Strippers and lapdancers at dLaf?
Oct 25th, 2009 | By webmaster | Category: Polls
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Recent Comments
I went for “There is no fun in objectifying women”
I know it’s for fun but I just don’t like this kind of thing – it’s a thin line
Also, I’d be morto
No, I’m sorry.
This is the most objectionable thing I’ve heard of yet. What are the organisers thinking? Of the comments I’ve heard from friends about this night, they have all been opposed to the event for one reason or another (or several).
Where the hell do you begin? Hm, let’s see.. Maybe this is the reasoning: if women are dehumanised and objectified by women, as well as by men, then we’re all equal!
Bollocks.
My blood is boiling so much now, that I can’t actually articulate all of the different reasons why this is a fucking appalling idea. I’ll get back to this.
Jesus.
And why did they change it to “Dublin lesbian arts festival”? That just really annoyed me – most organisations are trying to make themselves less Dublin – centric, not re-enforce it.
I was there and the strippers were having a great time, nothin wrong with naked women. As for the Dublin comment, it was changed recently to encourage other cities around the country to have their own arts festival, the more the better don’t you think.
Hi!
My name is Fierce and I’m a pole dancer who’s performed recently for the george, the dragon and electric picnic. I definitely don’t think that what I do objectifies me – rather it is an empowering, difficult, feminine, acrobatic dance which I also teach in my dance studio. Of course, I don’t actually dance on anyone’s lap or strip, but what I do does require skin contact on the chrome pole, so for that reason I’m usually not wearing alot. My point is, if these women dancing are willing to do it, and they’re good to look at – what’s to stop them? I think it’s great that lesbians have something that the boys just can’t touch in OUR clubs – and my girlfriend even dances with me the odd time
Bring on the dancers – don’t leave them to Lapello’s!
Fierce x
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDe4U7_VDK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFmjTw3Jrew&feature=channel
Interesting input, Fierce. Thanks
I was wondering about what side of the line pole-dancing would fall and if people would have a different opinion of pole-dancing from lap dancing or stripping.
I haven’t a fully formulated opinion one way or the other on this issue. Because there are merits and demerits to both sides of the arguments. For instance, one the one hand, my gut reaction to lap-dancing and stripping is that their proliferation perpetuates the objectification of women. And on the other hand, some women I know who have taken up pole-dancing as a recreational activity have gained body confidence from their new hobby. And I think that is wonderful considering there continues to be a barrage of pervasive and overt messaging to women in nearly all societies in the world that the way they are right now is not good enough.
Incidentally, I was at the closing shindig in Melody on Saturday night and I didn’t see any performers but I had heard that there was a dark room downstairs. I didn’t venture down so I can’t comment on the nature of the show if there was one.
I’m afraid I’m still opposed to this, having thought about it some more (and calmed myself).
Basically, I’m in agreement with HAL on this.
Whatever your view, lapdancing and stripping objectifies women.
It’s all very well if you’re having fun with another consenting dyke (be it anything from a once-off fling to long-term ladyfriend), but a strip or dance by a woman for another person – male or female – without any other connection, is objectification and nothing more. And that is demeaning.
Now, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying: this is not some kind of prurient moralising, nor some kind of shame or squeamishness about female sexuality.
On the contrary, my view is about gender equality, believe it or not.
Such equality remains very much out of reach, and the lack of it permits women to be demeaned by others in every way – from day-to-day media/porn and lads mags/strips/lapdances all the way through to the sexual exploitation of women and other forms of violence against women. Gender inequality means that women are defined by how we can please others sexually. Hence the aforementioned ways of demeaning, objectifying and ultimately of dehumanising women.
My problem is that so long as gender equality remains far from a reality, then objectifying women – by anyone – in any way can’t be justified.
I guess my view on this seems to differ from the majority of commenters here. I personally don’t have any problems with strippers or lapdancers – provided it’s by choice.
I’m curious click here why stripping and/or lapdancing is: ” all very well if you’re having fun with another consenting dyke (be it anything from a once-off fling to long-term ladyfriend) but a strip or dance by a woman for another person – male or female – without any other connection, is objectification and nothing more. And that is demeaning. ”
Surely stripping & lapdancing by your own reasoning is objectification regardless of who it involves? (Consenting dyke or not).
I guess i don’t view all lapdancers or strippers as being powerless and victims or necessarily contributing to the inequality of women in society – if anything maybe they’re using that inequality (in a way) to their advantage? And if they’re happy doing what they’re doing then goodluck to them!
Yo, everyone! Just back to the blog after a spell of being away and internetless – apologies for taking so long to come back to this.
Sure, some women working as strippers or lapdancers may not identify as “victims”, etc., although personally I would question how they would reach the stage in their life where being a stripper/lapdancer is how they view themselves.
In relation to the objectification issue – Sure, to give the word its widest meaning, even ogling your long-term partner could be construed as “objectification”. I suppose for me the key things to consider are what power balances and what levels of exploitation (if any) exist.
Put it this way, having learned (through the day job) that there are women who have been trafficked into Ireland for sexual exploitation and who have been used for sex in Ireland by women – and this is in the recent past – has made me question all these issues again.
By no means am I directly comparing the “Naughty and Nice” night with that kind of exploitation, but I have found myself thinking a lot about the dynamics at play when it comes to all of the various kinds of objectification of women – be it from fun nights out where certainly women are very comfortable stripping/dancing for other women, to the dark side of things.
Interesting debate. Dancers are taken for granted in other countries and really its not something you can really compare with the way more objectifying lapdancers-for-hetero-males. Its really hard to explain unless you’ve been to one of these places.
In California its 20 dollars a pop and generous women do give 50 dollars and more. Its not hugely different from women dancing in the background somewhere really, if anything we ignore scantily clad women dancing in the background in music videos, live tv and stage performances etc, and only consider them to be degraded when they are at the front and getting paid for it. I have to say I don’t think its comparable as to what goes on at clubs for males which is very different.
I do, however, think this debate brings out a lot of the distinction between “gay” lesbians and “political” lesbians – those who have rarely really questioned their sexuality and those for whom it is a conscious choice related to feminist ideals and preferences. Obviously its going to be very uncomfortable for anybody who has come to this world via feminist idealism to accept very openly sexual displays of female flesh even for women. At the same time, the “pure” gay women do sometimes feel appropriated for political reasons by politicos. I would certainly prefer an Ireland where there are dungeons, saunas and darkrooms for women. I think it would break open a lot of taboos and make a scene a far more diverse place.