Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Tops Off To Dancing: An Exotic Form Of Nightlife, Jessica Sanspree

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This ethnographic research investigates the culture of exotic dancing in two exotic dance clubs in Bowling Green, Kentucky. By conducting interviews with a former exotic dancer and completing ethnographic observations in the field of an exotic dance club, I explore how exotic dancers in Bowling Green create and perform sexuality as a method of making money. I examine the rules and regulations, such as "Dancer's etiquette," established and enforced by dancers in order to enforce social order. Furthermore, I assess my informant's perception of identity regarding her role as an exotic dancer, including her reaction to the negative stigmas that …