Flesh for Fantasy Producing and Consuming Exotic Dance

With a recent burst of feature films, documentaries, and books on strippers, the business of exotic dancing is hotter than ever. Over the last decade there has been a steadily expanding interest in exotic dance, from its role as an "art form" to its benefits as a means of exercise. While the breadth of discussion generated on this topic has expanded, the fundamental debate remains the same: are female strippers empowering themselves or allowing themselves to be exploited? With her follow-up to Jane Sexes It Up: True Confessions of Feminist Desire, M. Lisa Johnson moves beyond the old debates and gives the reader a glimpse of what exotic dancing is like through the eyes of the stripper. The essays in Flesh for Fantasy cover everything from workplace policies and conditions, legal restrictions, customer behavior, and the struggle to overcome the stereotypes associated with the profession.

R. Danielle Egan, PhD, a former exotic dancer, is an assistant professor of sociology at St. Lawrence University Katherine Frank, PhD, is currently a research fellow in the Sociology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Merri Lisa Johnson, PhD, is an assistant professor of English and women's studies at Coastal Carolina University