
From stripper to dominatrix: I've worked in the sex industry for 25 years
‘How did you get into this?’
That’s the question I was asked most often during my time working in strip clubs.
Other popular queries included: ‘How does your boyfriend/mother feel about you being a stripper?’, ‘Do you do extras?’, and ‘How do you cope in those heels all night?’
The problem with being asked how I got into stripping was the implication there was something wrong with my career choice – I resented being asked.
Usually I would change the subject or, when pushed, tell them how naughtiness was innate in me, that the word ‘whore’ ran right through my spine, like Blackpool through a stick of rock.
But my job as a stripper began the way most jobs did in 1995: I answered a newspaper advertisement. It said: ‘Dancers wanted. You will earn up to £600 a night. No experience necessary.’