what we call a “stripper mama”, and Harleen was my stripper mama.

I finally took a client for a private dance. During the previous minutes I talked to him, he offered me a drink and I could tell he was somehow drunk and it could be easier to get him to spend money on a dance. He was an older, businessman, type of client. I have told him that it was my first night as a stripper and he asked me how I felt about the idea of being touched by a total stranger “I think it’s not a problem at all if the interactions are respectful” and after a few minutes, there we went. I honestly felt way less awkward than I thought I would feel! If anything, it felt awkward to feel comfortable acting both cuddly and sensual to a stranger, and well, after finally trying it, it was now officially not an obstacle for me!

The night went on and for a Tuesday, I did relatively well! I had a blast, felt like I had made a new friend, and felt financially secure. The balance was fantastic! What follows is me adapting to the profession, moving to a different and way friendlier club called The Kingdom Cabaret, learning a lot, dancing in different countries and experiencing so much more that I could probably write a book about it, so I am going to leave the rest for another time...

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