My Story
I was alienated from my labor, unable to control my own work, or granted access to the economic value I produced.
As a college-educated individual who grew up in the Boston area, my fifteen-year experience as a stripper provided me with invaluable insights into labor exploitation and the profound significance of owning one’s work.
I entered the strip club world in my twenties, embracing life, exploring the world, and dancing on stage. Years after I had left, a class-action lawsuit brought to light the extensive exploitation I had unknowingly faced and the substantial earnings that had been withheld. This revelation made me keenly aware of how cultural mechanisms subtly manipulate life decisions, ultimately leading to exploitation within the capitalist working world. I realized I had been alienated from my labor, stripped of the ability to make decisions about my activities, and denied access to the economic value I produced. Had I owned and controlled my labor, I could have earned five times more. This understanding spurred me on a journey to understand propaganda and labor laws, and to reclaim control over my work. The oligarchic mentality, I learned, thrives on bending rules and exploiting labor and controlling the narrative.
My experiences with labor exploitation were not limited to strip clubs. I briefly worked at a bachelor's party agency and again faced exploitation and non-payment, despite being college-educated and English-speaking. This reinforced my conviction that labor exploitation is the norm, not the exception. It's striking to me that despite 18 years of schooling, labor rights and history are never adequately taught.
I also observed contrasting forms of exploitation, such as the dynamics within Asian massage parlors, where workers often earn less than those engaged in sex work outside a brothel. My time working at a brothel in Sydney, Australia, offered firsthand insight into the impact of technology on labor exploitation. I witnessed clear similarities between brothels and strip clubs, particularly where workers were coerced into performing sexual acts under threat of dismissal. The evolution of sex work culture towards transactions with middlemen, mirroring fast and cheap consumerism, was starkly highlighted by what I call the "McMiddle/troll toll" phenomenon.
Approximately four years ago, I transitioned to self-employment and immediately experienced a significant improvement in my working conditions. I valued the freedom to set my own prices, determine my working hours, and select my clients – labor exploitation was absent, and I finally fully owned my labor. The challenges faced by brothels in retaining workers, often resorting to coercing women from overseas, underscore the critical importance of data ownership and control in asserting dominance within these exploitative environments.
Despite the class-action lawsuit, like many others, I was unable to recover all my lost wages, which amounted to up to $180,000. My employers, men in their 60s (and the workers were all women in their 20s), still profited millions from the workers, funds that will never be recovered. This stark reality reveals how the system is rigged against vulnerable individuals, women, and workers, failing to adequately protect young people from this kind of violence.
I created this project. I aim to help young people navigate the cosmic onslaught of misinformation perpetrated by the oligarchy and the capitalist forces that profoundly shape our lives. As feminist rapper Tupac Shakur said, "I know it's a setup, ladies, but keep your head up."
Reflecting on other work experiences, I briefly worked at a bachelor's party agency as well, again facing exploitation and non-payment despite being college-educated and English-speaking. Labor exploitation is the norm, not the exception. I have 18 years of schooling, and labor rights and history are never taught!! Noteworthy observations included the contrasting labor exploitation at Asian massage parlors who make less than sex work outside the brothel. Working at a brothel in Sydney, Australia, and witnessing firsthand the impact of technology on labor exploitation. Similarities between brothels and strip clubs were evident, where workers were coerced to perform sexual acts under threat of dismissal. The evolution of sex work culture towards transactions with middlemen, akin to fast and cheap consumerism, was highlighted by the concept of "McMiddle/ troll toll."
I transitioned towards self-employment around four years ago and immediately experienced a significant improvement in working conditions. I valued the freedom to set prices, determine working hours, and select clients–labor exploitation was absent, and I fully owned my labor. The challenges faced by brothels in retaining workers and resorting to coercion of women from overseas emphasize the importance of data ownership and control to assert dominance in these exploitative environments. Even with the lawsuit, like many others, I was not able to recover the lost wages up to 100,000 dollars. The employer still made millions of dollars off the workers, which will never be recovered. My employers were all men in their 60s, and the women were there in their 20s. The state will not protect young people proficiently enough from this kind of violence. The system is fixed against vulnerable people, women, and workers! Thinking back on feminist rapper Tupac Shakur's quote, “I know it's a setup ladies, but keep your head up.'“ The reason I created this website is to help young people against the cosmic onslaught of misinformation by the oligarchy and the capitalist forces that play out in our lives.
—Regina George
Sources:
Strippers sue club over tips, wages https://youtu.be/LiImnmMzuuc?si=W8xm5j9itvKZLvSS
They should have to pay us’: More exotic dancers join lawsuit against Tuscola gentleman’s club https://youtu.be/M9vM5sUYq2I?si=-2KOyttZNhmhBxmP
Exotic Dancers https://www.llrlaw.com/exotic-dancers/
Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan defends the “whole social fabric of employment.” https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/02/labor-litigator#:~:text=Since%20then%2C%20she%20has%20successfully%20sued%20national,under%20state%20law.%20(Both%20cases%20were%20settled.)