2008 Woodie Awards
Stripping away the facade of strippers
Maryann Kopp
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Campus
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A packed Fireside Room welcomed Bernadette Barton of Morehead State University to Bakersfield College March 21 for her hour-long presentation titled "Stripped."
As a part of Women's History Month, Barton's discussion revolved around her doctoral exploration of the toll that the sex industry has on female exotic dancers. Her book, "Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers," is the end result of the field work she did for her dissertation.
"I interviewed women from San Francisco, Honolulu, and Kentucky," Barton stated. "I formerly interviewed 36 different female exotic dancers, with ages ranging from 21 to 40 years old. Their educational background ranged from elementary school to master's degrees, with most of them having a college education."
Driven by many different factors, Barton sought to find a theoretical middle ground in what she called the "feminist sex wars." "On one side, you have the radical feminist perspective. Supporters of this perspective think sex work is exploitive, and it perpetuates patriarchy and abuse. This focuses on the impact of the sex industry on a macro level.
"On the other side, you have what are called the sex radicals. They believe the sex industry is empowering for women and focuses on the sex industry's toll on a micro level," explained Barton. Barton was most concerned about the temporal element, or how the dancers were effected over time, by working in the sex industry. Barton's experience in the field of exotic dance led her to believe that both levels of the feminist perspectives did, indeed, occur in the lives of most of the dancers she interviewed. The dancers, should they decide to stick with it after their first day, may initially experience the positive side of their work on the micro level. They find themselves "intoxicated by attention and money" and the actual acts in which they engage while working. Over time, however, Barton found that the radical feminist perspective becomes a more predominate factor. This is part of what Barton refers to as "the toll."
As a part of Women's History Month, Barton's discussion revolved around her doctoral exploration of the toll that the sex industry has on female exotic dancers. Her book, "Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers," is the end result of the field work she did for her dissertation.
"I interviewed women from San Francisco, Honolulu, and Kentucky," Barton stated. "I formerly interviewed 36 different female exotic dancers, with ages ranging from 21 to 40 years old. Their educational background ranged from elementary school to master's degrees, with most of them having a college education."
Driven by many different factors, Barton sought to find a theoretical middle ground in what she called the "feminist sex wars." "On one side, you have the radical feminist perspective. Supporters of this perspective think sex work is exploitive, and it perpetuates patriarchy and abuse. This focuses on the impact of the sex industry on a macro level.
"On the other side, you have what are called the sex radicals. They believe the sex industry is empowering for women and focuses on the sex industry's toll on a micro level," explained Barton. Barton was most concerned about the temporal element, or how the dancers were effected over time, by working in the sex industry. Barton's experience in the field of exotic dance led her to believe that both levels of the feminist perspectives did, indeed, occur in the lives of most of the dancers she interviewed. The dancers, should they decide to stick with it after their first day, may initially experience the positive side of their work on the micro level. They find themselves "intoxicated by attention and money" and the actual acts in which they engage while working. Over time, however, Barton found that the radical feminist perspective becomes a more predominate factor. This is part of what Barton refers to as "the toll."
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