Random Things Tours: The Ethical Stripper by Stacey Clare

 

Sex workers from all over the world are going through a tremendous crisis those days. Although the roots of the crisis could be found in the serial waves of economic crisis from the last decade, the Covid 19 reshaped completely the map of adult entertainment. And by map I meant both the geographical references and the repertoire of clubs and institutions offering this kind of entertainment.

Mixing personal stories and an extensive sociological and cultural bibliography of studies, The Ethical Stripper by Stacey Clare not only outlines the phenomenon as such, but also gives personal insights into the background and general condition of people working in this industry. 

The book is a well documented collection of essays on topics pertaining to the industry, such as labour rights, legal aspects affecting them, history of sexual entertainment etc. In a world where the erotic capital is so widespread at so many society levels, calling strippers by their name is not a depreciative attitude, but a way to offer recognition and understanding of those involved in it. Sexuality had a social exchange value long before the creation of clubs and it will over be like this. The society approach to it and the various definitions and economic attributions may change from a historical period to another. Nowadays, our society has all the instruments and went through a mentality makeover allowing such a change to occur. Works like The Ethical Stripper create not only awareness but also assign a role within the everyday social network. Although most of the examples do belong to the English-speaking (particularly British) realm it offers a serious inspiration and empowerment to sex workers from all over the world.

Stacey Clare started stripping at 22, shortly after becoming a Buddhist. She is a stripper, performance artist, writer and activist, among other co-founding member of the East London Stripper Collective. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own