Have you ever wondered what a strip club would look like if it were run by the workers, for the workers?
On Saturday March 30th, 2024, Fired Up Stilettos turned Pōneke’s Valhalla into a strip club. And it turns out it's really easy to manage a strip club without abusing the dancers! You may be thinking “yeah no shit, Vixen, that’s the bare minimum!” But having been abused by almost every manager I’ve worked under as a stripper; you could have convinced me otherwise.
I became a stripper in 2019 because I wanted to be my own boss. Unfortunately, I was not treated as an independent contractor. I was barely even treated as an employee; I was just straight up abused. My rights were violated, my income was stolen, and to top it all off; I was told that this treatment was for my own good (a common tactic from abusers, making you think you deserve their mistreatment). Strip club managers view strippers as stupid and incapable of making decisions for themselves, therefore justifying endorsing strict rules and regulations. To quote what Calendar Girls expressed for an RNZ article:
To any strip club managers who actually believe this … Fired Up Stilettos are proving you wrong.
We first hosted Kick Up a FUS at Honey Badger in 2023 as a fundraiser for Fired Up Stilettos. 100% of door sales and tips went to FUS, with the dancers keeping 100% of their lap dance bookings. This time round, we had so many dancers outside of FUS members join that we decided to shift the focus away from a fundraiser. Instead, we wanted to see what would happen if we managed a strip club where the dancers could keep 100% of tips and lap dances, as well as treating them as independent contractors.
KICK UP A FUS DANCER GUIDELINES:
Dancers can leave the event at any point of the night, just let Vixen or Margot know.
Dancers can take a break at any point of the night, just inform Vixen or Margot, and the dancer on the rotation after you.
The dancers can choose how naked they get while dancing on stage/during lap dances.
The dancers can choose whether touching is allowed during their lap dance.
The dancers can choose their own music.
If a dancer wants someone removed from the venue, we will do so. No questions asked. Our dancers' safety comes before a client's comfort.
And guess what? Guess what?! The night ran smoothly, everyone made money, and I didn’t even have to scream at anyone or steal their hard-earned income! Because of this, I can’t stop thinking about all of the times my managers felt the need to verbally abuse me. Are they ok? They don’t seem to be coping well under the stress. Are they sure this is the right industry for them? Like seriously, it’s ok to admit that you can’t handle the heat. Instead of taking it out on everyone around you, have you tried getting out of the kitchen? Managing dancers really isn’t that difficult, especially when you trust them to be more than capable of managing themselves. And I should know, I’ve produced and managed two strip club takeover nights without having to abuse anyone.
Did the night go entirely stress free for me? No. Strip clubs are loud and there’s a lot of action happening all at once, so naturally there were moments where I became overstimulated by the environment. In those moments, I simply had my co-manager Margot Embargot take over while I grounded myself. I did not take my stress out on the dancers, nor did I want to. I never thought my manager's mistreatment of strippers was justifiable, but now that I’ve seen firsthand how effectively strip clubs can run without fines or abuse … I JUST DO NOT FUCKING GET IT. It has confirmed to me that their abuse towards us is not and has never been fueled by a desire to effetely run a business; it stems from misogyny and whorephobia. Simply put, abusive managers hate strippers and seem to get off making our lives difficult.
I'm not saying that being a manager is entirely stress free. I am simply saying that managers do not need to abuse their workers because they are having a bad night.
I say this with my full chest: any manager who resorts to bullying/abusing their workers are not fit to be managers. I have been “managed” by too many people who are irrational, volatile and dangerous to be around. They fumble under the pressure and take it out on anyone around them. I am deeply concerned for the baby strippers who are entering this industry believing workplace abuse is common practice. Workers in Aotearoa are being abused and exploited, illegal practices are taking place right under our noses, we need to come together to Kick Up A FUS!
I have seen what happens when a strip club environment is run by the workers, for the workers. And I am telling you this; fines and strict rules/regulations are unjust and unnecessary. This shouldn’t have to be said, but I’ll say it anyway … YOU CAN MANAGE A STRIP CLUB WITHOUT ABUSING THE WORKERS ♡ ♡ ♡
Burn the Patriarchy!
Ngā mihi
Vixen Temple xx