Playing the Supporting Role

Book excerpt: Strippers may be the main attraction of strip clubs, but their work is bolstered by people who are rarely meaningfully considered: those who organize, supervise, manage, or coordinate the labour of erotic dancers, including managers, bouncers, and disc jockeys. Playing the Supporting Role contends it is essential to explore the managerial layer in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the power relations and working conditions in the erotic dance sector – and, consequently, distinguish banal or beneficial from unfair or exploitative sex-industry labour practices. Focusing primarily on third parties in the erotic dance sector, this book examines who these individuals are; how they manage clients, workers, security, and stigma; the services and resources they provide; and, in turn, strippers’ experiences and perceptions of these practices. Through qualitative interview data with third parties and strippers from two Ontario cities, Playing the Supporting Role ultimately advances an understanding of third-party work as gendered, classed, and racialized occupational performance in a stigmatized labour sector that is simultaneously over- and under-regulated.