The Bad Economy is Good for Women!

All the proof you need that this dubitable contention is true can be found at MSNBC under the awesome headline "More women going from jobless to topless."

See, it turns out that "the tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler," and—hey, have you heard?—women can make fucktons of dosh at those jobs! And it's a win-win situation for the employers and consumers, who now have access to "a lot more beautiful women who are eligible to do so many other things."

[Rick's Caberet spokesperson Allan Priaulx] said 20 to 30 women a week are applying for jobs at the New York club, double the number of a year ago.

Rhode Island's Foxy Lady held a job fair Saturday, seeking to fill about 35 positions for dancers, masseuses, bartenders and bouncers. The Providence Journal reported that more than 150 job seekers showed up to apply for work at the strip club.

Aren't recessions grand?!

Now, I don't want to get into a huge discussion about being a sex worker by choice when you have other choices, and whether it can ever be a feminist decision to choose, despite other available avenues, to work in an industry in which many women who don't have other options are exploited. That's a valuable conversation, but it's not the one I want to have. I want to talk about women who don't have other choices, who view employment in the sex industry as the "desperate measure" referenced in the article.

In this economy, "desperate measures are becoming far more acceptable," said Jonathan Alpert, a New York City-based psychotherapist who's had clients who worked in adult entertainment.

In a good economy, choosing to work in the sex industry as a last resort isn't nearly as acceptable as it is when the entire country is shit-toiling (except the men dropping thousands of dollars on strippers and porn). But now that the economy's in the toilet, it's acceptable for women to sell their bodies even if they don't really want to!

The transition to the nightclub scene isn't always a smooth one — from learning to dance in five-inch heels to dealing with the jeers of some customers.

Some performers said they were initially so nervous that only alcohol could calm their nerves.

"It is like giving a speech, but instead of imagining everyone naked, you're the one who's naked," [Rebecca Brown, a former bartender and trainer at a national restaurant chain in Chicago], 29, said.

Eva Stone, a 25-year-old dancer at the Pink Monkey, said dealing with occasional verbal abuse from patrons requires "a thick skin."

…The women at the Pink Monkey say dancing at a strip club might not have been their first career choice, but they entered the business with their eyes wide open. The job gives them more control and flexibility than sitting in a cubicle, and "it's easy, it's fun and all of us girls ... look out for each other," Brown said.

…Stone, who has a bachelor's degree in graphic design, took up dancing four years ago to help pay her student loans. She plans to go to graduate school this year to pursue a master's in education.

I love the careful, waffling framing here, as throughout the article. Sex work is fun and full of camaraderie! And it offers more control and flexibility than a stupid old cubicle—and please dutifully ignore that some of the women in question still wanted that stupid old cubicle as "their first career choice."

And please don't look too closely to note that for "control and flexibility," which amounts to being able to work whatever hours they want (even though there are very specific times when the money is good) and be their own bosses (even though they can be fired and all that really means is "no benefits"), they've exchanged being able to get through a day's work without having to be intoxicated to deal with the abuse.

Never mind all that. It's fun and profitable—even if it is a desperate measure.

And even if it's hard on a few women, it's good for (straight) men. Who, I'm sure you've heard, are being hurt by the economic downturn way more than women. Those guys could use a little pick-me-up—like being able to ogle more beautiful women than ever before.

It's only fair.

[H/T to Elle and Mrs. O. Elle's a busy bee at the moment, so I grabbed the baton.]