Recently, there has been a lot said about adult entertainment and the perceived exploitation of women in establishments like strip clubs and brothels. Strip clubs have been around for a number of years now. They are largely considered as male-centric establishments where women have to perform to satisfy male urges. In the past these were places were a lot of corporate executives would go to entertain their customers and seal corporate deals.
The business of strip clubs in truth has nothing to do with harassment of women or demeaning women. Going to strip clubs will continue, because they are part of a bigger industry. Not everyone will be critical of these places, Human beings are sexual beings. Telling the women to cease entertaining the guys or earning a living by stripping naked for the entertainment is taking away their democratic rights to be who they want to be and do that which helps them get what they need economically.
While some employers have no problem with their staff members visiting a strip club, others believe that taking a client there—even if the client requested it—is unprofessional. With the number of suits that get litigated everywhere it is important for companies to have clear guidelines regarding what acceptable entertainment is and what isn’t.
In today’s corporate environment, the idea of going above and beyond to satisfy a customer is out of date. It is the kind of thing that has led to sexual harassment suits. One attorney specializing in sexual harassment claims that businesses settled complaints involving sexualized entertainment in the workplace for between $1 million and $3.5 million. Because of the wide spreading #metoo movement, strip clubs have also come into the spotlight.
In the past, women felt they could not reach a certain point in their careers because men had created these playgrounds that weren’t particularly female friendly. Men’s clubs and golf courses were just two examples of the “playgrounds” women found exclusionary. The industry may have taken some knocks in the past they still managed to rise above as more women took over the narrative of what is acceptable behavior where their bodies were concerned.
You only have to track the history of clubs in Kings Street and see how the street and surroundings has evolved. Most of the strip clubs are female friendly. The performers treat women and men the same. There are no blurred lines. People are more aware that a strip club sells a fantasy or at least provide patrons with a relaxed atmosphere to let loose, which sometimes is what corporates need.
This practice of winding down business with naked dancing women and lots of alcohol created a gap between men and women in businesses and could be uncomfortable for women where they are excluded from these sessions. It’s a culture that is slowly changing. Not because of feminists but because it left a lot of female corporates to watch from the sidelines. The truth is, it is not something that looks like it could go away anytime soon.
