How Do Strippers At Vixens Get Their Work Empowerment?

Question two, Dewey states that she “began her research with the central question of whether an industry so clearly characterized by exploitative labor practices and stigmatization could in face be empowering for women.” In what ways do strippers at Vixens find their work empowering? In what ways are they victims of structural forces like poverty and de-industrialization? What is your opinion –are they empowered agents or victims? Throughout the book Dewey describes Vixens strippers as empowering and victims of structural forces like poverty. She talks about how the women feel powerful using their body to seduce men to give them money, how the women at Vixens talks about respect and how they maintain this self-respect. Dewey also describes

These women were born into poor households and didn’t finish their high school education which forces them into low paying jobs. The jobs that offer “Low-wage work comes at a heavy price, including the ever-present awareness that, as Star puts it, “there’s no moving up” for the vast majority of employees. This is particularly problematic for women struggling to support children alone and at or near the poverty level” (Dewey 52). These blue-collar jobs that these women at Vixens are jobs that they are able to get however these jobs pay very little money. The reasoning for many women to work at establishments like Vixens is because they want higher pay in order to support their family. Even though they don’t want to work as a sex worker they have no other choice. Women at Vixens have almost no decision when choosing what type of work they want because they are in poverty. Its either they choose to work in a blue-collar job making almost no money and unable to raise their own kid up or they could work at Strip clubs which have a much higher income and more flexible hours allowing them to take care of their children while at work. Poverty is a huge factor that women at Vixens choose this occupation over the low pay work because if they weren’t in poverty, they would have better education and would have made better life choices since there would be more options for them instead of stripping or working in a low wage